The Margins by John Wigglesworth

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things blog tour for John Wigglesworth's The Margins!

Ethan didn't have much by the way of plans when he landed in Delhi. After a few days hanging out in a Chinese restaurant drinking copious amounts of beer, he finally made friends with two other travelers. They were all three aimless, spending their days smoking opium and eating delivery. But as their money started to run out, they knew they had to do something. 

And so a plan was made. They would hike out to a remote paradise and live off the land. 

Except things didn't quite work out that way. By the end, over 700 people were dead. And only Ethan was left to tell the story. 

While this isn't technically a cult book, it's close enough. And it's not all pleasant reading, either (you've been warned). 

Ethan was a pharmacists's assistant back in England. He says he was, in his parents' eyes, the failure of the family. His trip to India isn't so much of an attempt to find himself as it was an escape. 

Which is kind of the same for Div, Hal, and Lorna. 

Div and Hal come first. A couple Ethan meets at the above mentioned Chinese restaurant. And Hal knows Lorna, who has her own place locally. In fact, Hal sort of barges in on her, forcing her to take all three of them in as their savings dwindle. 

As you can imagine, they soon wear out their welcome and have to come up with a new plan.

The story begins "present day" (1989) as Ethan is being interviewed by police after the bodies have been discovered. From there, the story alternates back and forth as Ethan recounts the tale to the detective in charge. 

Their plan is an idealistic one. And obviously, as anyone could predict, one that doesn't pan out. 

As I said, this isn't a cult novel but instead a book that explores the pitfalls of capitalism and more. And while it's set in the late 80s, it's absolutely a timely read! 

The Margins is incredibly captivating and moves quickly, begging to be read in one sitting! 

This is Wigglesworth's debut and I have to say I am definitely looking forward to more from him. (I hear he has a new book in the pipeline and it sounds pretty fabulous!)