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BenCheetham · 08-29-2011, 02:09 PM

First Amazon review of my novel. It's only taken nearly two months for someone to post one. Here it is:

'In this novel, Ben Cheetham has mapped out a large cast and some interesting locations for his profane little morality play. How do you know there's trouble brewing in this town? Well, the fact that the bar is called "The Cut" and you got people running around with the last name "Butcher" should be your first clue. Julian, our protagonist on the cusp of manhood, is surprisingly complex; less than sympathetic some days, occasionally petulant, the random act of heroism, but always utterly human. Some dead-on descriptions ("Face as intense as a knife cut" and my favorite, the simple, but effective "You smell like a fire") make this quick read more memorable, too.

There is an unabashed earnestness and melodrama that comes with stories of adolescence (even one as brutal as this), and this is no exception. But these tendencies are countered by sheer force of narrative, and a genuinely creepy and interesting tale. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of dreams in fiction, but here they're used as a bit of detective work, which justifies their inclusion.

So, yeah, don't trust the description "a small town where nothing much happens." This town is an abattoir, and Cheetham's David Lynchian descent into small-town secrets was satisfying. Definitely recommended for fans of psychological horror and throwbacks to the salad days of `80s paperbacks.'

I love the review. Really captures the essence of my novel. Didn't realise it was an 80s throwback, though.

08-29-2011, 02:09 PM	#9
BenCheetham Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 103734 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sheffield Device: kindle	First Amazon review of my novel. It's only taken nearly two months for someone to post one. Here it is: 'In this novel, Ben Cheetham has mapped out a large cast and some interesting locations for his profane little morality play. How do you know there's trouble brewing in this town? Well, the fact that the bar is called "The Cut" and you got people running around with the last name "Butcher" should be your first clue. Julian, our protagonist on the cusp of manhood, is surprisingly complex; less than sympathetic some days, occasionally petulant, the random act of heroism, but always utterly human. Some dead-on descriptions ("Face as intense as a knife cut" and my favorite, the simple, but effective "You smell like a fire") make this quick read more memorable, too. There is an unabashed earnestness and melodrama that comes with stories of adolescence (even one as brutal as this), and this is no exception. But these tendencies are countered by sheer force of narrative, and a genuinely creepy and interesting tale. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of dreams in fiction, but here they're used as a bit of detective work, which justifies their inclusion. So, yeah, don't trust the description "a small town where nothing much happens." This town is an abattoir, and Cheetham's David Lynchian descent into small-town secrets was satisfying. Definitely recommended for fans of psychological horror and throwbacks to the salad days of `80s paperbacks.' I love the review. Really captures the essence of my novel. Didn't realise it was an 80s throwback, though.