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REVIEW: The Cult by Abby Davies
The Cult was a difficult read for me. The subject matter was hard-hitting and painful. I’m not saying that it wasn’t what it needed to be – it was but boy did it punch you in the gut. The story is told over two timelines which at times got a bit repetitive and convoluted. Love tells us about her experience of living in a community that at first has its values rooted in Love and values but very quickly we witness it all hit the fan. The chapters from Love become very sinister, something we have read about time and time again about these so-called Cults. I need to be…
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REVIEW – Exit by Belinda Bauer
Exit by Belinda Bauer was a testament to humour and the conflicting need to do the right thing. Felix, a man that has known his share of hardship in the world with the deaths of both his wife and son longs to do some good in the world. He watched his son depart painfully and doesn’t wish to see others in that position, so after much deliberation, he joins the exiteers. A group that believes stringently in euthanasia and the right to choose. Bauer has created a tightly plotted and dark story that shows investigates the complexities of aided suicide. Exit is as complex as it is touching. Aided Euthanasia…
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REVIEW – The Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett
The Weekend Escape is the story of rekindling waning friendships. We all know that as the years of youth and irresponsibility dwindle and life can get in the way of meeting up with friends. We grow up, we get jobs, get involved in new relationships, some get married and have children, it can be difficult to keep in contact with friends we had in school and college. When Lyndsey gets an invitation from her old friend Juliet to go on a weekend break with her and their old friends, Sonia, Bobbie, Amanda, and Val, she is initially hesitant. Money is tight, she has changed a lot and is dealing with…
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The Dark Remains by William McIlvanney & Ian Rankin
The Dark Remains is undeniably authentic and a true testament to everything Glasgow was in the ’70s and ’80s. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading the Laidlaw series by the late and great William McIlvanney but I will be rectifying that as soon as possible. Gangland Glasgow and its brutal violence and its territorial wars, the tone was set and it was addictive as it was horrifying. Ian Rankin had massive shoes to fill but he laced them up, took pen to paper, and paid homage to Scotland’s father of Tartan Noir. The Dark Remains is just that, dark. It doesn’t pull any punches, it doesn’t pretty anything up,…
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Review: The Shape of Night by Tess Gerritsen
The Shape of Night is a story about guilt and loss. It tells the story of Ava Collette, a woman that is running from her past. She distances herself from her family, her work, and predominately her memories. I don’t think you can outrun your past, you can just maybe stall it for a while. A food writer that has become hooked on alcohol to deal with her emotions. It all gets too much and she decides to rent a house, Brodie’s Watch, a large stately home overlooking the sea in a remote coastal peninsula of Maine. Will it provide Ava with the distance to get her head straight and…
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Review: Let Me Out I’ve Had Enough by Mark Matthews
Let Me Out I’ve Had Enough is another stellar testament to just how much Mark Matthews understands the power of the human mind. This collection displays the emotions and pain at play when considering suicide, coping with the effects of suicide, and the disastrous aftermath. If you want a collection of stories to touch you deeply whilst wrenching gasps and shock from you then this is a collection that needs to be devoured. Intricate, painful, and overwhelming is how Let Me Out I’ve Had Enough should be described. It leaves scars on the soul, it is that powerful. Mastectomy Scars – is designed to shock and hook you straight away. …
