[BOOK TOUR: BOOK EXTRACT] The Disappearance Boy by Neil Bartlett @InkandescentUK @neilvbartlett #TheDisappearanceBoy

Today is my stop on the The Disappearance Boy by Neil Bartlett book tour and I’m sharing a book extract with you.

Before the extract I’ll leave the synopsis of the book:

1953. The backstreets of Brighton are buzzing with preparations for the celebrations of the Coronation of Elizabeth II and, at the Grand Theatre, illusionist Teddy Brookes is plotting something crowd-pleasing to crown the occasion—with some assistance from glamorous Soho showgirl Pamela Rose. What the audience can never see is that, hidden behind the smoke and mirrors of his act, there is a whole world of secrets and lies…

And a disappearance boy.

In his acclaimed fourth novel, Neil Bartlett once again performs his trademark trick of slipping into the hidden spaces of queer history and bringing them vividly to life.

Now I leave you with the wonderful extract:

BOOK EXTRACT

In Spring 1953, illusionist Teddy Brookes has got a last-minute booking at the Grand Theatre, Brighton. With him are Pamela—the glamorous ex-Soho-showgirl who is going to be his new ‘Vanishing Lady’—and Reggie, his assistant—who is the Disappearance Boy of the title. In this extract we meet all three of them, and the strange, dilapidated  building they will perform in.

The Brighton Grand is gone now. Its doors finally closed for business in 1955, and the building burnt memorably to the ground in 1961; however, on the afternoon that Mr Brookes and Reggie and their new girl first arrived, its façade was still making a reasonably convincing job of promising the pedestrians who passed it on their way up or down North Road a good night out. Plastered Italianate pillars divided up the windows of the first floor, a couple of gesturing ladies still flanked the pediment at the top, and on either side of the front doors—grand affairs with ideas well above their station, all bevelled glass and big bright handles—two framed bills proudly listed the current show’s attractions in scarlet and blue lettering. These changed every two or three weeks—weekly in the winter—and this week, underneath headliners Lauri Lupino Lane and Madame Valentine’s ‘Nudes de Montmartre’, they announced by means of a pasted-on slip that third on the bill was one Miss Burstone, the Talented Vocaliste. This, Reggie guessed, was the act that had been hurried on to replace whoever had been injured and who they themselves would be replacing come Monday. He couldn’t see the name of anyone he’d ever shared a stage with before—certainly no Rigolettos—and running his eye down the rest of the names he couldn’t help smiling. The management—Mr J. Clements, Sole Prop.—definitely wasn’t making its money by underestimating anybody’s taste. The Three Karloffs; ‘Ramena’ and her Exotic Dance; Suzanne De Wynter, Aerialiste Extraordinaire; Paquita and Pascale; George Truzzi; The Lovely LORRAINE; Mr Paul Clifford and his Orchestra—in other words, a few laughs, a couple of specialities, a touch of skirt and quite a bit of skin towards the top of the bill. It looked as though ‘The Missing Lady’ should be right at home, so long as they could get her up and running in time.

Reg didn’t go in through those glittering front doors, of course—he carried on up North Road then ducked off to his left, going in the back way to keep his agreed rendezvous with Mr Brookes and Pamela.

‘Right,’ said Mr Brookes, rubbing and twisting his hands together. ‘Shall we?’

Leaving Reggie and Pamela together in the middle of the stalls, he slipped through a door leading out into the foyer. Reggie was familiar with this part of the get-in routine and knew that all he had to do was sit and watch and wait, but Pamela clearly wasn’t; as Mr Brookes headed off into the dark to find his way upstairs, she looked around as if she wasn’t quite sure why she’d been brought along. A stained-glass panelled door leading to the bar at the back of the stalls had been left propped open, and a single shaft of daylight was raking across the scalloped backs of the seats in front of them, barely penetrating the toothless mouth of the stage

‘Not spending much on the paintwork, are they,’ she said eventually, eyeing the quartet of bare-breasted ladies who supported the boxes on either side of the proscenium. One breast was fissured. ‘Still, I expect it looks better with all the lights on. Funny old places these, aren’t they?’

Reggie had never really thought of it like that exactly, but he could see she had a point. In this lighting, the Grand wasn’t looking very grand at all. The upholstery on the back of the seat in front of him was greasy, and the swags of plaster laurel leaves that draped the proscenium looked more black than gilt. That lingering smell of last night’s house only underlined the emptiness, and up above the rather-too-small chandelier that was supposed to top the whole thing off you could barely make out a smokily painted midnight sky with a spattering of gold stars. The clouds were cracked and starting to peel. Reg squinted and tipped his head back. He thought he could just about make out a constellation of stars that he didn’t recognise down in the left-hand corner, seven of them, all in one gilt cluster and barely catching the light. What were they?

‘I’ve played in worse,’ he said, still squinting. ‘Better, obviously,        sometimes, but definitely worse as well.’

He’d have to look those stars up in an encyclopaedia—not that there was much likelihood of there being time to get to a library this week. Why did Mr Brookes always insist on this get-in routine of using the girl to check his sightlines right up to the back of the gallery, when they could easily have had an hour off for lunch and a roam around instead? After all, it wasn’t as if a house like this was ever going to sell much up beyond the second circle, was it—not at this time of year.

‘Reggie!’

He twisted round to see where Mr Brookes was calling from but couldn’t find a figure to go with the voice up there in the darkness. He shouted back anyway.

‘Yes, Mr Brookes.’ It seemed right to be formal, somehow, with the new girl here.

The voice came echoing down again over the serried ranks of seats, dark and no-nonsense. Mr Brookes knew that all this place needed to come alive was a few paying customers.

‘Show Pam back through the pass door and get her to walk the reveal, would you, Reg?’

‘Yes, Boss.’

Pam, he thought, leading the way through the darkness. Not Pamela, not Miss Rose: Pam. Doesn’t waste any bloody time, does he?

‘What does he mean?’ Pam was keeping her voice down as she picked her way behind Reggie along their row of seats—obviously she didn’t want her new employer to hear her. ‘Walk his what? Bloody hell, that’s heavy—’

The pass door at the Grand was a serious affair, an eight-foot high contraption of sliding metal. Although the stage side of it was blank and black, the auditorium side was scarlet and had NO ADMISSION TO THE PUBLIC lettered across it in six-inch capitals. Clearly whoever had painted them had very pronounced opinions about the dividing line between the two worlds it served to keep separate. Reggie helped Pam to hold the door open, and she squeezed herself through.

‘Straight on from stage left,’ he said, keeping his voice down too, ‘and then hold centre two feet upstage of the footlights. He just likes to get an idea of what you’re going to look like before he starts working. Helps him feel in control. Just up those steps and then left and you’re on.’

Pamela peered ahead to see where Reggie was indicating. ‘Does it now. Well, who am I to get in the way of anybody’s feelings? Right… ’

Reggie let the iron barrier slide slowly closed behind her (it sighed, as if it was sorry to see her go: Persephone returning to Hades) shuttering off her swinging backside as she picked her way up the three concrete steps to stage level. It would be just like Mr Brookes to bring a girl all the way down here to the seaside and then send her packing if she wasn’t up to scratch, he knew that. But time was short, and with that figure, he thought she stood more than a fair chance.

‘Is this it?’

She was shading her eyes as if it wasn’t darkness she was looking up into, but a too-bright light. Her other hand was reversed on her hip, knuckles resting lightly on the bone, fingers curled, elbow and shoulder perfectly relaxed. Well, thought Reg. That’ll show him.

‘Mr Brookes? Are you there?’

‘Left a bit.’ The voice echoed down from somewhere right up under the painted stars. ‘Now right.’

‘Sounds like the rifle range at the fair,’ she laughed, obeying his instructions with a lazy cha-cha first one way and then the other. ‘Not going to bloody shoot me, are you?’

‘Not unless I have to. Right, that’s bang centre. Think you can remember that?’

‘Oh, I think so. I just need to line myself up with that door to the bar.’

She pointed to the back of the stalls. The half-light from the opendoor hid all of her nerves, and softened the lines of her hair and the black and white of her elegantly extended forearm. The gold charms on her wrist rearranged themselves, and fell silent; one pointing finger sketched in the thought that somewhere out there beyond the bar there must be a street, and people, and a normal working life. You could see that it was true what she’d said on the train about working in a floor show, thought Reggie. She hit every pose just right.

‘But then, it won’t be the first time I’ve done that of an evening.’

Her laugh rang out through her voice, and Reggie couldn’t help but smile back at her from out in the darkened auditorium. He remembered what Mr Brookes had shouted down the phone at him over the noise of that pub, and decided that yes, they had struck lucky. Rehearsals with this one might even be fun.

What are your thoughts on the extract? Let me know in the comments!

Make sure to check out the trailer for the book by clicking H E R E.

*Purchase ‘The Disappearance Boy’ here:

*You can also find the book here: Foyles, Gay’s The Word and the Inkandescent website.

**I am in no way compensated by these sites. I am simply sharing it so people can find this book easier.

Neil Bartlett has been an acclaimed and pioneering voice in British queer culture since the 1980s. His first novel, Ready to Catch Him Should He Fall (written in a council flat on the Isle of Dogs), was Capital Gay’s Book of the Year 1990. It went on to be translated into five European languages, and was recently republished by Profile as a Serpent’s Tail Classic. His second novel, Mr. Clive and Mr. Page, was nominated for the Whitbread Prize in 1996, his third, Skin Lane, was shortlisted for the Costa Award in 2007, his fourth, The Disappearance Boy, earnt him a nomination for Stonewall Author of the Year 2014. Neil is also a maker of rule-breaking performance and theatre. After a controversial early career, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith in 1994 and, in recognition of his work there, was awarded the O.B.E. in 2000. Since leaving the Lyric in 2005, he has created work for major cultural producers including the National Theatre, the RSC, the Manchester Royal Exchange, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Wellcome Foundation, Artangel, Tate Britain—and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

Find him on: Website and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is a novel which consists of four stories all set in a small Tokyo café. This café is unique because it offers its customers a chance to go back in time but with this come certain rules that can’t be broken because the consequences are severe. Travelling back in time comes with a price! We meet four visitors who wish to embark on the journey of time-travelling and follow them through the whole process.

This novel was such an interesting and fast read filled with joyful and tearful moments. Japanese literature is something I need to read more of because I enjoy the way Japanese authors write and craft sentences as well as how introspective they are. The concept of this book is quite refreshing to me because I don’t usually read books that feature time travel and are considered magical realism. The story that got me the most was the third one where we meet two sisters and the way Kawaguchi wrote it made it feel so real and so heart-breaking. I loved how Kawaguchi made the side-characters part of all of the stories and how he intertwined them in every story so we got to see them as well. The stories were short and straight to the point yet I can’t help but wish for more from them, more details, more backstory, more history.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold is touching, funny and heart-warming. It’s a read that will stay with me for a while and its characters as well!

My rating:

Add ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold‘ to your TBR:  

Purchase ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold‘ here:

Purchase ‘Before the Coffee Gets Cold‘ here:

**I am in no way compensated by these sites. I am simply sharing it so people can find this book easier.

Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from a 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize.

Find him on: Goodreads

[BOOK REVIEW] The Good Ones by Polly Stewart @harperbooks @pollystew #TheGoodOnes

The cover of this book is so eye-catching, wouldn’t you agree? Yes, that’s what caught my attention first, then having read the blurb I knew that this was the type of book I would like to read. Having read the book now, I appreciate the cover more because it’s not just there to be pretty. Well done, book designer and author!

The Good Ones is about Nicola Bennett who, after nearly twenty years, comes back to her Appalachian hometown to finally shed some light on the disappearance of her friend Lauren Ballard. Lauren mysteriously vanished one night and the last time Nicola saw her was when she was keying someone’s car. The next day, she was gone, there were traces of blood and signs of struggle. Nicola believes that going back to her hometown and getting a job there will help her uncover more information relating to her friend’s sudden disappearance.

“What choice did you have, after all, when the person who had stood at the center of your sense of self wasn’t there anymore? You grew around that loss like a tree wrapped in barbed wire. You let it bite into you. You shaped yourself to the new reality, until it was hard to tell what was you and what was the hole she’d left.”

What I found to be most interesting when it comes to The Good Ones was the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Lauren and how we got to see the main character investigate many possible leads and explanations as to what might have happened to her because it lead the reader to many interesting possibilities. The book being set in a small town provides the author with tools to go in-depth when it comes to examining the characters and what role they play in it. I feel like the author did a good job when it comes to showing us each character and their role in the book. Our main protagonist Nicola is a character one doesn’t sympathize with very much (at least in my case), I found her willingness to find out the truth to be more about herself rather than truly getting the answers she was looking for and putting the whole story to rest. When it comes to certain twists, I have to say that I enjoyed them, although some were very predictable and they made me want to yell at the main character, I was pleasantly surprised by other twists though. The author knows how to write and create an engaging story which I find to be very important in these kinds of books. What surprised me was the ending! Although I had a feeling that something wasn’t right in my judgement, I was pleasantly surprised by the last twenty pages!

“It was always a surprise how vulnerable people were in sleep, even the ones who showed you almost nothing of themselves during the daylight hours.”

The Good Ones has everything I look for in a mystery novel and I found it to be completely enjoyable! If you’re someone who likes reading thriller/mystery books I’d recommend adding this one to your TBR!

I would like to thank the publisher (Harper Books) for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions reflected in this review are my own and aren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book for free from the publisher.

The Good Ones by Polly Stewart comes out on June 6th 2023 from Harper Books

My rating:

Add ‘The Good Ones‘ to your TBR:  

*Pre-order ‘The Good Ones‘ here:

*Pre-order ‘The Good Ones‘ here:

**I am in no way compensated by these sites. I am simply sharing it so people can find this book easier.

Polly Stewart is the author of The Good Ones, forthcoming from Harper Books in June 2023. As Mary Stewart Atwell, she’s also the author of Wild Girls (Scribner 2012). Her essays have appeared in the New York Times and Poets & Writers, among other publications. She runs the Craft of Crime Fiction interview series, formerly published on Fiction Writers Review and now appearing on Instagram.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK TOUR: BOOK EXTRACT] Tales of the Suburbs by Justin David @InkandescentUK @Justin_Writer #TalesoftheSuburbs

Today I am sharing an extract of Justin David’s novella Tales of the Suburbs. TotS is a part of the Welston World Sagas and is a prequel to his novels The Pharmacist and Kissing the Lizard.

BOOK SYNOPSIS (and praise)

As a boy growing up in the Black Country—drained grey by Mrs Thatcher’s steely policies—Jamie dreams of escape to a magical metropolis where he can rub shoulders with the mythical creatures who inhabit the pages of his Smash Hits. Though his hometown is not without characters and Jamie’s life not without dramas—courtesy of a cast of West Midlands divas led by his mother, Gloria. Her one-liners are as colourful as the mohair cardies she carries off with the panache of a television landlady.

‘Rich, layered, filigree characters unveil a compelling portrait of queerness in working class England, a narrative both familiar and sacred. Reading this book was like coming home. Beautiful.’—JOELLE TAYLOR

We follow Jamie through secondary school, teenage troubles and away to art school; there he experiences the flush of first love with Billy, and  the rush of the big city. But what then? Will he return to the safety of Welston, or risk everything on a new life in London?

‘An authentic, poignant account of working class life and manners and, ultimately, the overriding love the

author feels for those who shaped his childhood. I didn’t want it to end.’—ANN MITCHELL

These flamboyantly funny stories of self-discovery, set against the shifting social scenery of the 80s and 90s, are for everybody who’s ever decided to be the person they are meant to be.

——-

I leave you with the wonderful extract of Tales of the Suburbs:

BOOK EXTRACT

In this excerpt from Chapter Three, Mirror Ball, it’s 1988, New Year’s Eve. Jamie Johnson, a teenager growing up in the Black Country—drained grey by Mrs Thatcher’s steely policies—has all his life dreamt of escape to a magical metropolis where he could rub shoulders with the pop stars he found between the pages of Smash Hits. He finds himself here instead…

Ray’s Volvo smells of warm plastic and lemon air freshener. It’s all mock-luxury: leopard print seat covers and faux mahogany panelling. Jamie, his best mate—Paul, and Paul’s sister—Debs are in the back. Angie, Paul’s mum, is in the front passenger seat doing her hair. They’re waiting for Ray, Paul’s dad, to drive them all to the baths. They call it ‘The Baths’, but for as long as Jamie can remember the pool has been covered with a semi-permanent wooden dance floor. It’s used for ballroom dancing now, and prom nights.

It’s New Year’s Eve and they’re all going to party, just like they do every year. No school for another week. They’re all dressed up. Paul and Jamie are in grey chinos, black slip-on shoes and cotton shirts. Jamie’s is pink. Paul’s is lemon. Debs is wearing a sequined dress with a lace over-skirt and mesh fingerless gloves.

As per usual, Ray is the last one to get ready. He sticks his head through the driver’s side window. ‘Angie, have you seen my gold bracelet? I can’t find a stick of jewellery anywhere.’

‘It’s on the dressing table next to your cufflinks. And hurry up—we’re gonna be late.’

He disappears again. Angie carefully divides her hair into sections with a comb and applies portable curling tongs that she’s connected to the cigarette lighter. She looks over her shoulder. ‘Looking forward to it, kids?’

‘Highlight of my year, Mum.’ Paul laughs and elbows Jamie playfully.

Finally, Ray gets in, suitably bejewelled, patting his hair, quiff at the front, duck’s arse at the back. His shirt is open to the fourth button down, revealing the flash of a gold chain and a mat of chest hair. He reeks of eau de toilette, but Jamie knows he must have rushed in the shower because there’s still the undercurrent of armpit odour beneath cheap deodorant.

He throws his leather jacket at Jamie and says, ‘’Ere Cock, put that on the back shelf, will ya?’ He pulls the plug of the heated tongs out, chucks it into Angie’s lap, pushes the cigarette lighter back in and says, ‘Have you got the tickets?’

‘Ray! I was using that.’

‘You look fine. Don’t make a fuss,’ he says, picking a cassette off the dashboard and inserting it into the player. He turns the rear-view mirror to face himself, licks a finger and smoothes down his eyebrows. Then, he adjusts his seat and belts up like a fighter pilot in an F-14 Tomcat.

As he turns the ignition, Angie says, ‘Did you lock the back door?’ and the car lurches forward to the sound of Take My Breath Away, nearly causing her to doodle lipstick over her cheek. She punches him hard on the shoulder. ‘You left it wide open when you went out last Wednesday. That’s why the place stinks of cat’s piss. I come home to a kitchen full of stray moggies.’

Jamie’s still trying to find room for Ray’s jacket behind him. The whole back seat shelf is cluttered with Debs’ dancing trophies.

Angie hands two ten-pound notes over her shoulder. ‘That’s for your drinks, lads. Don’t spend it all at once.’ She didn’t do that last year.

‘Where’s mine?’ Debs says.

‘Your Dad’ll buy your drinks. You’re not old enough.’

‘Neither are these two. They’re only sixteen.’

The lighter pops out again and Ray says, ‘Angie, light me one of them cigars, will you luv.’

‘You’re a girl,’ she says, ignoring Ray. ‘I don’t want you going near that bar. Understand?’

‘It’s not fair. You never let me do anything because I’m a girl.’

Jamie takes the tenner and puts it in his pocket. ‘Thanks Angie.’

Angie turns around in her seat and looks directly at him. ‘Jamie sweetheart, keep your eye on her, will you?’

‘Alright Ange,’ Jamie says. When Angie sits back, he nudges Debs. She looks at him and he puts a finger to his lips, tapping his trouser pocket at the same time. She smiles and touches her top lip with her tongue. Unbeknownst to Angie, Jamie and Paul have been doing extra paper
rounds for beer money.

Angie turns round in her seat again. ‘Here, Jamie, it might be your lucky night,’ she says, perhaps a little too enthusiastically.

‘How do you mean?’ Jamie asks, feeling himself blush.

‘You might meet your future wife,’ she says.

Paul rolls his eyes and inspects his biceps.

Debs shakes her head. ‘Are you kidding? At the baths?’

‘It’s where me and y’dad met,’ Angie says.

‘A marriage made in heaven,’ Paul says.

‘Pure Barbara Cartland,’ Debs says, and looks out of the window.

At the baths, they pull onto the muddy car park where Alan, Janice and Darren are waiting at the bottom of

the steps. They all get out of the Volvo—Debs runs to Darren and snogs him. Ray walks over to Alan, his drinking partner—they shake hands and slap each other on the shoulder.

‘All right, mate?’ Ray says and then turns to Paul and throws his car keys at him. ‘Park it round the back, Son. And don’t scratch it.’

Paul’s eyes widen. ‘Thanks Dad,’ he says, watching them all walk up the steps to the dancehall. Angie and Jamie struggle behind with plastic bags of picnic food, soft drinks and undelivered Christmas presents. Her shoes are sinking into puddles.

Angie shouts to Ray, ‘Do you really think you should be letting him park that car?’

‘Why?’ Ray asks.

‘I only washed it yesterday. He’s gonna drive it through all that mud.’

‘Oh, stop going on, woman!’

From one of her carrier bags, Angie pulls a fire extinguisher sized canister of hairspray and mists her head as they go through the double doors. She passes it forward to Janice who does the same, walking down the corridor.

‘Fuck’s sake Janice!’ Alan says. ‘I can fucking taste the stuff. Leave it out.’

—–

What are your thoughts on the extract? Let me know in the comments!

Make sure to check out the trailer for the book by clicking H E R E.

*Purchase ‘Tales of the Suburbs’ here:

*You can also find the book here: Foyles and the Inkandescent website.

**I am in no way compensated by these sites. I am simply sharing it so people can find this book easier.

Justin David is a writer and photographer. A child of Wolverhampton, he has lived and worked in East London for most of his adult life. He graduated from the MA Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, has read at Polari at Royal Festival Hall, and is a founder member of Leather Lane Writers. His writing has appeared in many print and online anthologies and his debut novella, The Pharmacist, was first published by Salt as part of their Modern Dreams series. His photography collection of nocturnal performers, Night Work, has been exhibited in London at venues including Jackson’s Lane. His photographic works have appeared on the pages of numerous magazines including: Attitude, Classical Music Magazine, Gay Times, Out There, Pink Paper and Time Out.

Find him on: Website, Twitter and Goodreads

[Q&A with the author] The Good Ones by Polly Stewart @pollystew @harperbooks #TheGoodOnes

I’m so excited to be sharing this Q&A with Polly Stewart, author of The Good Ones forthcoming from Harper Books on June 6th 2023.

Q&A

Q: What inspired you to write your novel ‘The Good Ones’?

A: When I started The Good Ones, I really wasn’t thinking about it being published. I just wanted to write a book that was so much fun that I’d feel excited to get up and work on it every day. My way of doing that was to put together a bunch of things that I could talk about endlessly: true crime, complicated friendships, the landscape and culture of the Southern U.S., etc. I didn’t outline this book, and I really didn’t have much of an idea of where it would go. I’m just lucky that it came together as well as it did.

Q: How long did it take you to write your novel?

A: From the original idea to publication will be almost five years. I hope the next one will be a bit faster!

Q: Do you have a routine for writing – do you write at a certain time for a couple of hours or do you do it spontaneously?

A: A teacher I had in high school used to tell our class we should write every day. I was an obedient student, so I started doing writing every day back then and I’ve done it ever since. Right now I teach full-time and my kids are still pretty young, so that means from four to seven on weekday mornings and whenever I can on weekend mornings. I really like it. It’s like those early-morning hours give me permission to immerse myself in the story I’m trying to tell.

Q: Does your job influence your work in any way?

A: I teach British literature and creative writing at the college level. The connection with creative writing is pretty obvious, but I also see a connection to my literature courses. There are a lot of references to Jane Eyre in The Good Ones, and I was teaching that novel almost every semester when I was writing the book. Next year I’m teaching a course on Victorian literature where we’ll spend a lot of time on some of the earliest crime and suspense novels, and I’m really excited about that.

Q: Was there a particular scene which you found hard to write (spoiler-free if possible)?

A: I have to trick myself into writing scenes with a lot of action or violence. I think it’s just that I wrote literary fiction for a long time before I came to suspense, and I still feel less confident when it comes to those areas. Usually I make myself bang out a first draft of the scene as fast as I can, Bird by Bird-style, and then at least I know I’ve written something I can come back to later.

Q: Do you see yourself in any of your characters?

A: My main character, Nicola, and I don’t have much in common. Like me, she went to grad school, but after that her life went in a very different direction than mine. The character I relate to most is Nicola’s friend Jessi Westcott. Like Jessi, I have a child on the autism spectrum, and I want to write about the challenges and also the great blessings of being a special needs mom. Jessi is also the first person to call Nicola on her self-absorption and navel-gazing, and I was definitely speaking through her a little bit at that point.

Q: What authors have influenced you and made you fall in love with reading and eventually writing a novel?

A: Oh, so many! My absolute favorite novel of all time is Middlemarch by George Eliot. I’m fascinated by small towns where everyone is connected, and the way she structures the plot to interweave all these different perspectives is astonishing to me. She also writes the most beautiful sentences—I’d probably get one as a tattoo, except they’re so long it would cover my whole body. The Secret History by Donna Tartt, like Middlemarch, is part of my DNA—I listened to it on audiobook recently and I realized I could quote big sections of the text that I’d never made any effort to memorize. There’s also Tana French, Laura Lippman, Megan Abbott…I could go on.

Q: Are you currently reading anything – if so, what are you reading at the moment?

A: I just finished Rebecca Makkai’s I Have Some Questions for You, which was so good that I read it almost in one sitting. I’m about the same age as her main character and grew up in a similar setting, so it was deeply nostalgic for me, but also just an amazingly good story.

Q: Is there a lingering idea for a future novel?

A: I’m going to get back to work on it just as soon as I send off this email! It’s about small towns and family secrets—again, a bunch of things I’m obsessed with all rolled into one book.

Thank you so much to Polly for taking the time to answer these questions for Breathing Through Pages!

If any of the U.K. folks are interested in this book it will be out on June 6th 2023 from Constable.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this Q&A! Make sure to check out my review of the book which I’ll be posting very soon!

THE GOOD ONES

Forthcoming from Harper Books on June 6th 2023

All the buy/pre-order links for The Good Ones are below!

Add ‘The Good Ones‘ to your TBR:  

*Pre-order ‘The Good Ones‘ here:

*Pre-order ‘The Good Ones‘ here:

**I am in no way compensated by these sites. I am simply sharing it so people can find this book easier.

Polly Stewart is the author of The Good Ones, forthcoming from Harper Books in June 2023. As Mary Stewart Atwell, she’s also the author of Wild Girls (Scribner 2012). Her essays have appeared in the New York Times and Poets & Writers, among other publications. She runs the Craft of Crime Fiction interview series, formerly published on Fiction Writers Review and now appearing on Instagram.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] You Can’t Stay Here Forever by Katherine Lin @harperbooks #YouCantStayHereForever

You Can’t Stay Here Forever has a striking cover, the gorgeous colours, the photograph of a person diving into a pool and that stunning view from the pool – that’s evident, and yes that’s what first attracted me to this book. After taking a look at the cover I then went on to read the synopsis and found it to sound like something I’d enjoy reading. If you’re wondering, yes I did enjoy reading You Can’t Stay Here Forever but I also had certain issues with it.

You Can’t Stay Here Forever is about Eleanor Huang who goes by Ellie, an attorney at a prestigious law firm in San Francisco. When Ellie suddenly becomes a widow and on top of that finds out that her husband had a mistress, her reality begins to blur. Crashing in on her late husband’s insurance policy, she books a three week stay at a luxurious hotel called Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France (google it, it looks so fabulous and mesmerizing) with her best-friend Mable Chou. Coming to Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc Ellie believes that she’ll be able to find balance and escape the craziness that she left in the U.S. but she’ll soon realise that moving oneself from one place to another won’t resolve any issues. This vacation will influence her and shape the course of her future.

The novel deals with a story that is interesting but slow-paced in a way, hence why people who are looking for a book that has more dynamics will be left unsatisfied. It’s more of a psychological study of a character rather than a novel that’s plot driven. While reading You Can’t Stay Here Forever, I could tell that the author was a debut author but I have to say that Katherine Lin has talent, certain passages and observations written in the novel left me speechless. Especially the following one:

‘At some point it became clear to me that we weren’t exactly hanging out together, more that I was following her around and she let me. I felt like an observer to her life, and almost felt compelled to take notes, as if I were a ghostwriter on assignment.’

I felt like the character of Ellie Huang was the most fleshed out in the book out of all the characters and I found her to be interesting – with flaws as well as virtues. Her decision making was somewhat questionable at times. When it comes to the side characters, specifically Fauna and Robbie, I have to say that they felt one-dimensional, they had no depth to them other than the perception that Ellie and Mable had of them. I didn’t find them to be as interesting as Ellie and Mable did. The progression of Ellie’s story was something I was interested in the most because I was rooting for her to make the best decisions and deal with real-life. Something I found to be touching was the friendship between Ellie and Mable because the author showcased the many layers that a friendship has – from the falling out, to the not-talking, to reconciliation. Their friendship was the beacon of the book, in my opinion, it was something that provided the reader with many observations about how a friendship works and how individuals connect with each other. The book touches on the topic of race, Ellie being an Asian-American woman and Ian being a white American man, married to each other, and it approaches it in a real way, it showcases the issues that are set in reality. The last hundred pages of the book I didn’t find to be convincing because of how unreal I felt they were but mostly because of the pace, the fast realisation of the main character was something that felt unrealistic to me. I feel like the author could’ve spent more times fleshing that part out because it would’ve been more cohesive.

I feel like a rating of 3.5 stars is something I find to be realistic for this novel because of the issues I stumbled upon while reading it, but that doesn’t devalue the book as a whole because I’ve enjoyed my experience with the book. I’m curious to read other people’s opinions on the book and will follow upcoming reviews.

I would like to thank the publisher (Harper Books) for providing me with an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions reflected in this review are my own and aren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book for free from the publisher.

You Can’t Stay Here Forever by Katherine Lin comes out on June 13th 2023 from Harper Books

My rating:

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Katherine Lin is an attorney and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area and a graduate of Northwestern University and Stanford Law School. You Can’t Stay Here Forever is her debut novel.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Instagram.

[BOOK REVIEW] Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn #SharpObjects

I watched the TV mini series back when it came out in 2018 and was just floored by it! I found it to be so enjoyable and captivating! I bought a paperback copy of Sharp Objects a few years back and have postponed reading because of I don’t know why but I’m glad I picked it up and read it now! I have to say that the mini series is quite close to the book so kudos to Flynn for getting involved with it and providing the readers with what we deserve.

Sharp Objects follows Camille Preaker, a reporter for a small newspaper press in Chicago called The Daily Post. Her first assignment is to investigate the strange murders of pre-teen girls that happened in Wind Gap, a town she grew up in. Camille is reluctant to take the assignment but knows very well that she can’t say no so she goes in – but going in means reconnecting with her strange mother Adora and her step-father Alan as well as seeing her step-sister Amma who she doesn’t know well at all. Visiting Wind Gap won’t be easy for Camille because it’ll open up old wounds and might even open new ones… will she be able to overcome her past and focus on the task she’s been assigned to or will the past catch up with her and influence her investigations?

Flynn is someone whose writing I love and whose mind I find to be so fascinating. She comes up with great and complex female characters and stories. I just loved reading Gone Girl and was amazed at how someone could write such a good thriller that makes the reader gasp and be speechless. I’m so glad I read Sharp Objects because once again Flynn showcases her crafting skills and comes up with such interesting, flawed and complex characters. I found all the characters to be very well-written especially Camille, Adora and Amma. I wanted to learn more about the latter two because I found their psyche to be something so fascinating. Although the book was 400 pages I wished she gave us more of a backstory involving certain characters because that would’ve been even more enjoyable and fun. The book is very dark and it won’t be for everyone because it involves certain trigger warnings such as cutting, mutilation and more. I don’t wish to discuss this book further because of potential spoilers hence why I’ll leave you with this: for anyone who enjoys reading good psychological thrillers and mystery books this one is for you.

Sharp Objects is a fantastic thriller featuring very complex and unlikable characters that’ll make you read-on until you get to the very end and then wish for more.

My rating:

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Gillian Flynn is an American author and television critic for Entertainment Weekly. She has so far written three novels, Sharp Objects, for which she won the 2007 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for the best thriller; Dark Places; and her best-selling third novel Gone Girl.

Her book has received wide praise, including from authors such as Stephen King. The dark plot revolves around a serial killer in a Missouri town, and the reporter who has returned from Chicago to cover the event. Themes include dysfunctional families,violence and self-harm.

In 2007 the novel was shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Writer, Crime Writers’ Association Duncan Lawrie, CWA New Blood and Ian Fleming Steel Daggers, winning in the last two categories.

Flynn, who lives in Chicago, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated at the University of Kansas, and qualified for a Master’s degree from Northwestern University..

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell #MyDarkVanessa

The more I mull over this novel and think back on my experience with it I’m struck by the wrongness of my rating hence the change from 4 to 5 stars. Having previously read Putney (see my review here) I felt the urge to (re)read My Dark Vanessa after it, in order to see how the two works relate to each other and to provide a long due review for MDV. I have to admit that my experience with MDV felt more intimate but I don’t wish to undermine the importance of Putney because it was such an important novel.

My Dark Vanessa follows Vanessa Wye, a fourteen/fifteen year old girl who becomes involved in a sexual relationship with a much older English teacher (eighteen-year difference between the two) Jacob Strane at a boarding school she’s enrolled in. Almost two decades later Jacob is accused of sexual abuse by a former student of his but Vanessa’s perception of that subject and of her relationship with Jacob is quite different. Vanessa becomes conflicted, begins questioning what’s right and what’s wrong because her experience with him didn’t involve sexual abuse, did it?

So, Kate Elizabeth Russell can write! I never felt a dull moment while I read the book because everything was connected to the larger plot points. What I really appreciated was the depth the story had. What I felt lacking in Putney was what I found in MDV and that is the slow realisation of things happening to the main character. Yes, Putney had three characters and MDV had one but I still wished for Putney’s main character (Daphne) to have that deep introspection when it came to the realisation that abuse had taken place. I absolutely loved how Putney had three characters because we got more POVs and more details and I sort of wish MDV had Jacob’s perspective at least (although we got to see the speculation behind his behaviour). Both novels feature very dark, heavy themes and are very interesting in their own ways so I’m glad that I read them both (one after the other). Going back to MDV, Vanessa’s character was very multi-layered and real – from her teenage, rebellious teens to her slightly older thirties. Her problems and dilemmas were realistic (in my opinion) and added complexity to her character. It was interesting seeing the relationship between Vanessa and Jacob through her (V) eyes because I became so invested in her story and wished to help her. I don’t wish to discuss the book further because I feel like I’ll ruin the experience to the future reader. This novel, as well as Putney, is very heavy in its themes and subject matter but also very important. Stories like these are real and need to be told.

If you’re an individual who is interested in the heavier novels that deal with important topics such as sexual abuse, mental health issues and much more then this (and Putney) is the book you’ll want to add to your TBR and read.

I would like to thank the publisher (4th Estate) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.

Have you read this book? Does it intrigue you? Please, let me know down below in the comment section.

My rating:

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Kate Elizabeth Russell was born and raised in eastern Maine. She holds an MFA from Indiana University and a PhD from the University of Kansas. My Dark Vanessa is her debut novel.

Find her on: Website and Goodreads.

[BOOK REVIEW] Putney by Sofka Zinovieff #Putney

The story centers around Ralph Boyd a gifted composer who upon being asked by a famous novelist Edmund Greenslay to score his most famous work becomes invited into Greenslay’s world where he meets Edmund’s nine-year old daughter Daphne and becomes infatuated with her. What ensues is a dark, twisted relationship and complex bond between Ralph and Daphne. We also meet Ralph when he approaches his seventies and Daphne in her fifties who looks back on her time with him and starts to realise what happened was far from innocent. Within the story we have a third voice, the voice of Jane, Daphne’s best friend whose role in the book gives us more insight into the psychological effects of the complexity of this relationship.

Putney is a gorgeously written novel, Zinovieff can write! I just love how she described things in the book. She’s definitely a skilled writer. Putney is a dark tale, a spine-chilling one when you look back on it. She doesn’t shy away from delving deep into the complexity of the relationship between Ralph and Daphne. I enjoyed how she gave Ralph flaws and issues of his own instead of just presenting him as a straight-up abuser (which he is). The whole story had depth that I look for in novels that deal with such intricate and hard subjects. My issues with the book might be spoiler hence why I won’t share them but I’ll say that certain small portions of the novel weren’t believable to me, the sudden change of opinions/realisations of things. I wished they were fleshed out better. Zinovieff does a great job at describing the atmosphere, I especially enjoyed reading about Greece. I feel like this story was told very well and that this book should be read by everyone interested in this subject matter, it’s just so important. The author doesn’t as mentioned before shy away from dealing with hard topics such as r*pe, abu** and I think that’s very important because it challenges the reader and makes them think.

If you’re interested in the subject matter this book deals with I’d urge you to get a copy of this book and read it because it’s important and well-written.

I would like to thank the publisher (Bloomsbury UK) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.

My rating:

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Sofka spent most of her childhood living in London, where her father, Peter Zinovieff, had an electronic music studio (EMS). Visitors to the house during the 1960s and ‘70s included composers and musicians as diverse as Harrison Birtwistle and Pink Floyd. Both her paternal grandparents were from St Petersburg and escaped to England after the 1917 revolution. She was named after her Russian grandmother, the subject of Red Princess: A Revolutionary Life.

After attending schools in London and Oxford, Sofka studied social anthropology at Cambridge. She carried out research for her PhD in Greece, which marked the beginning of a lifelong involvement with the country. She later lived in Moscow and Rome, where she worked as a freelance journalist.

Sofka is the author of five books, the latest of which is Putney (hardback 2018, paperback 2019): ‘Lolita in reverse: a novel for the #MeToo age which addresses the minefield of sexual consent.’

She is married, has two daughters and lives between Athens and London.

Find her on: Website, Goodreads and Twitter.

[BOOK REVIEW] The Kind Worth Saving by Peter Swanson #TheKindWorthSaving

The Kind Worth Saving (2023) by Peter Swanson is the sequel to his popular thriller The Kind Worth Killing (2015). Before I begin, I would like to note that this book can’t be read as a standalone because it spoils the happenings of the first one, so be aware of that when deciding whether to go into this one. I would definitely recommend The Kind Worth Killing because it’s quite fast-paced and thrilling! When it comes to The Kind Worth Saving – well, I found it to be fast-paced and interesting but somehow rushed. This review will be spoiler-free. Before I go in: there’s a trigger warning regarding a school-shooting which plays a role in the book.

The Kind Worth Saving follows Henry Kimball (a character from TKWK) who is hired to investigate a cheating allegation from a concerned wife (Joan). While investigating he begins to form some sort of a relationship with the woman being suspected of having an affair with Joan’s husband. From then on things turn upside down and nothing is what it seems. Having some issues Henry calls for Lily Kintner (character from TKWK) to lend a helping hand. Basically this sounds like a reiterated blurb from Goodreads but oh well!

What can one expect from Swanson? Mystery, yes. Thrillery feels, yes. Fast-paced novels, yes! Swanson knows how to craft a nice thriller and keep the reader engaged. I read this book in three days and found it to be very enjoyable. Whenever I stopped reading I kept coming back to the book, always thinking about what’s going to happen next. Although The Kind Worth Saving was an enjoyable read for me I found it to be a bit rushed, especially the ending and actions of the characters. Having built the psychology surrounding each character I expected more cunningness, more reasoning, more psychological battle that leaves the reader gasping and guessing. I must say that the twists were interesting although after the first one I found the rest to be fine, they didn’t WOW me as much. I absolutely enjoyed reading the first part featuring Joan and her “tender age”. Such an interesting character yet I wish we got more from her. I like how Swanson combined the story from the first book and we got a bit more information regarding our returning characters. I don’t wish to spoil anything so I’ll have to refrain myself from discussing the book further for fear of ruining the experience for future readers.

The Kind Worth Saving is a thrilling fast-paced book, something you can always expect from this author. It will definitely keep you entertained!

My rating:

The Kind Worth Saving is out on the 2nd of March 2023.

I would like to thank the publisher (Faber&Faber) for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and weren’t influenced by the fact that I got this book from the publisher.

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Peter Swanson is the author of four novels: The Girl With a Clock For a Heart, an LA Times Book Award finalist; The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award, and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year; and his most recent, All the Beautiful Lies. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine. A graduate of Trinity College, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Emerson College, he lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with his wife and cat.

Find him on: Website, Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter.