The novel confronts issues of mental health, family, and truth. Protagonist Daniel's life is collapsed by an unexpected phone call from his father, who informs him that his mother is suffering from intense paranoid delusions. Daniel's mother, meanwhile, claims that she is wholly sane, insisting that Daniel's father is part of a group that sexually accosts young women in their local Swedish district. Daniel is left torn between his parents and unsure of whom to trust.
Inspirationedit
Smith was inspired by his own mother's experience of psychosis, from which she has since fully recovered. Smith was surprised by his mother's lucidity when describing her paranoid delusions; he told
"You wouldn't think someone with psychosis could be […] meta-rhetorical. And she was, she was analysing everything she said and seeing how it would come across. And I just thought, well, someone who is psychotic can't be this self-aware. But the whole point is that psychosis makes you hyper-self-aware. The thing that really took me by surprise was how little I knew about mental health."[2]
Receptionedit
The Observercalled it "a gripping, atmospheric novel".[3]The Independent also praised the book, commenting that Smith's writing is "so unsettling and oppressive that it blurs the distinctions between sanity and madness, reality and fantasy, leaving the reader guessing until the bitter end."[4] A complimentary review from The Guardian deemed it "a neatly plotted book full of stories within stories, which gradually unravel to confound our expectations [...] Smith's twisting, turning novel shows that Scandi crime also retains the ability to surprise and thrill."[5]
The Farm sold well in its first month, reaching number 2 in The Sunday Times' hardback fiction chart.[6]
Film adaptationedit
In March 2014, BBC Films and Shine Pictures bought film rights for the book.[7] Ollie Madden, Shine's head of film, will produce the feature, and Christine Langan will executive produce it for BBC Films.[8]
farm, smith, novel, farm, 2014, psychological, thriller, novel, smith, london, sweden, smith, fourth, published, work, first, standalone, novel, farmfirst, editionauthortom, smithcountryunited, kingdomlanguageenglishgenrepsychological, thrillerpublishersimon, . The Farm 2014 is a psychological thriller novel by Tom Rob Smith Set in London and Sweden it is Smith s fourth published work and his first standalone novel 1 The FarmFirst editionAuthorTom Rob SmithCountryUnited KingdomLanguageEnglishGenrePsychological ThrillerPublisherSimon amp Schuster UK Publication date2014Media typePrint hardcover Pages400ISBN1 84737 569 3 Contents 1 Themes 2 Inspiration 3 Reception 4 Film adaptation 5 ReferencesThemes editThe novel confronts issues of mental health family and truth Protagonist Daniel s life is collapsed by an unexpected phone call from his father who informs him that his mother is suffering from intense paranoid delusions Daniel s mother meanwhile claims that she is wholly sane insisting that Daniel s father is part of a group that sexually accosts young women in their local Swedish district Daniel is left torn between his parents and unsure of whom to trust Inspiration editSmith was inspired by his own mother s experience of psychosis from which she has since fully recovered Smith was surprised by his mother s lucidity when describing her paranoid delusions he told You wouldn t think someone with psychosis could be meta rhetorical And she was she was analysing everything she said and seeing how it would come across And I just thought well someone who is psychotic can t be this self aware But the whole point is that psychosis makes you hyper self aware The thing that really took me by surprise was how little I knew about mental health 2 Reception editThe Observercalled it a gripping atmospheric novel 3 The Independent also praised the book commenting that Smith s writing is so unsettling and oppressive that it blurs the distinctions between sanity and madness reality and fantasy leaving the reader guessing until the bitter end 4 A complimentary review from The Guardian deemed it a neatly plotted book full of stories within stories which gradually unravel to confound our expectations Smith s twisting turning novel shows that Scandi crime also retains the ability to surprise and thrill 5 The Farm sold well in its first month reaching number 2 in The Sunday Times hardback fiction chart 6 Film adaptation editIn March 2014 BBC Films and Shine Pictures bought film rights for the book 7 Ollie Madden Shine s head of film will produce the feature and Christine Langan will executive produce it for BBC Films 8 References edit Curtis Brown Author Interviews Tom Rob Smith The Daily Telegraph Sethi Anita 23 February 2014 The Farm by Tom Rob Smith review The Observer The Farm by Tom Rob Smith Book review Independent co uk 6 February 2014 Archived from the original on 18 June 2022 Welsh Louise 5 February 2014 The Farm by Tom Rob Smith review The Guardian Curtis Brown BBC Films Shine Pictures Buy Film Rights to Tom Rob Smith Novel The Farm The Hollywood Reporter 10 March 2014 Shine Pictures BBC Films Buy The Farm Thriller by Child 44 Author Tom Rob Smith 10 March 2014 nbsp This article about a crime novel of the 2010s is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it See guidelines for writing about novels Further suggestions might be found on the article s talk page vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Farm Smith novel amp oldid 1138841652, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
