Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Dyed Souls by Gary Santorella. It's compelling literary fiction, the kind of read you remember.
Gary Santorella, Owner, Interactive Consulting is a Lean implementation, organizational development, conflict resolution, and team-building specialist. He has a BA in Behavioural Psychology from Providence College, Providence, RI (1980), a Master’s Degree in Occupational Social Welfare from UC Berkeley (1990), and is a licensed cognitive-behavioural therapist in the State of California. His book: Lean Culture for the Construction Industry: Building Responsible & Committed Project Teams 2nd Edition was published by Productivity Press (a division of Taylor & Francis) in 2017. His first novel, Dyed Souls, was published by Matador Publishing in 2018.
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About the book
Described by John Lloyd of The Bookbag as "Catcher in the Cuckoo's Nest," Dyed Souls is a gritty coming-of-age literary novel, set in a residential treatment center in 1980’s California.
Charlie Lyle loves science, natural history, and the world of the mind, and it is his refuge and salvation as he copes with his drug-addicted mother and a world of circumstances well-beyond his grasp. More a work of philosophy than psychology, “For the teen it has a galling coming-of-age, redemption quest. For the adult it has that, as well as a literary look at a singular fictional life.”
Now and again you get a gem of a book that comes along and takes you by surprise. With the kind of story that is so poignant you can hear the sound of it breaking walls as it penetrates the consciousness of readers.
This is the story of a teenage boy, who has spent his entire life being bandied about and abused by a mother who forgets him in a moments notice, as she seeks self-gratification in an attempt to forget her own misery.
Charlie feels the need to protect his mother on some level, despite the neglect and abuse he suffers at her hands, words and actions. She is the only one, bar his grandparents, who appears to have any interest in him.
The employees of Hawthorne are paid to inspect and dissect his life and emotional well-being like a bug under a microscope. Only the occasional person will feel and exhibit true compassion. In their defence, social workers or people working in the care system have to find a way to deal with the tragic reality of children in their care. The frustration of help or rescue being beyond their remit is often debilitating.
Santorella delivers a work of literary perfection. There are no moments of superfluous details or scenes, which are often added to give a story an added layer of attraction. It's just the life and emotional turbulence of a teenager laid bare, as he navigates the obstacles of neglect, abuse, coming-of-age and confusion of mutual attraction.
It's compelling literary fiction, written with an ease of memories flowing from the recesses of the mind to fingers eager to voice. A brief moment of time encapsulating the pain and fear that cements the pathway of an entire lifetime. Experiences that drive a vulnerable and troubled young person to pick a path of self-destruction or one with some semblance of peace and happiness.
It truly is a sublime read.
Buy Dyed Souls at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Troubador Publishing - Matador Books pub date 11 Feb. 2018. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Troubador. iBooks. Google.
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