Life, Slightly
By: Nigel Jay Cooper - Roundfire Books, $18.95
Description: When Gavin meets Jackie on a bench in the local park, he thinks she’s a stranger. She knows better. She’s connected to him in ways he can’t yet imagine.
She swore she wouldn’t do this again but it’s real this time. So real, she might do something reckless and tell him everything.
He’ll understand. It wasn’t her fault, not really. Perhaps he’ll forgive her, even if she can never forgive herself.
Verdict: In all truth, after reading the tagline - Two strangers, one bench. Two lives, one lie - I just knew there was no way I was going to be able not to just open the book and start reading ... which I did, for just over an hour and without coming up for breath once!
For that is what this book does to you from the very off. It compels you to investigate further that tagline, to read (and listen) to all that is said on the pages, whilst at the same time try to pick up on all the subtle nuances and subtext (and lies, of course) that are being woven between the lines of this highly relatable story of second chances.
Another thing that helps bond the reader with what is being brought forth from the pages of this easy-to-read book is that there never comes a point where what is being portrayed isn’t grounded, isn’t relatable to the average human being.
Yes, I get that we, as average human beings, like to lose ourselves in otherwordly prose to escape for a while (much like we do at the movies), but in books, I tend to think we like to be drawn into something that could easily be as real a scenario as the pages we are oh-so fondly turning (if not only to give us all hope, one way or another).
Ergo, Cooper’s prose is amazingly just that, grounded and hopeful (especially given it was obviously written with Covid abounding), fleet of foot and yet sturdy, and importantly throughout, resonating with well-sculptured and three-dimensional characters.
Heartwarming and soul invigorating, I simply cannot recommend highly enough that every average human being pick this book up today, find a quiet park bench and settle in for a quite wonderful afternoon’s reading.
About the Author - Nigel is an author, father, businessman, ginger-dog owner and sometime runner. Not always in that order.
Official Book Purchase Link
www.JohnHuntPublishing.com