We have another great Orenda tour today to celebrate Michael J Malone's A Song of Isolation. There is also the chance to win a digital copy (Worldwide). Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
Film star Amelie Hart is the darling of the silver screen,
appearing on the front pages of every newspaper. But at the peak of her fame
she throws it all away for a regular guy with an ordinary job. The gossip
columns are aghast: what happened to the woman who turned heads wherever she
went?
Any hope the furore will die down are crushed when Amelie’s boyfriend Dave
is arrested on charges of child sexual abuse. Dave strongly asserts his
innocence, and when Amelie refuses to denounce him, the press furore quickly
turns into physical violence, and she has to flee the country.
While Dave is
locked up with the most depraved men in the country and Amelie is hiding on the
continent, Damaris, the victim at the centre of the story, is also isolated – a
child trying to make sense of an adult world...
Breathtakingly brutal, dark and
immensely moving, A Song of Isolation looks beneath the magpie glimmer of
celebrity to uncover a sinister world dominated by greed and lies, and the
unfathomable destruction of innocent lives... in an instant.
My Thoughts
The opening scene unsettles the reader and leaves you wondering what exactly has happened to Amelie in the past. Now living with Dave in a remote cottage, you know that something has made her change her life. You follow the story through three characters: Amelie, Dave and Damaris, the child at the centre of the story. You get to follow their stories as they all live out their lives, all in a form of isolation.
From the beginning, I was sympathetic to all three characters but I wasn't sure how the story would pan out. I particularly enjoyed the pace of the story which seemed just right to me with a certain amount of jeopardy and suspense. There is a dark side to life which is uncovered below the surface of everyday life. Some may protest that it is an accidental series of circumstances they could not stop, but actually there is a huge degree of calculated greed and callousness. Trampled underfoot is an innocent child and hopes for the future. Bubbling up to the surface however, is love and hope.
In short: Innocence is cast aside.
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
and In the Absence
of Miracles soon
followed suit. A
former Regional Sales
Manager (Faber &
Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in
Ayr.
You can read my review of House of Spines here and After He Died here and In the Absence of Miracles here.
Thanks to Michael Malone, and Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Follow the rest of the tour!
Giveaway (Worldwide)
To win a digital copy of A Song of Isolation just Follow and Retweet the pinned tweet at @bookslifethings . Closing Date is 17th September 2020 and there is one winner. Good luck!
Thanks so much for the blog tour support xx
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