BLOGTOUR, BOOK REVIEW - Man Down by James Goodhand

 

                                                                     BOOK SYNOPSIS

Will Parks needs to man up.

A man stands. A man fights. A man bleeds.

These are the first lessons you learn in a town where girls are objects, words are weak and fists do the talking.

Will's more at home in the classroom than the gym, and the most important woman in his life is his gran. So how can a boy who's always backed away from a fight become the hero who saves the day?

Because a disaster is coming. One that Will can prevent. But only if he learns the most important lesson of all: sometimes to step up, you have to man down. 

A searingly powerful exploration of toxic masculinity, perfect for fans of Juno Dawson or They Both Die at the End. 

Well, the plot of this compelling read covers a number of genre's and ended up going in directions that I certainly wasn't expecting when I read the synopsis.

The story is predominantly about seventeen year old William Parks who lived with his mother and elder (Neanderthal) brother Danny and was one of life's invisible people,felt like he was always in the wrong and the need to constantly apologise for his actions (boy, I can really empathise with those feelings) The only person with whom Will felt any true connection was with his Nain (Nan) whose brain was gradually being destroyed by the terrifying, debilitating condition that is known as dementia. Will was the only member of his family who really showed any compassion towards the poor old lady and it was heart breaking witnessing the way that she was ridiculed during what the other's referred to as her 'episodes' Will was in the confusing limbo land between being a child and becoming a Man and the author had imbued his main character with a realistic blend of conflicting feelings and emotions. Will viewed himself as a wimp, a conviction that wasn't helped by the sexist and demeaning attitudes of his brother and obnoxious father but little did he realise the effects that finding himself trapped in his brother's car one Friday evening with Danny and a girl called April will have on his life and future. Will suddenly finds himself living something which closely resembles the plot of a episode of The Twilight Zone only this isn't fiction,it's Will's reality. Many people's lives will depend on him making the correct choices and decisions. So is Will strong enough in character to break the habits of a lifetime or is he destined to spend his life being one of the invisible people?

Will was a really likeable, caring individual who, at the start of the story did actually come across as a bit of a wimp and it was fascinating witnessing the changes in his character,demeanour and personality as the story unfolded. There was one point in the story when I actually cheered and wanted to reach into the book and give him a high five. I loved the interactions between Will and his Nain and also with my favourite character, poor, deeply troubled Alfie, a flawed individual who like many of us was hiding so much pain behind the mask of a happy, jovial clown. I had mixed feelings about April, there was times when I liked her and times when I didn't. She really was a emotionally messed up young lady but I suppose that was completely understandable when you took events from her past into consideration.

Interspersed throughout the story was chapters that were written in italics and voiced from the perspective of someone or something who was apparently stalking Will  because they knew his every move. This individual insisted that they were preparing Will for a life changing task but what was that task and who was the mysterious narrator of these chapters. Believe me, you won't see the answer to that question coming, when the truth was revealed I almost dropped the book in shock and surprise and found myself doing a very bad impersonation of omg cat.

The pages of this strangely captivating,complex story are permeated with a chilling sense of foreboding and a large dose of the supernatural. The author cleverly manipulates the reader into believing that tragedy is going to strike in more than one setting of his story causing your feelings of tension and anxiety to ramp up to the max. The intelligently written plot covers a wide range of relatable and realistic issues including bullying, toxic masculinity, homophobia, suicide, first love, mental health issues, judgement and the social divide. It's a powerful story that causes me to experience a wide range of conflicting emotions and had a genuinely unexpected, unpredictable conclusion. To be honest,I did struggle at times to finish the book but that was more to do with my own mental health issues than the story itself. In the end, I did enjoy being a passenger on Will's life changing journey and I would gladly read more of this author's books in the future.

                                                                     AUTHOR INFO

James lives in Surrey with his wife and newborn son.

He took up writing three years ago. A mechanic by day, much of his work has been written at an oil stained workbench whilst ignoring a queue of broken cars in need of his attention.

James is also a keen musician, regularly gigging as a rhythm & blues pianist.

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James' debut YA novel, Last Lesson, tackling teen mental illness and toxic masculinity, was published in spring 2020 by Penguin Random House Children's.

Book Info

Genre: YA Thriller/Drama

Length: 391 Pages

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58480771-man-down

Publishing: 3rd March 2022

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Man-Down-James-Goodhand-ebook/dp/B0932DWBTV