Like Hyland's previous novels, Carry Me Down and How The Light Gets In, This Is How is a quiet, disquieting excursion into a mind that is, if not outright damaged, then at least subtly but devastatingly unsuited to the society of others; again like those other books, the first person present tense voice is increasingly claustrophobic and uncomfortable for the reader.
The first part, in which the sense of unease builds to Patrick's fatal act, is stronger than the second, in the prison, which suffers from a sense of over-familiarity despite Hyland's taut, incisive style; overall, though, another very strong novel.
