Book Impressions - Message in a Bottle by Kath Middleton

This author is one of the few that manages to entice me from my comfort zone for reading. The main reason for this is that she writes damn fine stories that ignore genre. I would struggle to fit this book into a genre and to be honest that's strength. It's also an unusual story for me in that it's more related to a journey of emotion rather than events - that statement will probably make more sense when you read it!

The book is about a young woman whose husband dies in a car crash. As can be expected she's devastated and from the first few pages you are thrust into her turmoil of loss. All too often in stories like this there is a tendency to wallow in the misery. As the story progresses she discovers something unexpected about her husband, a secret he has kept throughout their marriage.

In some ways this could be considered a mundane story - I don't mean that in a derogatory sense. This has a true to life feel that makes me wonder how much is drawn from personal experience. There is an understanding here of grief and the process that follows that feels real, so much so that it's almost a voyeuristic peek in Liz's life than a story in the conventional sense.

I did encounter a minor criticism to the story.It's minor point but I would have liked to have experienced more about the main character's work. She's an artists and seeing more about what she creates would have helped my knowledge of her. That's just a minor gripe though.

As I say this isn't my usual type of read but I did enjoy the time I spent with Liz through her troubled times. It's a quick read and the writing is wonderfully crafted. If you like this type of story then this is one to read. And even if it isn't you should give it a try - variety is the spice of life after all!

Click on image to buy from Amazon

How well do you know the person you married?

As Liz’s world collapses around her, she discovers something she wishes she’d never known.
Piece by piece she starts to rebuild her life with the help of her friends.
But then it looks like her newly-found happiness is about to shatter...

A novella of 26,000 words.

Click here to buy Message in a Bottle from Amazon (it's an excellent read and only 99p!)