#Blogtour Lace by Catrin Kean

It's an absolute pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Lace by Catrin Kean.

Honno, Welsh Women’s Press presents Lace, the “enthralling” sequel to the prize-winning Salt. 

'Landing on shelves on the 18th July 2024, Honno, Welsh Women’s Press will be publishing Lace by Catrin Kean. An emotional and intricate follow-up to her award winning novel, Lace introduces us to a new generation and a dark history stirred by a birth in the family.'

About the Author

Catrin Kean was awarded a place on the Hay Festival Writers At Work scheme for emerging writers from 2016 – 18. Her short stories have been published in Riptide Journal, Bridge House Anthologies, The Ghastling, and Syncopation Journal. Her debut novel 'Salt' won the 2021 Rhys Davies Fiction award,  the Wales Arts Review People’s Choice Award, and the overall Wales Book of the Year Award. Lace is her second novel. She lives in the Garw Valley with her partner and three ridgeback dogs. Follow @kean_catrin on X

About the book

The sequel to the prizewinning novel Salt - Weaving between Cardiff in the mid-1920’s and a Wicklow convent in the early 1900’s, Kean recount’s Mary’s story, a tale inspired by her grandmother.

In the early 1900s in Wicklow, Ireland, the lives of six year old Mary and her siblings are torn apart when their father dies leaving the family penniless. Mary's mother is forced to travel to Dublin to find work. She places her children in an orphanage for a short stay, which turns into years. 

Many years later Mary settles in Cardiff with her Welsh/Bajan husband Louis, and is thrilled at the arrival of their first child, Teresa. But the birth of the baby dredges up long hidden memories that Mary must confront before she can bond with her daughter. 

Review

I'm going to have to read Salt now, not because this is a sequel - it's actually more of a giving readers a more complete picture of the story - but rather because Kean is such an incredible writer. Much like Claire Keegan, there is core talent of encapsulating either a moment or a lifetime of emotions in a short read. Not something every writer can pull off. 

Even without the racial element, the racism, fearmongering and hatred, the story is at the core is one of family. The deconstruction and restructuring of family units, which are constantly interchangeable and a moving living breathing entity. Trauma, grief, love and both new and old dynamics.

In Mary's case the birth of her daughter awakens deeply buried childhood trauma. The kind of traumatic losses, experiences and memories that cause a disconnect and lack of bonding between mother and child. This is an exploration of how the past impacts the present and the future. It determines whether one foot can be placed before the other.

I think it's easy to forget that ancestors, and indeed parents or grandparents, have lived entire lives before we enter the picture. What we as their children or grandchildren experience of them is often the version haunted by or the product of a sum of their prior relationships and experiences.

I hope to see this author receive the recognition they deserve and heading prize lists in the future. Excellent read.

Buy Lace at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com. Buy via Honno.

#BlogTour The Fathers, the Sons and the Anxious Ghost by Jamie Adams

Today it's my turn and the last stop on the BlogTour The Fathers, the Sons and the Anxious Ghost.

Follow @JamieAdStories on Twitter, on Amazon, on Goodreads, Visit JamieAdStories.com, Buy The Fathers, the Sons and the Anxious Ghost

About the book

Three guys in their thirties have something in common. Their children all go to the same school. One day a tragic event leads to them having to deal with a lurking aftermath which draws them into each other's lives and causes them to rethink their attitudes to just about everything. The children tell the second part of this story, ten years after the initial events. The dust seems to have settled until one of them uncovers information that throws everything back into chaos. The third part… well that will have to wait.

Review

This is a novella length read. The stories of three men and their sons, and how their lives intersect at moments and are woven together, even if they can't tell at times.

Fathers, who all have sons at the same school, become linked through more than just a school production, which is the starting point for a connection driven by tragedy, attraction and at times obsession.

It was nice to read a story from the perspective of men, as opposed to women, and the sons of said men. The majority of stories tend to be told the other way round. I think this is definitely an avenue worth exploring more.

I'd like to see Adams take the time to give his characters more depth instead of just glossing over the complex surfaces of their lives, decisions and trauma. Delve deeper into the topics he just dips his toe into. Be brave, be bolder and open that valve just a tad more - this is merely a trickle.

Buy The Fathers, the Sons and the Anxious Ghost at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers pub date 30 July 2019. Buy at Amazon com. At Hive. At Bookshop.org.

#BlogTour The Summer of Madness by Alexander Raphael

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour The Summer of Madness by Alexander Raphael.

About the Author
Half-Welsh, half-Mexican and growing up in London, Alex Raphael was surrounded by different influences and interests. But it was always books that spoke to him most and had the greatest impact. He started writing when at college, where his love of reading evolved into a desire to write, in particular focusing on poetry and short stories.

Studying English and American Literature at university meant he took a break from writing, as well as giving him the chance to see more of Mexico on his travels. He concentrated on his journalistic career while working on different writing projects, but his favourite genre of literature has always been short stories as they are what first inspired him to write.

That’s why his first book was The Summer of Madness, a romantic short story that tells of a guy who goes out to try to win his ex-girlfriend back. Will you be rooting for Kurt and his big public gesture or is it more complicated than that and you don’t want her to date him again? Either way you’ll get to know a memorable set of characters along for the ride.

His second book Illusions, Delusions reflects Raphael’s love of alternative short stories from the writers of his childhood and challenges the idea of the narrative. Will your favourite be the story in the form of a questionnaire, a poem or a set of jokes, among the seven very different styles?
Alex Raphael is currently working on his third collection of short stories, which will provide a wide blend of genres and an assortment of very original premises and distinctive character, with his trademark imagination, humour and memorable dialogue.

Follow on Amazon, on Goodreads, Buy The Summer of Madness  Visit alexanderraphaelwriter.com and alexraphael.wordpress.com,

About the book
In the summer of love, or rather of madness, a whole set of stories are emerging. But there is one that has got everyone talking. When Kurt Vannes decides to win back his ex-girlfriend with the help of a literary classic, he sets off a string of events that will build to a dramatic finale.

Review
It's a short read, perhaps speculative if literary fiction can be considered that. Also disjointed and sometimes seeming like a story with no connection or ability to reach out to the audience - it reminded me of flash fiction. But let's get down to the nitty-gritty.

Raphael draws an interesting comparison between Wuthering Heights and Kurt and his love story and the attempt to regain his lost love. Presented as the boyfriend who wants to win back his girlfriend no matter what - he stages something akin to a romantic ploy to get her back.

Now there is twofold here. Raphael has picked a classic novel, and her favourite book, which is predominantly known for being a romance and tragedy like none other. On the flip-side the author knows many interpret that same story as one of manipulation, of a dysfunctional love, a destructive relationship painted in such unicorn colours that many are willing to forget the darkness and the pain.

Said girlfriend doesn't want to return to him though and views his attempts as manipulative, embarrassing and perhaps even a little scary. The smaller group of individuals who view his attempts as supportive of this Mr Darcyesque public outcry of thwarted love, but when it all becomes known to the wider world the word stalker slips into the vocabulary.

It's intriguing how Raphael presents four views of the same relationship. You have Kurt, the girlfriend, the more intimate gathering and then the wider public. Each has a slightly different view on the matter and his actions, which of course is exactly what happens in real life. The girlfriend and her feelings become secondary to his needs, his wants and his convictions. She is silenced and there is no consent.

The smaller group is convinced by his charm and enthusiasm, whereas the larger group sees a bigger picture or is it more about the greater unknown finding something to critique?

I'd like to see the author bring more order into both his ideas, the dialogue and the writing. There can't be any expectation that the audience will see what is inside your head and what you believe is on the pages - reading will always remain a subjective experience.

Buy The Summer of Madness at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Buy at Amazon com.