How a family struggle to find meaning after a violent event shatters their world, the anger of those left behind and the confusion of those forced to move on.
Slightly different direction to my normal ranty sweary love blushes, no today is a literary novel no less. I’m packing my Fan girl obsession away for the week and reviewing something with a little class.
Title:
Twice the speed of Dark
Date of Birth:
Dec 2017
Author:
Round up:
A tale of how grief can eviscerate your sense of self. Anna, the mother left behind, writes portraits in notebooks, of victims of violent deaths. She uses this new practice as a crutch to get her through her grief. Caitlin, the daughter tells her own story from the perplexing realms of death.
Why it’s great:
A poetic and visually arresting book, written by an artist, you can feel the elegant imagination on every page. The voice of the daughter Caitlin was particularly original; she speaks from the other side, and the way Allison describes this place it truly feels, ‘other’. The weaving of the cosmos into Caitlin’s journey was a creative touch which I’m more than a little jealous I didn’t think of. Allison has a lovely way with words and this literary novel is brimming with concepts and insight. Not an easy beach read, but sometimes you need to stretch your mind to keep it limber.
Best time to read:
Saturday morning when your sparkle and fresh, this ain’t no Michael Bay film. This book has depth, so open your mind to some high-level shizzle. Snack on edamame beans, green tea and ideas.
Dinner Party Prat Fact:
Allison was once photocopying some paintings of monsters in an Amsterdam copy shop when she was approached by a bearded man who said he really liked her little paintings and knew someone who needed something similar, would she like to meet him?
She pottered off to the meeting, which was in a kind of Dutch Berni Inn* the strange bearded man leading her along until she came face to face with no other than, Father Abraham. Who was looking for a new version of the Smurfs, he wasn't too interested in her scratchy monsters, but the lesson here? Always go off with strange men, they may lead you to other stranger men.
*A Berni Inn, think; fake Tudor wooden panelling, 60’s dishware and limp prawn cocktails.
Best quote:
“So, like the bridges I had dreamed of, I wanted to see the strength and grace in the base material. I wanted him to be as grand as my dreams had been.”
In a word:
Reflective.
If you'd like to curl up with this thoughtful book, here's the magical link for buying.
If you fancy asking her any questions or just saying hi, she's also on The Twitter and Instagram.
So I’m a big fan of transparency as my friends can attest to when I get into one of my tirades about government, freedom of information and so on and so forth. So in an effort to live as I rant, I must tell you that although I have never met the wonderful Lulu Allison, (the author) but we do have an online alliance. She is with the same publisher as I am; the delicious Unbound.
She offered me a spot on her fabulous Book Tour, I offered to do what I do best, read and doodle!