Save Yourself opening line: Patrick worked the day shift at Zoney’s GoMart one Wednesday a month: sealed into the vacuum-packed chill behind the convenience store’s dirty plate-glass windows, watching cars zoom by on the highway while he stood still.
Save Yourself
When Patrick Cusimano’s alcoholic father kills a child in a hit-and-run, Patrick is faced with a terrible choice: turn his father in – destroying what’s left of his family in the process – or keep quiet. But can Patrick’s brother, Mike, live with the choice that was made that night? Layla Elshere was once a poster girl for purity. But when her evangelical father forces her to spearhead a campaign against her school, it compels her to question everything she’s ever known. Now Layla is doing all she can to obliterate her past. Verna loves her older sister Layla, but as events begin to spiral, Verna must make the hardest choice: save the person she loves most in the world – or save herself. Save Yourself is a stunning novel about power struggles and divided loyalties, and the way in which one terrible decision can alter the whole course of your life.
My blurb:
What will you do to save yourself, and the one you love. Would you kill, report a killer or be killed? This book explores the world of very ordinary people whose lives converge because a child was killed. It deals with the horror of mental abuse, self mutilation, religious fervour and all-around stupor. It shows us that people, and even more so, teenagers, can be extremely cruel, that morals are only as good as the person who believes in them, and that actions have consequences.
My verdict:
I found parts of this book really good and interesting, and others not so much. The theme running through the book made it an OK read, but not an author I would keep my eye out for. The book took 5 years to write and I wonder if that length of time had an impact on how the story was told? I did not enjoy how the same day was covered from different perspectives as there was no continuation in the flow of the story. It took a few sentences for me to realize that the author had gone back in time by a few hours.
That being said, the story was good, but nothing special and I enjoyed the book enough to read it from cover to cover. Having studied Psychology, the mental issue themes were quite interesting.
Publishing information:
ISBN 9781782393238
Disclosure: I was sent the book to review by Penguin Books South Africa. I was not required to write a positive review. This post is in line with my blogging policy.
What I blogged:
- three years ago – Chinese Five Spice Powder
Isn’t that interesting that it took 5 years to write. I wonder if there is an average time to write a book? 🙂
If I could get the one in my head onto paper I think it would take less than a year of part time writing 🙂
Sounds interesting…but perhaps not interesting enough.
I like this insight: ” I wonder if that length of time had an impact on how the story was told.”
I believe the timeline is HUGE & adds to the power of words.
Great perspective.
Thank you, I really think that the time she took to write the book impacted on it 🙂
Good review, like a good psychological thriller.
Thank you Pamela 🙂
I like the sound of that book, Tandy. Very interesting too.,
It is very interesting!
Hmmm have to keep an eye out for this one!
Let me know if you enjoy reading it!