The Disturbance

Disturbance is a novel-in-verse, based on a true story, about a man who kills his wife, son and then himself, leaving a daughter as the family's sole survivor.

The story features poems in a kaleidoscope of voices from those involved: from the victims to the killer's relatives to the police investigators touched by the tragedy. There is mystery and intrigue, too: this was a well-to-do, well-connected family, suddenly torn apart by violence. This is a very dark book, but a courageous one, ultimately about evil and its presence in our everyday lives.

Ivy Alvarez was born in the Philippines, and grew up in Tasmania. After spells in Scotland and Ireland, she moved to Wales in 2004 and became a British citizen in 2010. Her first collection, Mortal, was published by Red Morning Press in 2006 (ISBN 9780976443926). She recently appeared at the 2013 Oxford Literary Festival, and was a featured writer at the Seoul International Writers Festival. She lives in Cardiff.