What a perfect way to describe the way Doris feels after her husband John (she calls him something else!) leaves her for her best friend Lisa (she too, is re-named!). Her entire world shifts on its axis and it’s as if her view of life, in general, is blurred, hazy … distorted.
This state of fuzziness becomes even worse when she’s paid a visit by a realtor who’s been instructed to sell the house that Doris is living in, as it’s solely owned by her soon-to-be-ex-husband. She’s lived there for 11 years and in recent weeks has barely left the shelter of its four walls! Where will she go? But go she must, and once she ventures back into the world outside, she discovers that with the help of others she might possibly find a new type of rhythm to her life. It won’t be what she’s been used to, but life does continue; it falls out of its familiar grooves, and finds new ones.
Doris unearths a whole new world for herself and creates a comforting little enclave of people who all need each other in one way or another. They’re all hiding from the world but need to show their faces, whether they want to be brave or not. This is a story about an unlikely troupe of characters. The unsung heroes, who aren’t really heroes at all, except to themselves: they show up, even when they think they can’t; they carry on, when they think they’re done; they face the light when all they want to do is hide in the dark. These are the people for whom every day is a distorted day. When they find each other and support each other, life becomes that much easier for them.
The writing style that Ms Worthington uses may seem somewhat stilted, but it only lends itself to the reader truly feeling the depth of anxiety that the characters experience. If we as readers feel such a sense of disquiet just reading about it, imagine what those going through it must feel! The intensity of those feelings is so well conveyed.
This is a 4-star read that makes one aware of those who are often overlooked by so many who just breeze through their days, seemingly without a care in the world. Take some time to stop and think about those for whom each day is a truly strenuous struggle.
Author Bio:
Louise is the author of ‘Distorted Days’ and ‘Rachel’s Garden of Rooms.’ ‘The Entrepreneur’ will be available later in 2020. ‘The Thief’, a short story published by Park Publications, is available to download Louise Worthington’s website.
Before writing full time, Louise worked mainly as an English teacher after getting a degree in Literature and later, studying business and psychology at Masters level.
Louise grew up in Cheshire and now resides in Shropshire.
“Louise’s characters, without exception, are skilfully wrought which make the reader genuinely care for them.”
https://twitter.com/louiseworthing9
https://louiseworthington.co.uk
Purchase Links:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0244236143
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0244236143
http://www.lulu.com/shop/louise-worthington/distorted-days/paperback/product-24338530.html
Thank you so much to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me along on the blog tour. Take a look at what other bloggers are saying about Distorted Days …
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