The Insect Farm

Written by Stuart Prebble

Narrated by Rupert Degas

An eerie debut suspense novel that explores how little one man may know his own brother--and his own mind.

The Maguire brothers each have their own driving, single-minded obsession. For Jonathan, it is his magnificent, talented, and desirable wife, Harriet. For Roger, it is the elaborate universe he has constructed in a shed in their parents' garden, populated by millions of tiny insects. While Jonathan's pursuit of Harriet leads him to feelings of jealousy and anguish, Roger's immersion in the world he has created reveals a capability and talent which are absent from his everyday life.

Roger is known to all as a loving, protective, yet simple man, but the ever-growing complexity of the insect farm suggests that he is capable of far more than anyone believes. Following a series of strange and disturbing incidents, Jonathan begins to question every story he has ever been told about his brother--and if he has so completely misjudged Roger's mind, what else might he have overlooked about his family, and himself?

The Insect Farm is a dramatic psychological thriller about the secrets we keep from those we love most, and the extent to which the people closest to us are also the most unknowable. In his astounding debut, Stuart Prebble guides us through haunting twists and jolting discoveries as a startling picture emerges: One of the Maguire brothers is a killer, and the other has no idea.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Jul 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781478956457

Reviews for The Insect Farm

[myownwoman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"If you have been lucky enough to be able to tell the truth for most of your life, you probably cannot imagine how exhausting it is to spend forever living a lie."If this is true, then Jonathan Maguire is one tired man, and his brother, Roger, isn't exactly wide-awake either. Stuart Prebble's debut novel, The Insect Farm, is a study of these two men - of their strange, insular relationship that trumps all else and of their strange, all-consuming obsessions. For Ralph, the older of the two brothers (yet, clearly, the younger in terms of mental maturity), little else matters apart from his brother, Jonathan, and his insect farm. Roger spends his hours cultivating any number of mail-order specimens from around the world in handmade habitats that he has, surprisingly, designed on his own. For Jonathan, the younger brother entrusted with the care of his mentally challenged older brother, he has little concern for anything other than his brother, Roger, and the love of his young life, his musically-inclined, much-lusted-after,wife, Harriet. Unfortunately, Jonathan is forced to leave both Harriet and his studies at university to care for Roger upon the death of their parents in a tragic (and suspicious) house fire. With distance between the two young lovers, Jonathan's jealous nature has an opportunity to flourish and grow unbound. Will the two brothers' singular obsessions disrupt the harmony of their coexistence? I don't know what it is about mentally challenged, male characters, but they can really tug at my heart-strings like none other (think: Of Mice's Lenny and The Sound's Benji). Poor Roger - his goofy breakfast routines, his ability to deep-sleep like a child, his uncanny ability to converse almost philosophically about insects - it all just broke my heart. I found both brothers to be extremely emphatic, but Roger really spoke to my maternal instincts; I understood Jonathan's duty and need to protect him. As much as I loved Roger and Jonathan, I hated Harriet's would-be suitor Brendon Harcourt. If there is something about mentally-challenged men that makes my heart melt, there is something about red-headed men that almost instantly repulses me. (Side note: sorry (not sorry) to all the ginges out there. The only exception to my rule seems to be Prince Harry, and maybe his royal blood cancels out the otherwise icky ginger vibes. I don't know. I only speak the truth). Very slight spoiler alert: I loved how the prologue firmly set this book up as a psychological thriller with the tease of the two unidentified bodies. The rest of the book was shrouded in a haze of mystery that I could not wait to unravel.A highly-recommended read due out in less than a month, The Insect Farm hits the shelves on July 7, 2015.

[billiebook · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Meh. There's not much there there. The limited plot may have been better served as a short story or novella.

[fearshop · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

*This book was provided to me as an advanced readers copy through Goodreads giveaways.

Character driven novel set in 70's era. You grow very attached to the characters in this book and thus when the tragedy/pain comes it hits you hard. Very fast read that you will be thinking about for days after. Never read any of Stuart Prebble's work but will check out more.