Compression By Tim Cundle (Earth Island Books)

Earth Island Books treated us with a couple of more titles. Some are recent, and some are a bit older but equally good. As you already know, Earth Island Books have mainly focused on publishing works by people involved in a punk rock scene or related to the music industry. The book I would like to introduce to you today is one of the first books they ever published. It’s a true crime novel by Tim Cundle called Compression. I know this genre is not for everyone, but it’s a good read. Tim Cundle is an experienced writer who knows how to structure his books properly, so Compression will hold your attention from the first to the last page.

Considering this is a book, I will not spoil it too much for you. Being a member of the punk rock scene for almost 40 years himself, Tim Cundle has picked punk rock musician as the main character for his novel. The story develops around Mike Flanagan, a moderately successful punk rock musician who returns to his hometown for a school reunion. The school reunion becomes an emotional rollercoaster for Flanagan and his friends once they relive the painful moments from their teenage days. Extremely haunted by the events that happened years ago at the local beach, Flanagan realizes that his buddies have probably been affected even more than himself. The author builds an exceptionally descriptive base for the book by transforming characters’ memories, experiences, confessions, thoughts, and traumas into a perfect storyline.

Perhaps Compression is based upon foundations of true crime, but I wouldn’t exclude other genres. Quite the contrary, this book has many properties of drama, thriller, horror, and maybe you’ll discover even more genres once you dig deeper into the matter. Cundle threw in some good old British dark humor, occasional criticism towards the music industry, and many suspense moments with a great shock value. He thoroughly based the entire storyline around the individual perspectives of each character. It may seem like a complex book at the beginning, but Compression will hold your attention from scratch to finish. The book is still available at Earth Island Books, so head to their web store for more information about ordering.