The Farm by Tom Rob Smith: Book Review

FictionThe Farm, Tom Rob Smith, Fiction
Released June, 2014

369 Pages
Bottom Line: Read it.
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon
Source: eGalley provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Plot Summary of The Farm:

After “retiring” to a remote farm in Sweden, Daniel’s father tells him his mother is suffering a psychotic breakdown, forcing Daniel to unravel the validity of his mother’s claims of a conspiracy involving pillars of the farm community and, possibly, his own father.

My Thoughts on The Farm:

The Farm is a bit of a creepy, odd book. But, I really enjoyed it and was dying to find out whether Daniel’s mother (Tilde) is delusional or has really stumbled upon a conspiracy. And, if she is telling the truth, what is the conspiracy that she uncovered?

The first 75% of the book consists of Tilde explaining her conspiracy theory to Daniel and trying to convince him that his own father is involved in it. Smith did a fantastic job of writing Tilde’s voice. I absolutely believed some of her claims, but then she’d seamlessly move into sounding delusional and paranoid. I truly could not decide if I should believe her. 

During the last 25% of the book, you start piecing together the actual elements of Tilde’s story from a more reliable perspective than Tilde’s. My one complaint is that I wish they had started investigating her claims earlier in the story and spent a bit more time on this piece…maybe by alternating chapters of Tilde’s version of events with the actual investigation of her claims.

Smith did a great job making the true outcome fairly realistic, with just enough of a shock factor to surprise you. He could easily have “jumped the shark” here by making the ending completely fantastical…or gone the opposite direction by choosing one of the black and white routes. He made the ending a bit gray, which I liked.

The Farm would be a great choice for fans of slightly creepy mysteries/thrillers and is going on my Page Turners List. Though Tom Rob Smith is a “new to me” author, he wrote a bestselling trilogy about a murderer on the loose in the Stalin era Soviet Union (where “crime” doesn’t officially exist), called Child 44. This sounds fascinating to me and I’m definitely planning on reading it.

You May Also Like:
Binds That Tie by Kate Moretti
Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates


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4 Comments

  1. This sounds like it would be a great read for fall! I am not a conspiracy nut, but I do believe there is the occasional conspiracy out there.

    Posted 9.4.14 Reply
  2. Thanks for your wonderful review Sarah. This book sounds like a page turner.

    Posted 9.4.14 Reply
  3. Jennine G. wrote:

    I don’t typically read thrillers, but I read another review of this one and I really want to read it! It’s on my 2015 list.

    Posted 9.4.14 Reply
  4. I really enjoyed The Farm too. It was defintiely a psychological triller and kept me guessing about the outcome.

    Posted 9.5.14 Reply

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