#BlogTour Feeding the Gods by Elizabeth Harrison

It's my turn on the BlogTour Feeding the Gods by Elizabeth Harrison - 'Female writing duo ‘Elizabeth Harrison’ releases a powerful thriller that addresses the issues women face through life and the readiness of the drug companies to provide a pill for every problem'

About the Author

Elizabeth Harrison is the pen name of Denise Harrison (Dee) and Elizabeth Buxton (Liz), two friends, writing together. Feeding the Gods is set principally in South Manchester and Cheshire, which is the area where the authors grew up, married, and had their children. Liz decided to make her career on the high seas, crewing the Atlantic, and living aboard a yacht sailing the Mediterranean, whilst Dee was involved in the start-up and development of two successful software companies. Follow @eh_author on Twitter,

About the book

Roberta, Rosie, Sandra and Linda meet at college in the 70s and remain constant friends, despite life’s up and downs. The sudden death of one of the friends leads the others to suspect that a slimming drug she had been taking was perhaps to blame. Was this a wonder drug or a threat to life? 

The friends start to uncover long held secrets and betrayals – both personal and professional, but the pharmaceutical industry is not yet finished with them. Feeding the Gods is a thriller that addresses friendships, the different roles a woman must take on through life and the power of the drug giants.

Review

This begins with death and ends with death, the first is one of a group of friends and the second addresses how we deal with the topic of death. A group of female friends  navigate the pitfalls of a patriarchal society and decades that boast of freedoms, but in reality just contain more dangers and restrictions. Whilst a small minority appear to be living the life every woman dreams of, the majority are still stuck in the hamster wheel.

The Svelta story resonated with me. In the 70s and 80s slimming drugs were keeping the majority of women stick-thin. Over the counter, easy to access and often sold in the aisle right next to muscle protein for body builders. Just one thing though - more or less pure amphetamines.

Although the first Amphetamine epidemic tends to cited only up to the early 70s, the truth is the first wave continued on much longer. The body image mania was quickly replaced by physical addiction, although it's fair to say the majority would have been unaware at first of why. Slimming pills - speed.

The second sub-plot that resonated with me was the euthanasia element and the difference in the way modern affluent countries take care of their elderly.

There is a lot going on in this story, perhaps too many sub-plots being pulled in different directions, which means not all of them get the attention or depth they possibly deserve. The writing duo wants to do due diligence when it comes to giving a voice to women, and drawing back the veil of some very popular myths of certain decades. It's a political, social and domestic thriller.

Buy Feeding the Gods at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎The Book Guild pub date 24 Mar. 2021. Buy at Amazon com.