It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Sugar and Snails by Anne Goodwin.
Anne Goodwin writes entertaining fiction about identity, mental health and social justice. She is the author of three novels and a short story collection published by small independent press, Inspired Quill. Her debut novel, Sugar and Snails, was shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize. Her new novel, Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home, is inspired by her previous incarnation as a clinical psychologist in a long-stay psychiatric hospital. Subscribers to her newsletter can download a free e-book of prize-winning short stories.
Follow @Annecdotist on Twitter, Visit annegoodwin.weebly.com, @Annecdotist on Facebook, Instagram @authorannegoodwin, Anne Goodwin’s YouTube channel, Link tree annecdotist, Amazon author page: viewauthor.at/AnneGoodwin,
About the book
At fifteen, she made a life-changing decision. Thirty years on, it’s time to make another. - When Diana escaped her misfit childhood, she thought she’d chosen the easier path. But the past lingers on, etched beneath her skin, and life won’t be worth living if her secret gets out.
As an adult, she’s kept other people at a distance... until Simon sweeps in on a cloud of promise and possibility. But his work is taking him to Cairo, the city that transformed her life. She’ll lose Simon if she doesn’t join him. She’ll lose herself if she does.
Sugar and Snails charts Diana’s unusual journey, revealing the scars from her fight to be true to herself. A triumphant mid-life coming-of-age story about bridging the gap between who we are and who we feel we ought to be.
Review
I was in two minds about the way to review this book. On one hand there's an opportunity to discuss and go into detail, but on the other hand it's also the kind of read that allows for the reader to discover the story at their own pace.
This is a story about identity, perception of identity and the way the world around us tries to fit us into preconceived notions and ready made boxes. It's also about the inner struggle when the aforementioned leads to a battle of self.
The premise has unfortunately become an embittered battleground in the last few years with great division and warring sides, with little thought left to the reality of the confusion and pain of those in this duality.
I have to agree with the sentiment in the author's note, if it had been written with both parents taking centre stage, the core and heart of this premise would have been non-existent. Writing it with Di at the wheel and steering the boat was much more intimate, frank and soul baring. It's as if the reader is at the emotional core of memories, emotions and the duality of spirit and being.
It's a really excellent piece of fiction, an exploration of a journey, of a life lived with expectations, hopes, and an unfinished jigsaw of self.
Buy Sugar and Snails at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Inspired Quill, pub date 23 July 2015. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Books2read.
No comments:
Post a Comment