I read this book as part of The Write Reads Blog Tours, this is Bryan Blears‘ debut release and is 286 pages long.
I quite enjoyed the story, it reads like a memoir and this is set up when Cameron gets some notepaper and starts making notes. We follow his journey from the streets of Manchester through some serious ups and downs and some pretty grim moments. I don’t want to say too much and spoil it but if you’re going to read this then be ready for some upsetting times.
I think this story achieves everything it sets out to and is a strong start for a debut novel. There are certain parts that different readers will prefer over others and it’s not going to be for everyone. There are also some slow parts to it, so be aware this isn’t so much a slow burn but its also not what I’d call fast paced.
That being said, I would also point out that this book felt longer than 286 pages which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that so much happens in this book, yet it isn’t rushed, that it seems like it should be much chunkier than it actually is.
I wouldn’t say this book was ‘unputdownable’ but I did digest it rather quickly for someone whose schedule has been as busy as mine lately. More than anything else I’ve been putting it down because of tiredness.
I would say that if you’re the kind of reader who quite likes memoir style fiction with a bit of exploration, culture/culture clashes, you’re going to enjoy this. It’s hard to really pin it down to a reason I liked it, I suppose its probably because its different to what I’m used to which is really what I get involved with these tours for. So job done really.
I’d definitely look out for more by this author, and I’d be interested in the thoughts of others who read it if you’d like to leave me a comment.
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