It's my turn on the BlogTour Eleven Days in June by R.P. Gibson Colley.
About the Author
I was born one Christmas Day, which means, as a child, I lost out on presents. Nonetheless, looking back on it, I lived a childhood with a "silver spoon in my mouth" - brought up in a rambling manor house in the beautiful Devon countryside. It's been downhill ever since.
I was a librarian for a long time, a noble profession. Then I started a series called History In An Hour, "history for busy people", which I sold to HarperCollins UK.
I now live in London with my wife, two children and dog (a fluffy cockapoo) and write historical fiction, mainly 20th-century war and misery, and humorous books set in 1980s England.
About the book
Devon, 1985. Dan is 20, lives in a sleepy village and works in a small DIY shop. He likes numbers and hero worships Lord Nelson. But he finds ordinary people difficult to understand and he’s certainly never kissed a girl. His mother mocks him, and he misses his father and he pines for Ollie, his only childhood friend who truly understood him.
But, despite it all, Dan thinks he’s happy enough. Until one June day, the beautiful and mysterious Libby walks into his shop - and into Dan's life.
Libby’s sudden appearance turns Dan’s ordered existence upside down. But Dan soon realises that Libby isn’t who she seems. Who exactly is she? What is she hiding, and, more importantly, who’s that threatening man always looking for her?
In trying to help Libby, Dan comes to realise what’s missing in his own life, and, in turn, appreciates what’s really important…
Review
What resonates the most about the story is the character of Dan. The way he experiences the world around him and indeed how the world reacts to him. He has a learning difficulty and tends to be very direct in his approach, because the general consensus is that different means dumb he is used to being treated in a demeaning manner.
Dan acknowledges this, however he is unable to process why people tend to laugh at him or ridicule him, and also use his gullible nature against him. It's interesting how the relationship between Dan and his mother plays out. She seems to sway between guilt and rejection when it comes to her son. She finds it hard to hide her disappointment at his challenges, as opposed to supporting him as he navigates life with said challenges.
It's a strange kind of story that lacks a beginning, middle and end, because it is more about a constant narrative of eleven days in the main characters life. A life in a sleepy village where each action and reaction can take on momentum of their own. A coming of age story, a Kodak moment of Dan's life and how small changes can result in big results. Small steps forward to grow into the man he was always meant to be, whilst realising that love and support comes in many shapes and sizes.
Buy Eleven Days in June at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.
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