BLOGTOUR, BOOK REVIEW - Pah by Orla Owen

 

                                                                     BOOK SYNOPSIS

Susan Brown is trapped. She lives in nurses’ accommodation she hates, on the run from a past she detests, desperate for a future she can’t afford. Yet.

Calton Jonas is lost. He travels across the country, from beach to city, settling in a small town with a job at the morgue.

Jeffrey Jeffreys is happy as long as life provides him with enough whiskey and beer.

Their lives cross. Old wounds open. Susan takes control but not all of them can survive...

Throughout the vast majority of this dark and at times unsettling story,the author takes the reader on a journey into the life and mind of a very intelligent but also deeply disturbed woman. The story raises the age old question of nature vs nurture and wether it is really possible for a victim of any form of abuse as a child to truly escape from the traumatic events of their past. It has been stated that there is a possibility that victims of childhood abuse may themselves become abusers when they get older so was this the reason that Susan had no empathy for the people she interacted with? Did she suffer from some form of brain damage or was she simply a sociopath with narcissistic tendencies? The brain is a complex organ and how it works still isn't fully understood by the scientific boffins and mental health is one of its many grey areas. So did the events from her traumatic past or possible mental health issues mean that despite her actions being morally wrong, did Sarah deserve maybe a tiny bit of sympathy?

Sarah was desperate to escape the nurses accommodation where she was forced to deal with the inconvenience of mixing with other people so when she meets Jeffery Jefferys, she sees him as a ticket to the start of her new life. Jeffery certainly had his own issues including a all consuming love of whisky and wine but he wasn't a unlikable individual.As he found himself being drawn into Sarah's plans and losing control of his own life, I constantly felt like reaching into my kindle and leaving him a note telling him to get as far away from her as possible.

Scattered throughout the book are chapters that covered the story of a young man called Cal who after the death of his father and a unfortunate incident involving some pills found himself encouraged to leave town. He eventually found himself working in the morgue at a hospital and that was when his story converged with Sarah's. Due to unforseen circumstances, Sarah had been forced to alter her plans and after meeting Cal decided that he would be the next pawn in her game. Would he be as easy to manipulate as Jeffery or had Sarah underestimated the young man and finally met her match?

Pah is a extremely well written,character driven story with a plot that covers a some dark and realistic issues about which the author has written about with care and sensitivity. The story is intelligently written,draws the reader in and keeps you captivated from the first page right through the seriously chilling conclusion that left me feeling rather unsettled. The author's words flow with ease and I was so addicted to her story that I read the entire book in one sitting and I would most definitely read more of her books in the future.

                                                                      AUTHOR BIO

Orla Owen is a writer, online editor, and author of the novel The Lost Thumb, PAH is her second novel.

Before she became a writer, she was an actress and drama practitioner, studying Theatre at Bretton Hall College of Arts. She has performed at the Royal Court and Edinburgh fringe, as well as working on The Women’s Theatre Workshop mentoring scheme.

Supporting women in writing is important to her and she worked on a writers’ mentoring scheme, as an assistant to the author Kerry Hudson, at the WoMentoring Project

She is currently working on her 3rd Novel

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS...

Supporting women in writing is important to her and she worked on a writers’ mentoring scheme, as an assistant to the author Kerry Hudson, at the WoMentoring ProjectShe is currently working on her third novel

Twitter: @orlaowenwriting

Website: www.orlaowen.com

Instagram: orlaowenwriting

PUBLICATION DATE: 21st June 2021

PURCHASE LINK...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PAH-Orla-Owen-ebook/dp/B093X2ZLVP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1VD6DI63KNVXG&keywords=pah&qid=1638213227&s=books&sprefix=Pah%2Caps%2C757&sr=1-3

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