The Seven Days of Peter Crumb: A Novel (P.S.) [Paperback]

Jonny Glynn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 26, 2007 | Series: P.S.

Intelligent, wry, and seriously twisted, Peter Crumb is a man who suffers two personalities, only one of which is capable of remorse. His life has been derailed by a single, devastating act of violence, and now, in what he intends to be his last week on earth, he is determined to leave his mark upon humanity—randomly, unjustly, with infinite attention to detail. Allowing the morning's newspaper headlines to loosely dictate his actions, Crumb sets out on a weeklong descent into hell, determined to drag as many as possible into the darkness along with him.

Gritty, dazzling, and profoundly disturbing, Jonny Glynn's The Seven Days of Peter Crumb is an extraordinary debut that portrays the deterioration of a severely splintered soul.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like a terse American Psycho, this first novel from British writer and actor Glynn suffers from familiarity even as the voice of the narrator, Peter Crumb, fascinates. Believing he will kill himself in a week, Crumb decides to succumb to his id and do whatever he pleases—and killing people is near the top of his list, along with making witty social observations. His particular mental illnessrequires him to have conversations with a crueler version of himself while butchering London neighbors, misusing prostitutes and making the Marquis de Sade's most ferocious work look like part of the Nancy Drew series. Crumb's monumental appetite for carnage and self-examination drives what there is of a plot. While the reader definitely believes in Crumb, the problem is that in an age of reality shows and slasher movies even the worst degradations have lost their power to shock. Glynn's visceral prose convinces, but the sell-by date on this novel passed long ago. (Jan.)
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Review

“The Seven Days of Peter Crumb, a chronicle of the final week in a psychopath’s life by the British actor and writer Jonny Glynn, is gruesome, obscene and utterly disturbing. It is also absorbing and well written....I was transfixed.” (New York Times Book Review )

“The devil in Glynn’s details begs to be read.” (Dazed & Confused (UK) )

“Savage, stylish...beautifully designed.” (Metro London )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; First U.S. Edition edition (December 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061351482
• ISBN-13: 978-0061351488
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #796,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crumb not crummy, March 26, 2008

By 

Ken Bevan "The Prince of Passion" (Albany, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seven Days of Peter Crumb: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

If you didn't know better, you would think this book were written by Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, Choke & Rant. It is very in your face, with a lot of gross out scenes and twisted dark humor. If you like the above books, this is right up your alley.

Peter Crumb, a seemingly moral British man, has a voice in his head that tells him to engage in insanely immorale acts. Crumb's split personality is with him 24/7 and at first, they constantly argue over everything.

The voice refered to as "him" is highly disturbed and he is right right there with Peter in his head throughout the story. The internal conflicts almost always end in the killer getting his way. Bloody murders and rapes are "his" favorite past-times and "he" becomes a terrible influence on Crumb.

The reason for the title is that this split personality plans on killing its host body at the end of seven days.

Glynn's storytelling is superb. My only real critiques fall in super long paragraphing in places and in that the end is a little abrupt. Oterwise, this is a great quick read for people who like horrific content with a touch of gross-out humor.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars British Psycho, February 22, 2010

By 

Kristy Caley (Grain Valley, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seven Days of Peter Crumb: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

The erosion of the mind into a moralless heap. You have to wonder what in Johnny Glynn's youth brought out these disturbing thoughts. Vivid detail draws a type of panic not just for the victims but for our protagonist(s) as well, because Peter Crumb is more than just one psyche, he is chaos.

4.0 out of 5 stars British Patrick Bateman, March 18, 2011

By 

AJ (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seven Days of Peter Crumb: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)

When I read the synopsis for this novel, I immediately thought of American Psycho. Peter Crumb is an interesting character with similar views and violent urges to American Psycho's Patrick Bateman. He kills without remorse and is racist, sexist and materialistic.

The story follows him in a first person account of a week of madness, during which he kills a prostitute, a young store clerk and his neighbours, among others.

I would recommend this book to anyone with a strong stomach. If you could handle Bret Eason Ellis' American Psycho, this will only give you a bit of a jolt. A quick, fun disturbing read.