Book Review: Scissors Paper Stone by Elizabeth Day

Charles Redfern is in a coma. As he lies motionless, his wife Anne and daughter Charlotte are forced to come together to confront their relationships with him- and with each other.Anne, once regarded as beautiful and clever, has felt herself disappearing for years, paling besides her husband's harsh brilliance. Anxious to fit in with the expectations of the people around her, she keeps her disillusionment buried inside, mechanically attending the endless round of drinks parties and dinners in her keenly social neighbourhood, and trying to ignore the guilt that trails behind her like a shadow.Charlotte, battling an inner darkness that threatens to overwhelm her, is desperate to prevent her relationship with not-yet-divorced Gabriel from disintegrating through her own self-sabotage.As the full truth of Charles's  hold over them emerges into the light, both women must come to terms with the choices they have made, and the uncertainty of a future without the figure that has dominated them for so long.

I can't believe that this is Elizabeth Day's first novel as it is just brilliant. She explores the damage caused to individuals when they are hurt and betrayed by their own family members. In some ways it is quite a simple idea for a book yet the complex feelings and relationships presented in this story are far from simple.
Scissors Paper Stone jumps back and forth between the past and the present so we get a very detailed picture of how this family unit was created and then destroyed. Some parts make for very uncomfortable reading and I applaud Elizabeth Day for dealing with such a sensitive and taboo subject in an incredibly honest way. She manages to avoid clichés and I was completely absorbed by her story telling.
I can't write too much about the plot as it would spoil it. However, for me, this book was all about the writing. I felt that the author had a very strong writing style and I really hope that she has more books to offer in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Many thanks to Helen at Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review, Scissors Paper Stone is out now.

Book Review: Postcards from the Heart by Ella Griffin

Saffy has a dream job at a top Dublin ad agency. She's got her high-maintenance purple-boot-wearing mother at a safe distance. And she thinks her actor boyfriend Greg- the next Colin Farrell is going to propose.
Conor worships the beautiful Jess. But after seven years and twins, she still won't marry him. He spends his days teaching terrifying teenager and his nights writing the book he hopes will change everything- including her mind.
But happy endings are playing very hard to get...

Postcards from the Heart is one of my favourite books of 2011. Marian Keyes describes Ella Griffin as a 'fresh, funny voice' and I think she is spot in, I think Ella Griffin will be an author to watch out for in 2012!
The book revolves around Saffy and her relationship with Greg and then the relationship of Conor and Jess. Saffy would like nothing more than for her actor boyfriend Greg to propose but things don't go to plan and Saffy's life is turned upside down.
Conor and Jess are settled with their twins but Connor has his sights set on more. He would love for Jess to be his wife but she is having none of it. Writing by night and teaching by day, Conor is chasing his dream of being a published author. However, his dreams are not shared by all of those around him and he is running out of the effort needed to convince them.
I think that Postcards from the Heart has a great balance of humour and poignancy. I had several laugh out loud moments but also felt that the characters had enough depth for me to want to invest my emotions in them.
Of the two female characters, I liked Saffy a lot more than Jess. I felt that Jess was quite selfish and at times I was questioning why Conor thought she was so wonderful. I think this just added to my enjoyment of the book though as predictable, likable characters can become a little boring.
I think that Ella Griffin has written a really lovely book that explores different types of relationships including those between friends also those between parents and their children. There was a lot going on in the book but I felt that the author tied the sub-plots together very well. The different story lines meant that the books had a really good pace; I always wanted to read on to the next chapter in order to find out what was going to happen next.
I am very excited by Ella Griffin's writing. I hope that she has many more books to offer in the future as I know I would definitely  buy them.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4.5/5

Many thanks to Ella for sending me a copy of her book  to review, Postcards from the Heart is published by Orion and is available now.