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    The Farm
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    The Farm
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    The Farm
    Ebook351 pages5 hours

    The Farm

    By Tom Rob Smith

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    From the author of CHILD 44, soon to be a major film starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman, comes an intricately-knitted thriller in the vein of John Le Carre's A PERFECT SPY.

    Daniel believed that his parents were enjoying a peaceful retirement on a remote farm in Sweden, the country of his mother's birth. But with a single phone call, everything changes.

    'Your mother... she's not well', his father tells him. 'She's been imagining things - terrible, terrible things.' In fact, she has been committed to a mental hospital.

    Before Daniel can board a plane to Sweden, his mother calls: 'Everything that man has told you is a lie. I'm not mad... I need the police... Meet me at Heathrow.'

    Presented with a horrific crime, a conspiracy that implicates his own father, Daniel must examine the evidence and decide: who is telling the truth, his mother or his father? And he has secrets of his own that for too long he has kept hidden...

    'Chilling, hypnotic and thoroughly compelling. You will not read a better thriller this year' MARK BILLINGHAM

    'On rare occasions, an author pulls off the high-wire act of writing a crime-oriented novel that easily transcends the genre. The Farm is one of these... A remarkable achievement' JEFFERY DEAVER

    'Tom Rob Smith has created a truly original and chilling thriller, which makes you ask yourself: who would I believe?' JOJO MOYES

    TOM ROB SMITH is the bestselling author of Man Booker-longlisted CHILD 44, a multi-million-copy bestseller and now a major film starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman. THE SECRET SPEECH and AGENT 6, both bestsellers, complete the trilogy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster UK
    Release dateFeb 13, 2014
    ISBN9781471110672
    Unavailable
    The Farm
    Author

    Tom Rob Smith

    Tom Rob Smith is the author of the acclaimed Child 44 trilogy. Child 44 itself was a global publishing sensation, selling over two million copies. It was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Prize and won the CWA Steel Dagger Award. His most recent novel, The Farm, was a #1 international bestseller. Tom also writes for television and won a Writer’s Guild Award for best adapted series and an Emmy and Golden Globe for best limited series with American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He is also the creator and executive producer of FX’s suspense thriller series Class of ’09.

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    Reviews for The Farm

    3.5/5

    291 ratings53 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This one sure did not end the way I expected it to.
    • 4/5
      "Your mother's not well. She's been imagining things - terrible, terrible things. She's had a psychotic breakdown, and has been committed to a mental hospital."

      But then his mother rings to say: "I'm sure your father has spoken to you. Everything that man has told you is a lie. I'm not mad. I don't need a doctor. I need the police. I'm about to board a flight to London. Meet me at Heathrow."

      Daniel then has to decide which of his parents to believe. A gripping mystery.
    • 3/5
      A friend lent this book to me as I had very much wanted to read it. It was very slow and I did skim through quite a lot. The last third of the book picked up a little. I liked the conclusion but it was a struggle for me to get there.
    • 4/5
      What a joy to have found an actual page turner! A book that actually lives up to the expectations I had for it from initial reviews. Part mystery and part family drama, this intelligently written novel slowly reveals its true nature with every word written.
      A son, an only child, is close to his Swedish mother and British father, but after their retirement back to his mother's native Sweden, he realizes that much of what they all perceived about one another was riddled with underlying secrets.
    • 4/5
      Not a "thriller" as advertised, but suspenseful. Based on an episode in the author's life when his own mother experienced a psychotic breakdown.
    • 2/5
      A man has to choose between his father's and his mother's account of events in rural Sweden.
    • 4/5
      Daniel's father tells him that his mother has had a psychotic breakdown. Then Daniel's mother tells him that his father is dangerous. What follows is a four- out of five-star book. And that's generous; I considered three stars.Most of THE FARM, that is, more than 3/4 of it, is Daniel's mother's story since she and his father retired in Sweden, as she perceives it. Page after page Daniel patiently listens to her paranoia. She is so obviously paranoid, even to the point of believing she knew what people were thinking, that I didn't believe a word of it. Daniel does, though.The last bit of this book is the part I liked best, no more paranoid story. Something really happens. The story is such a surprise that I gave it four rather than three stars. Don't think that THE FARM is the book that finally measures up to Tom Rob Smith's first one, CHILD 44. Not that THE FARM is bad. Maybe it's that CHILD 44 is so excellent that we expect too much.
    • 5/5
      I loved Tom Rob Smith's Child 44 when I read it years ago so I was very excited to get a copy of the Farm from an LT friend! When I sat down to look through the first chapter, the thing I love most happened...which is I just kept reading it until I finished it last night. What would you do if your father called you up and told you that your mother was psychotic and had been committed to a psych ward and then your next phone call was from your mother telling you not to believe anything your father said and she was on her way to you for help. Yikes! Who do you believe? The fact that Smith's mother had a psychotic breakdown (which she recovered from) makes this book even more interesting to me. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      This novel is much better written than "Child 44" from the same author. For one thing, the writing is smoother and also, the suspens is much more controlled, as the narrator (main, one, the heroine's son) and reader, only find out about the full underlying story at the end. The plot contains a story within a story and contains 2 different points of views, depending on who is narrating. The characterization is very good. We like the characters not so much for the plot but for their respective flaws and faults. In the end, a lot of misunderstanding derive from these faults and we follow the main narrator (the heroine's son) in his investigation with focal distance, away from any direct involvement. From this, the resulting truth is shown with care and compassion, making this novel a far cry from "Child 44" in writing style and tone.It was a good surprise and I think its writing style is better than "Child 44". It can be a bit creepy at times, it's a thriller after all, but it is all linked to the heroine's state of mind and paranoias. The only other narrative voice is her son's, with a much more controlled and composed tone, tenderness even, so that it all comes together in the end. Readers shouldn't dismiss this novel if they didn't like "Child 44", because it doesn't compare in writing style and tone. Well worth it!
    • 3/5
      Daniel believes his mom and dad, Chris and Tilde are enjoying their retirement in Sweden. A phone call from his dad changes everything. His mother is ill and imagining things. His mother however claims to be totally sane and believes a great crime has been comitted. Who does Daniel believe.This book drew me in from the beginning. The majority of the book is the narrative of Tilde. A long narrative it is too, and very convincing. The story is very compelling and I was drawn into it and wanted to know the truth.Daniel goes to Sweden to find out for himself and that's when the reader gets the truth and the narrative told by Tilde falls into place. This I felt was a little rushed at the end of the book. The whole book is taken up by Tilde that there doesn't seem room for anything else.A compelling read but I felt let down at the end. I was expecting something more and perhaps a big twist which just didn't happen. Disappointing read which started out quite well.
    • 4/5
      A great plot which will make you wonder what it's really happening until the last page.
    • 3/5
      It started off so well and I was gripped and then...meh. Found the ending more confusing than shocking.
    • 4/5
      Daniel receives a phone call from his father stating that his mother is not well and has been committed to an asylum. However, as he is about to board a flight to Sweden, his mother calls and says that everything his father has told him was a lie. Now Daniel must choose whether to listen to his mother's story with an open mind or believe that his mother is truly ill.This book had me intrigued from the beginning. Daniel finds that his parents have been keeping things from him and now he is struggling with admitting his truths to them as well. It was a well written story that had me wanting to keep reading to find out what happened back in Sweden. There were stories within stories that had me flipping back to previous pages to see read with new eyes and find some clues that I might have missed before. If you're looking for a page turner, a thriller with unexpected endings, this is it.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of Daniel who lives in London and his Swedish Mum Tilde.Tilde returns from Sweden where she and Chris her Husband and Daniels Dad had bought a farm. She is really upset and tells Daniel that Chris is trying to trick her and convince her she is going mad. She then explains everything to Daniel that happened and also a bit about her childhood. A young girl called Mia has recently went missing, Tilde is convinced she has been murdered.This book keeps you guessing is Tilde losing it or is Chris right to have his Wife committed to a hospital. Daniel then goes over to Sweden once his Mum is safe in a London hospital to do his own investigation. Good suspense and keeps you guessing.
    • 4/5
      My first taste of Tom Rob Smith. I liked the idea of a "which parent to believe" mystery. And I think it was satisfying. The characters were good, and things were not too predictable. I will read more by Smith.
    • 3/5
      I read Smith's Russia trilogy and enjoyed it, yet I quit on this on after about 50 pages. The premise was interesting and it was written well, but it was a little too upsetting for me, was not enjoying it. Probably the same reason that I don't like the show Breaking Bad. I'm sure it's wonderful and all, it's just too uncomfortable for me to watch. Or in this case, read.
    • 4/5
      Yes, it's a page-turner. Yes, the story flows effortlessly, however sad it is. But I expected much more from the author of "Child 44" trilogy. Unless, of course, it's somewhat autobiographical (the case of the author's parents), as the NPR interview with the T.R.Smith suggests - not clear, though, to what extent... Then it could and should be seen differently. But otherwise, as pure fiction it lacked some logic and credibility. Somehow, as I was reading, I felt constantly on the brink of a more original, justifiable plot, but it didn't happen.The sadness that mental illness brings with itself. The search that leads to unpredictable conclusions: expecting to find one crime but stumbling upon the other, of a different category and so much "closer to home". Seems like it should have been a compelling story, but somehow it just didn't work for me.
    • 3/5
      First off, I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Rob Smith's "Child 44" trilogy. Those three books are still some of my favorite thrillers of all time.Now, as to "The Farm..." where to begin? I am going to stay away from the plot other than to reveal the intriguing premise set out on the book's dust jacket itself. Daniel, a young man living in London with his partner, gets a call from a remote farm in Sweden where he believes his parents have settled into a "peaceful" retirement. According to his father, Daniel's mother has suffered a mental breakdown and she has been committed to a mental institution. Then, even before he can finish making arrangements to fly to Sweden to be with his parents, Daniel's mother calls to say, "Everything that man has told you is a lie. I'm mot mad...I need the police...Meet me at Heathrow." Now what does Daniel do?Great hook, right?Well, this intriguing plot slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) unravels for the next 352 pages, over ninety percent of which is recounted from the past by one character or another to Daniel. Thus, all of the book's most thrilling sections and plot twists are told to Daniel by someone whose life has apparently been placed in danger time after time - long after the danger is past. No great thrill, that. Smith has broken the Thriller Golden Rule: "Show me what happens; don't tell me about it later."For that reason, "The Farm" will be a great disappointment to readers of Smith's past thrillers - mainly because we know it could (and should) have been so much better than it is.
    • 3/5
      When Daniel receives a phone call from his father, he is shocked to learn that his mother has been put into a mental institution. Within minutes, he receives a call from his mother, begging for his help. When his mother arrives in London, she begins to unravel a tale of lies, deceit, sexual abuse and murder. Through it all, Daniel must decide if his mother is crazy or his father is involved with criminals.This book was well written and well paced. It was suspenseful and unraveled the story in a very dramatic fashion. I thought the tension with Daniel and his partner was a bit unnecessary, it didn't add anything but took away from the suspense. Without giving anything away, I can say that I wanted more from the ending. Why are a lot of author's foregoing the epilogue? Overall, well worth reading.
    • 3/5
      Daniel is struggling with his own inner demons when he gets a phone call from his father in Sweden. Apparently his mother is not well - specifically, she has been imagining things and has sunk into a paranoid fantasy world. But before Daniel can fully comprehend his father's words, he gets another phone call - this time from his mother who insists that everything he has just learned is a lie. Who should he believe? Is his mother's convoluted story of conspiracy the truth? Or is it just the jumbled rambling of an insane woman?The Farm is Tom Rob Smith's newest novel set alternately in Sweden and London. The first 2/3rds of the book set up Daniel's mother's story of murder and conspiracy in the countryside of Sweden. Much of the narrative is in the voice of Daniel's mother as she unpacks a satchel of evidence and outlines the events that have unfolded in her life over a period of several months. The last 1/3rd of the book is about Daniel's quest to uncover the truth and is written in Daniel's point of view.Daniel also has secrets - namely that he is a "closeted" gay man. This theme is superficially explored in the novel, and I found it a bit detracting from the real story of what actually happened on a farm in Sweden. This fact about Daniel is supposed to give us insight into his character, but it is really the only thing about him that gives the character any depth.There is a little twist at the end which explains everything, but I actually saw this one coming and its impact for me was blunted.I found myself wanting to get to the "truth" but felt oddly unsatisfied once that truth is revealed. In crafting a plot driven story at the expense of real character development, I believe Smith has created a novel that packs little emotional punch.Overall, I was disappointed in this novel, even though I was excited to read it. Some reviewers have suggested first time readers of Smith's should begin with his Child 44 trilogy which received rave reviews and won Smith several literary awards. I have Child 44 in my stacks, and my disappointment with The Farm has not curbed my desire to eventually read Smith's trilogy.
    • 4/5
      Tom Rob Smith is the award winning author of the Child 44 trilogy, but an author I hadn't read until now. His newest release is The Farm. Daniel's parents,Tilde and Chris, for personal and financial reasons, have decided to move from England to Sweden - Tilde's birth country. They buy a small farm in an isolated community and look forward to a bucolic retirement.Daniel keeps meaning to visit, but for his own reasons, keeps putting it off, believing his parents are happily pursuing their dream. But when his father calls saying his Mum isn't well and has in fact has been hospitalized, he is shaken. Then his Mum calls, saying she has fled Sweden - and Chris - and is on her way to see him in England. She is cryptic, saying she will only reveal what has been going on in when she gets there. But, he must believe her.....his father is dangerous and her life is in danger....If he doesn't believe her, he is no longer her son. What a great premise! Smith slowly lets Tilde tell her carefully documented story, complete with her proof. The reader is inexorably caught up in Tilde's slowly built case. But Daniel is torn - this is not the father he knows. Could his mother be mistaken? The reader is never sure of what is the truth - Tilde's 'evidence' seems quite plausible, but her manic paranoia makes her an unreliable narrator. I really enjoy this style of book - not knowing who is telling the truth, trying to find the thread of what has truly happened in the narrative. I thought Smith did a fabulous job with this. It was only after I finished the book and was reading more about Tom Rob Smith, that I discovered that the inspiration for The Farm was his from his own life. (Spoiler if you click through). In fact, this book is a mirror of that situation - underlining why I thought the writing was so compelling. While Smith's personal situation was resolved much quicker, the fictional tale had me wondering until the final pages what was real and what would happen. I really enjoyed The Farm.
    • 5/5
      Oh my goodness! I've been hanging out to read The Farm by Tom Rob Smith ever since I heard the premise:Daniel's parents have retired to Sweden, and all seems well until he receives a call from his father."Your mother's not well. She's been imagining things - terrible, terrible things. She's had a psychotic breakdown, and has been committed to a mental hospital." But then his mother rings to say: "I'm sure your father has spoken to you. Everything that man has told you is a lie. I'm not mad. I don't need a doctor. I need the police. I'm about to board a flight to London. Meet me at Heathrow." (Source: GoodReads).Daniel then has to decide which of his parents to believe. I was instantly hooked by the premise, and instantly gripped by the plot as soon as I picked up the book.In fact, there was so much tension in The Farm, that I actually exclaimed, out loud, twice! The first was when Daniel's Mum says the simple words: "I told him everything" and I instantly yelled out "NO!"And the second was when it was clear Daniel had made his decision about which parent to believe (no spoilers though). Oh, and the ending too, so I guess that makes three out loud exclamations and luckily for me they all occurred at home.The Farm is a mystery and psychological thriller, which is surprising given the content is not driven by action so much as learning the truth about what took place. The plot is tight and the tension is palpable, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it. I was also pleased to learn the movie rights have been sold, hopefully it's not too long before we can watch The Farm on the big screen. Get it, read it now!
    • 3/5
      An interesting book this one. I really enjoyed Tom Rob Smith's Leo Demidov trilogy but this book was completely different. Daniel's parents, Swedish born Tilde and Englishman Chris, have retired to Sweden. Daniel finds himself questioning his whole life up to then when his father rings and tells him his mother is sick in the head and then his mother rings and says not to believe a word his father says and that she is on her way back to England from Sweden.The book is mostly made up of Tilde telling her story to Daniel, with the final part being Daniel looking into what his mother has told him. I did find some of Tilde's 'voice' rather odd and implausible but this is a book that is relatively short and very easy to read so I raced through it. Overall it's a good psychological thriller but although there's a twist I did expect something more to end on and I'm finding myself wondering if I have missed something.Good, but not as good as this author's previous novels, but it is worth a read if you enjoy psychological thrillers and mind games.Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
    • 4/5
      Enchanting fairytale mystery. I was immediately caught up in the slow unraveling of this story. I enjoyed the detail and the spell cast over me as I read. The characters were rich and full of life. This is a bedtime story/mystery for adults full of secrets and small-town intrigue. I would not recommend this to those who only like super fast-paced books because most of it is told in a deliberate an intricate fashion in the form of flashback for two-thirds of the book. Nevertheless, it is still a quick read (about 5 hours for me) and well told.
    • 4/5
      A fairly slow start but the story strongly builds and keeps the reader guessing. Gradually the story grabs you and does not let go.
    • 4/5
      Title - The FarmAuthor - Tom Rob SmithSummary - It is a normal day for Daniel, his life proceeding at a comfortable level. On the outside all is fine and he seems happy. Then comes the call from his father, the call that changes everything. The call that begins the process that strips the veneer from his life. "Dad?" "Your mother...She's not well." "Its so sad." "Sad because she's sick? Sick how? How's Mum sick?" Dad was still crying. All I could do was dumbly wait until he said: "She's been imagining things - terrible, terrible things." Daniel's parents had left England and travelled to Sweden, the country of his mother's birth. The place she had run from at such an early age. Now his mother is ill and Daniel must get to her. As he plans to take a flight he receives another call, this time from his mother and she tells him to wait. That she is coming to him. When she lands she tells him he cannot talk to his father. She tells him there is a conspiracy to prove she is mad. She tells him a story so incredible..."..In no more than a brief aside, my mum had swept away my entire conception of our family life.." Daniel's mother, Tilde, tells Daniel the true reason she and his father had left to go to Sweden. The truths of her childhood and her lost friend Freja. And now, while she has little time, the truth of his father and the men of the small village they had settled in and the disappearance of the young girl Mia. Daniel must hear his mother out as his father Chris is now following her with his own tales of his mother's madness. Daniel is forced to choose between his parents and their truths and what truly happened to the people he loved on the Farm.Review - Slow to begin with, this novel picks up speed and force as it builds its mystery with layer after layer of secrets and lies. You are left to wonder as Daniel must, is his Mom going mad or is his father a murderer? You are witness as the family is torn apart by its own desire to find the truth in one another. Tilde's descent into her convictions drag her son and husband down into the same abyss. Daniel must face the reality and step into the past of his mother's life to find out what created this break with reality. Or else, is it a break at all and is she correct. A very good read.
    • 4/5
      Daniel is a young man living in London. He gets a frantic phone call from his father, who has been living in Sweden with his mother for several months. His father tells him that his mother is not well, that she is making accusations and behaving irrationally and even dangerously. This is worrisome and scary for Daniel, as his mother has never been anything but gentle and loving his whole life. This phone call from his father is completely out of character for his father as well, as the father makes accusations about his mother, and he also was a calm, loving presence in Daniel's childhood. Daniel is completely surprised and taken aback. What is going on? There is much to be revealed, and we find out in this psychological thriller...fun!
    • 5/5
      This is the most unable-to-put-down book I have ever read. From the moment the door opens two alternate realities are screamed into your ears, one on each side, and they are on the opposite sides, and they are your mother and father.It feels like one long automobile ride, bumpy road, heater keeps cutting out, or coming on unexpectedly and inappropriately.They can't both be right, can they?And you find yourself in the hands of a master, being led to experience his experiences as your own. And still you wonder, which is real? And when you begin to think you know, it is because that's the way he arranged it. Who is telling the truth? Everyone. No one.
    • 4/5
      Though hampered by a somewhat slow start, this mystery eventually developed some momentum that propelled me through the last half. Unfortunately, it never turned into quite the compelling read I was expecting, as I felt constantly at a distance from the characters, especially Tilde and her incredible story. And I use "incredible" in the sense of something that can't be believed. It never hung together for me as an explanation of what was going on, maybe because I'm not given to paranoia or seeing conspiracies wherever I look. I found the resolution interesting and believable, though, and Smith is a great writer. I loved his line about people getting ready to "undress" their lies.
    • 4/5
      If you're a fan of English mysteries *and* Nordic noir, you're in luck: you get both in one convenient package with this thriller, in which the main character, Daniel, becomes the vessel for an increasingly disturbing tale that his mother--a Swedish native who's recently moved back to her home country with her English husband--gradually reveals to him. Has she had a psychotic break? Or were terrible crimes being committed by a powerful group of men in the small Swedish town near her farm? Daniel, and the reader, vascillate between belief and disbelief as her story becomes progressively more outlandish.This was a quick and compelling read, especially toward the end. The structure of the early chapters is a bit aggravating after awhile: each short chapter opens up with Daniel reflecting on what his mother has just told him, then shifts back to her narrative. She's very insistent on telling her story chronologically and without interruption, and after awhile this technique becomes just as irritating to the reader as it does to Daniel. It also allows Tom Rob Smith to pull a real "deus ex machina" ending, which--while well handled and exciting--does still feel a bit like cheating. The characters here aren't particularly well-developed--and in part, this is because of the unreliability of the mother-as-narrator. But Daniel himself is a very flat character; we really don't learn much more about him over the course of the story. Also, Smith sets up a bit of a red herring at the start by having Daniel be very concerned about how his parents will react when they find out he's gay (he hasn't told them), but that turns out to be a non-issue, as do his concerns about whether his boyfriend, Mark, will chuck him out when he fails to carry his own weight financially. It sort of felt like an easy way to give Daniel's character more dimensions, but it doesn't really work.Still, this gets tipped over into the four-star category for me because of the really fascinating and complex way that the mystery's solution involves an understanding of Swedish folklore and fairy tales. I won't say more than that, but I *will* say that if you read it, don't dismiss the trolls.NOTE: I received this book as a free e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.