Publication Date: Available Now
Source: Review copy. And purchased copy. I read it twice too.
Wye is losing hope. Sixteen and travelling through a rich wilderness with three other teenagers, she should be having the time of her life. And she might be if it weren’t for the thing hunting her; the tireless creature desperate to tear her and her friends limb from limb.
Through the remembered lessons of her favourite writers, Wye has been trying to make sense of the cruel world she’s found herself inhabiting. But it’s not working. Wherever she turns there are monsters and memories, both of them poised to devour her if she can’t find a way to live with herself. What follows is Wye’s last chance at salvation, what follows is her journal.
I loved Wye. Expanding on an idea first seen in short story “X” we meet Wye – trying to survive in a world gone mad, along with her few companions she wanders the countryside, learning life lessons in looking out for herself and trying to make sense of things. With the help of some book memories and real memories she starts to come to terms with her situation…but it will be a difficult path.
I’m quite fond of the other novels Jack has written, but I have to say with Wye he has really come into his own, the particular style that marks all his stories is there but with an added something – Wye herself is a beautifully imagined and constructed character who just draws you right into the narrative.
Descriptively speaking the sense of place is amazing – the countryside our gang are travelling through comes to life as you go and there are dark undertones both to the tale itself and the setting that make it a very enthralling and addictive read.
Wye’s voice as a character is emotive and engaging, pulling you into her world and making you see her ups and downs, her pain and her hopes for redemption. Add to that some lovely little twists and turns and what you have is a character piece with added oomph.
Very much recommended.
Buy the book:
A Little thank you from me.
While I’m on Jack’s blog tour I thought I’d take the opportunity to say thanks Jack! A few years ago when I was going through a rather rotten time and the books were saving me, I met both Jack and another lovely author who you may know, Sharon Sant, via Twitter. Both of them were extraordinarily encouraging about the possiblity of the blog – in fact both Jack and Sharon at separate times were the ones who suggested to me that perhaps I SHOULD set up a book review site. They were endlessly patient with all my questions, helped me with several technical issues, gave an awful lot of hints and tips about how to handle reviewing material, in fact without them Liz Loves Books would not exist today. If I try and think about my life now without it, I can’t even imagine such a thing, so whilst over time they are not the only ones who have been so wonderfully supportive (the community as a whole is truly amazing) they were the first and the two people who have been there from the start and continue to be there now. So thank you Jack! (And Sharon)
Book folk are the best folk.
Follow Jack on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JackCroxall
Visit the website: http://jackcroxall.co.uk/
Read the original short story X and some others:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Short-Stories-Jack-Croxall-ebook/dp/B00PHM2YUA/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Also Available
Happy Reading Folks!
Couldn’t agree more with your line, “Book folk are the best folk.” I’ve met so many lovely bloggers (yourself obviously included!) since I started. The friendships I’ve made have been great – where I live, I have only one friend who’s a real book fan, and she’s just had a rotten time extricating herself from a dreadful civil partnership – probably a first for an Oban lawyer – and has been away at her parents a lot recently – so there’s no one to talk books with at all face to face. Except the Waterstones staff, who I annoy once a week, but I don’t buy an awful lot, just chat with about books, or whatever. OK, books….I think there’s a great feeling of community, particularly among crime fiction bloggers (and between them and authors, and publicists, etc.) People are 99.9% lovely.