Well! Today I really am excited have Caron McKinlay and her debut release The Storytellers on the blog. These are my honest and unbiased opinions.
Trapped between life and the afterlife, three women meet and share their stories while discovering the truth about the men in their lives—and about themselves.
Suspended in an eerie state of limbo, an entity called the Gatekeeper tells Nikki, Ronnie, and Mrs. Hawthorne they are on the cusp of entering the afterlife—but only if the women can persuade him that in their earthly lives, they knew the meaning of love.
Fragments of their memories return, plunging them back into their pasts, and forcing them to face the desires, disappointments, addictions, lies, and obsessions they battled in life.
But before time runs out, will they find the answer to the ultimate question: what is love?
This is a debut novel that as soon as I started reading I knew I wouldn’t put it down. It’s an absolute gem of a book. Caron McKinlay has clearly put her heart and soul into this book (as well as blood, sweat and tears).
We are introduced to three women on a beach who have each had several terrible and totally shocking things happen to them. As the story unfolds there are so many surprises for the characters, and the reader.
This is not just a straightforward story. It is emotional, dark, sometimes really funny but then sensitive. The skills of this debut author are crystal clear as you read this moving novel. There are parts of this book that deal with serious issues and they are handled perfectly. There is no swerving the serious in The Storytellers.
I was so invested in each of these women. They are so intuitively developed that, although they have flaws and aren’t always nice, you still root for each of them for different reasons.
Such a unique story, I loved the twists in this one. In fact I was almost gobsmacked as I read the final chapters! A twist I really didn’t see coming. So skilfully done.
Thanks to Caron McKinlay for the opportunity to ARC read this fascinating, unique and well written book.
Author Bio
Caron grew up in a mining town on the east coast of Scotland where her dad would return from the pit and fill her life with his tall tales. She never thought about making a career in writing – that was what posh people did, not someone from a working-class council estate.
However, her father’s death was the cause of deep introspection and her emotions gave birth to a short story, Cash, which was published in the Scottish Book Trust’s anthology, Blether. This gave her the confidence to try and believe in herself. When not blogging, reading, and writing, Caron spends her time with her daughters. She doesn’t enjoy exercise – but loves running around after her grandsons, Lyle and Noah, to whom she is devoted.
Caron had three childhood dreams in life: to become a published author, to become a teacher, and for David Essex to fall in love with her. Two out of three ain’t bad, and she’s delighted with that.
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 