I received an advanced copy of this book from the author but that has not influenced my review in any way.
I chose to read this book because I like dark, emotional stories but I am not that fond of poetry, generally, so thought I would probably skip that and concentrate on the prose. However, my thoughts changed pretty quickly… with the first poem, Bad Days. The tagline for this book is Dark Tales, Darker Poetry and this was definitely a dark poem, one which I thoroughly enjoyed. I went on to devour this book in a couple of sittings drawn on by the flow of each beautifully placed word.
There is a terrific story, Eyes Like A Ghost, that reveals the horrible reality of the situation slowly and incompletely as it’s told in the voice of a child. Another one, Neat and Orderly, had a surprise ending I loved. In fact, I could ramble on about each piece but I won’t as this would last forever. What I will say is that although the pieces vary in length and style there is one thing that does not alter, their quality. This book is immaculately presented, contains occasional photos which are a nice touch and is so well written I have no hesitation in giving it five stars.
I’ll finish with two points. Firstly, this read is exactly what it says on the cover, dark, and it covers subjects that are depressing and emotional so readers should probably assess their own mental state before opening it up as to its suitability. And finally, I’m surprised to see it is only available as a paperback at the moment and hope it will eventually be made into an ebook as well so as many people get to read it as possible.
Thank you.
Happy you enjoyed the poetry too 🙂
You’re welcome, and I know, it surprised me too – perhaps I’m not as much of a Philistine as I thought I was 😉
I love the idea of mixing prose and poetry. Sometimes the way they are placed gives emphasis to the images/ideas. Tempting. Thanks, Georgia..x
This one works very well and the writing is so smooth it just flowed through the book – wonderful! Thanks for reading, Judith x