by Michael J. Malone
SYNOPSIS
Jenna is trying to rebuild her life after a series of disastrous relationships.
Luke is struggling to provide a safe, loving home for his deceased partner’s
young son, following a devastating tragedy.
When Jenna and Luke meet and fall in love, they are certain they can achieve
the stability and happiness they both desperately need.
And yet, someone is watching.
Someone who has been scarred by past events.
Someone who will stop at nothing to get revenge…
REVIEW
Both Jenna and Luke are struggling to get on with living normal lives after difficult events in their past. Jenna has never been able to fully accept the circumstances following the break up of her first real relationship. Despite knowing that he wasn't right for her, his death is still playing on her mind years later. Luke had the opportunity to make something of himself, but fell in with the wrong crowd and their influence left him serving a prison sentence which he is still trying to make amends for.
When the pair meet and are instantly attracted to one another, it seems like they might have a chance at a happy ending, but fate intervenes, and it soon becomes clear that there is somebody else involved in this relationship, and they will stop at nothing to make sure that doesn't happen.
Set in Glasgow, Quicksand of Memory is a bleak and raw psychological thriller which investigates the brutal effect that a troubled childhood can have on a person's life. This was definitely not an easy read, delving into some dark and emotional topics including abuse, drug use, blackmail and murder.
I loved the use of colloquial language and thought that it gave a really authentic voice to the characters. The backdrop of both Jenna and Luke's home lives were heartbreaking to read about but, at the same time, so completely believable that I was swept into their world from the first until the very last page.
Quicksand of Memory is at it's core a story about revenge, but for me the real beauty of the novel was the complexity of the characters and the way that their histories intertwined. It is impossible to not become emotionally involved in the story as the truth gradually unfolds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines, After He Died, In the Absence of Miracles and A Song of Isolation soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr.
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours and Orenda Books - @OrendaBooks for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Crime / Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 978-1913193966
Pages: 300pp
Comentarios