April Skies
Amazon.com
My review -
We
pick up the life of John Sissons after his release from a prison sentence. I
can’t be the only reader of Abide With Me who wondered what the future held for
him. He manages to get a job in a factory, though it’s bleak and soul
destroying – repetitious and uninspiring. He needs the money, though. His ‘baby
sister’ Becky, now seventeen, has a boyfriend and John’s not impressed. A few
more characters from his past catch up with him and he finds himself in dire
need of friends. He’s been set up for something and he fears for Becky’s life. Strands
mesh together as the story reaches its climax.
Thoreau
famously observed that ‘the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation’ and
Ian Ayris illustrates this so well with John and some of his friends. Life’s
kicked them in the guts in their childhood and he often wishes he could go back
to that happy time, before any of the problems of his life beset him. On the
surface, he’s a no-hoper, but scratch that exterior and there’s a bit of a
philosopher underneath. He – and possibly many of the people we would dismiss
as an underclass – has a depth of character which Ayris teases out and
celebrates. I really found this a very satisfying read, but if you’re allergic
to strong language, you won’t enjoy it. Be prepared.
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