A chilling collection of stories unravelling the consequences of longing, broken trust, and deceit.
When our own darkness is mirrored in multi-faceted characters, do we look away in disgust or find the humanity within them? In his debut short fiction collection, John Mavin has slyly exposed themes hidden deep below the surface with breathtaking potency, eloquence, and wit.
Looking at my Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2019, I see I gave five published books 5 star ratings this year. Rather than rank them any further, I'll instead give a shout out to each author for sharing a work I felt was truly extraordinary. Alphabetically by author, they are: Scrappy Rough Draft: Use Science to Strategically Motivate Yourself & Finish Writing Your Book by Donna Barker (which reframes the adage attributed to Ernest Hemingway about first drafts being shit into something positive); The Footstop Café by Paulette Crosse (I can never look at carrots and microwave ovens in the same way ever again); Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames (a fun and refreshing D&D-party-as-rock-band-but-being-a-bard-still-sucks ride); 5 Critical Things For a Successful Book Signing: An Essential Guide for Any Author by Adam Dreece (filled with excellent tips for authors hand-selling their books); and Lamentation by C.J. Sansom (a Tudor murder mystery series I simply can't put down).
