The storyline is pretty simple to start off with - two young (as is revealed) half-brothers, each a misfit in his own right, coming from a totally dysfunctional background, live in the dire circumstances that their mother deserted them in. The elder comes up with a classic get-rich quick scheme, the younger brother Phoebus is the one who deals with the majority of the consequences. Their intended victim, Kathy, is the beautiful, yet mentally fragile, young wife of a seemingly wealthy man. Her husband, Rupert, is a womaniser and when he opts to refuse to pay the ransom asked, the brothers are presented with the dilemma of what to do with their captive. What A DECENT RANSOM has done with this scenario however takes the reader on a substantially more complicated journey.

Told in multiple character points of view, the author somehow has designed a story that elegantly presents each characters viewpoints without the need to label or overtly lead the reader. There are subtle pointers to the voices of the various characters that the reader will pick up as they go along, as the viewpoint is silently switched, and you launch into a new chapter without necessarily knowing who you're listening to up-front. That ability to be inside the heads, to see what they see, to hear what they are thinking - rather than see "the character" first, creates a very intimate portrayal of a bunch of people in extraordinary circumstances. There's a lightness of touch, a sense of humour, a subtle drawing out of the absurdity of the mess that these people have gotten themselves into. There's also some fitting light and shade, particularly in the relationship between the two brothers, and the group of prostitutes, particularly a young Chinese woman, who seem to be their best friends. These are people who care about each other, and care about what they have done.

Obviously the reader is going to assume that the scenario for this kidnapping is prey turned predator, that Rupert's refusal to pay the ransom will mean that Kathy sides with the brothers to "get him". Nothing is ever that simple. A DECENT RANSOM requires some concentration and an ability to roll with the author. You're not going to get the story handed to you on a plate, but you are going to get something that is original, clever, and and just flat out entertaining. AustCrime, Book Reviews, May 2009

www.ivanahruba.com

AustCrime website

A Decent Ransom on Amazon.com

www.ivanahruba.com

www.ivanahruba.com

www.ivanahruba.com

‘A Decent Ransom’ is not only a wholly well spun tale of a bungled kidnap caper which is not what it initially appears to be, but it is also an exercise in creative writing that places Hrubá in a high echelon of contemporary writers. One of the many aspects of Hrubá’s writing that marks her as an artist of note is her ability to create a varied cast of characters – from young teenagers to old men sugar daddies and used loose women, immigrants with issues particular to their backgrounds to average middle class couples in brittle relationships, older relatives with perversions, to women with neuroses/psychoses who converse with their alter egos. And in bringing such animation to vivid life, Hrubá elects to allow the reader to hear from each of these many characters, divided for convenience into individual brief chapters, in the first person singular. Rarely have characters bristled with life as vibrant as the strange folks involved in ‘A Decent Ransom’. Hrubá has a way with conversation, not only allowing the young Phoebus to speak in the innocent voice of a forgotten youth, but also in presenting the wisely phonetic mispronunciations by the German immigrants and the Chinese girls. Hrubá keeps things clipped to short chapters and offers just enough information with each character's voice to allow the reader to stay on track. After many twists and turns in the plot, brought to brilliant life by the fact that we are privy to the thoughts and vantages of each of the characters, the story winds to a surprising and satisfying climax. Grady Harp, February 2009

Reviewed by Scott Bowen for Prick of the Spindle Literary Journal

ISBN: 978-1-60164-162-5
Kunati Books, 2008

Often forgotten are the many sides of the usual two-way interaction between kidnapper and kidnapped. Not so in Ivana Hrubá’s debut novel, A Decent Ransom. In 258 pages, Hrubá explores in poignant first person the worlds of 15-year-old Phoebus; anxiety-distorted housewife Kathy; Janelle, a young Chinese immigrant turned prostitute; and Rupert, Kathy’s womanizing husband.

All roads lead to Rome as Kenny devises a plan to kidnap Kathy. Assisted by his young and impressionable brother Phoebus, Kenny promises to deliver a better life to all in his clique with a starting bid on Kathy’s life at one million dollars. Hope dwindles on all fronts when Rupert’s anticipated reply never surfaces. Now kidnapped, kidnappers and all depending on money and freedom realize that Rupert has taken Kenny and Phoebus at their word to turn Kathy into “lifeless meat,” and Rupert moves to secure a new life incognito.

Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the primary characters. This practice carries the double-edged sword of preventing character fatigue which often plagues narratives using first person point of view, but runs the risk of confusion among the novel’s players as the author introduces them. Hrubá’s skill with characterization, however, assists the recognition of voice as fashioned here with Phoebus’ stutter: “I asked him his name. R-Rick-ky, he whispered, pronouncing the word reverently as if it were a new and precious thing.”

Hrubá takes on a fresh look at the prey-turned-predator concept and the dynamics between individuals struggling for a better life as plans unravel and worst fears come to bear: “No. No. You listen. Everything has gone wrong. Rupert doesn’t want me. I can’t find my cat. My house is up for sale.”

The prose often slips over the fine line between characterization and hubris as narration (especially with Kathy) results in leaden backstory, heavy use of adjectives and exposition. Readers will also note Hrubá’s refusal to deploy quotation marks for dialog. This stylistic choice will require a worthwhile investment of time to acclimate to each character’s idioms and vernacular such as Kenny’s reference to Phoebus as a “turd” and Janelle’s Far Eastern English dialect.

A Decent Ransom’s minimal sins are dwarfed by this fast-paced tale of “a kidnapping gone right.” Hrubá weaves the lives of all her characters, from Rupert’s reckoning, to Phoebus’ denouement as the unlikely hero, into a lithe web that illustrates how just one event can alter the destiny of others. A Decent Ransom’s sojourn into the world of an unscripted kidnapping sets a standard for thinking outside the often myopic view of commercial publishing.