BOOK SYNOPSIS
BROWN EYES: A watchful eye as a marriage falls apart. The phone call, the rows, and the split are all observed by the family Labrador. He knows the habits and senses the moods of his beloved family members. Seeing them unhappy and hurting each other is unbearable. Where did his perfect life go?
Her marriage to Phil in crisis, two children at the challenging teenage stage, and a close friend in peril, Meriel’s world is falling apart. She finds solace in the arms of another man, but is this the answer for her? It is her stubbornness that threatens the family’s future together, until a major loss has a life-changing effect on her. A sliver of hope returns.
Like a fly on the wall, Benji the dog sees it all.
Narrated by both the dog and Meriel, Brown Eyes is a novella (a short read) written by the author ofFinding Jo.
The majority of this emotionally charged, character driven story is written from the duel perspectives of Meriel and the family Labrador called Benji.
Meriel had often prided herself on being a good listener, she had spent many hours listening to her friends problems whilst privately contemplating the fact that her own life was so simple whereas everyone around her appeared to lead such complicated lives. But then she received the phone call that took her own apparently perfect life, shattered it into tiny pieces and scattered them across the floor like shards of broken glass. It transpired that Phil,her husband of twenty years had been cheating on her and she reacted in the exact same way that I would have done if I had found myself in the same situation. She confronted Phil and told him that their marriage was over, after all, if a partner cheats once and are forgiven then isn't that just giving them a green light to keep on repeating the same behaviour in the future? Meriel found herself caught up in a raging storm of emotions, her feelings swirling around inside her head like the crashing waves breaking on the shore of the beach that was situated near the family home. Meriel was a complex character with a relatable backstory who I couldn't help emphasising with as the story unfolded. I personally didn't like the reactions or attitudes of the other characters who inhabited her world or the way that she was made to feel about her, what was to me anyway, perfectly understandable and acceptable decision.
I loved Benji's parts of the story in which he gave the reader his own unique observations of the events that were unfolding around him. His thoughts and fears about the apparent disintegration of his beloved family and struggles to try to keep everyone happy. I have often looked at our own dog and wondered what he was thinking and I thought that seeing the world from Benji's perspective was a unique and fascinating experience.
This is a well written, captivating domestic drama with a plot which covers a number of relatable issues including infidelity, parenting, friendships, grief, relationships and depression. To be honest, I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this story due it being a genre that I don't usually read. I did enjoy reading it and would gladly recommend Meriel and Benji's story to other readers.
AUTHOR INFO
A career as a journalist/ PR led to health writing for UK nationals newspapers and consumer mags. Out of the blue I was inspired to write my first novel, Finding Jo, which I self-published in January 2021. Brown Eyes is my 2nd novel, written a few years ago. It was inspired by our black Labrador Benji. Before Finding Jo, I previously had only non-fiction books published, including One Step Ahead of Osteoarthritis (2019), a positive approach to staying mobile.
Social Media Links –
Twitter: @healthysouluk
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/FindingJoFrancesIve
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fivewrite/
Website for books: https://www.fivewrite.co.uk/
PURCHASE LINKS....
UK Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09Q3N3D15
UK Paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1739976800
US Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q3N3D15
US Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1739976800
PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT THE POSTS OF THE OTHER BLOGGERS WHO HAVE STOPS ON THIS BLOG TOUR
No comments:
Post a Comment