One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

D Travers Scott proved his exceptional talent with his debut novel, `Execution, Texas: 1987'. With this second novel, `One of These Things is Not Like the Other', he has further established his position as an arresting new author who is capable of hijacking his readers with the fluidity of his writing and its tantalisingly surreal qualities. By way of brief synopsis: a survivalist father dies leaving his identical quadruplet sons with the cryptic message that one of them is not his real son. As the father predicted, this enigmatic revelation will lead the four 20-something brothers down a path of pain, jealousy and hatred. Old rivalries, bitterness, incest and murder will drag the reader down the same path. Having said this, no description can adequately convey the force of this novel. It is unique. It is fast-paced. It is intense. An absolute - genuine - page-turner. Although a reasonably short work that can be read in a day, it is something that deserves time and attention. Personally, I was so captivated by the energy of the writing that I just flew through the final chapters, anxious to discover the `truth' about the four brothers. Consequently, upon reaching the last page, I confess to being completely baffled. I sat, stunned, trying to make sense of the myriad of ideas that were circulating around my different levels of consciousness. It wasn't until I took a breath and read the book again - slowly - that I began to store up clues to help explain what happened. Even then, many questions still present themselves. `One of These Things is Not Like the Other' is an absolute masterpiece of suspense and originality. It is a book that lures you into another world and leaves you gasping for oxygen. Its complexity (of concept, rather than expression) means that one read through could never be sufficient. I've read it three times so far, and am still picking up nuances. I await D Travers Scott's next work with great anticipation. Buy this novel now (and order his excellent debut novel while you're at it). This is a phenomenal work of fiction that will penetrate your mind for days...

First off, I have to say that this is not typically the genre of writing I normally gravitate toward. Truth be told, I'm more drawn to gay relationship novels. That said, "One of These Things..." actually fits into several genres - or maybe none at all. It's its own weird and wonderful entity, and I loved it for that. Yes, it's a mystery, but it's also about family, brotherhood, sexuality. It creeped me out at times, turned me on at times - sometimes at the same time! - yet kept my attention throughout. It's best not to go into too many plot details. Part of the fun is in the discovery. D. Travers Scott is a clever, smart, and imaginative writer, and this book a real page-turner.

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other is by far the most gripping novel of 2005. D. Travers Scott has created a bizarre world of familial intrigue, the supernatural, and extraordinary psychological violence. The remarkable tale of quadruplet brothers searching for the truth of their biological origins begins with the suicide of their patriarch and quickly descends into a maze of nightmarish proportions. Disturbing without being adolescent or banal, and quick paced enough to be a real page-turner, Scott's plotline hardly belongs in the category of predictable. This novel also surprisingly lives up to its ferocious cover image designed by Shane Luitjens, a disturbing image of canine attack. Its repeating fangs not only foreshadow the multiple dangers encountered by the siblings but reflects the reader's multi-layered journey into the minds of the characters. Is it rare to read a novel that makes the reader yearn for even more detail, as the "more is better" philosophy of novelists can cause excessive drowsiness. But I wish that Scott's brutal tale would have expanded its explorations of a father's sins being visited upon the sons. Jake Barnes, Sr., is truly an evil beast. Raw and original, One of These Things Is Not Like the Other is a roller coaster ride through the landscapes of Hell. Wow.

It takes balls to appropriate the name of a Hemingway hero, but it's all in a day's work for Scott, who has fun trashing any cherished notions we may have on the great, grim subject of Identity. His quadruplet anti-heroes, spread across the country as they are, still can't escape the ties that bind them, even if the consequences are fatal. Compulsively readable, funny, and shocking, this novel will work its way into your consciousness like a time-release drug. And brotherhood will never be the same again!

"One Of These Things Is Not Like The Other" is very cool noir. Set in a slightly alternate world (they use blimps instead of airplanes, for example) the book tracks four identical quadruplet brothers in their quest to discover which one of them is not really a brother. Atmospheric, creepy, clever, sexy and literate... and the last line totally blew me away and changed everything I thought about the book.