BLOG TOUR – Far From Harm by Naomi Shippen

Congratulations to Naomi Shippen on the very recent publication of her DEBUT novel! Thank you to Kingsley Publishers for inviting me on this blog tour, and for sending me an early copy of the book.

Blurb:

After receiving a substantial inheritance, thirty-seven-year-old aspiring writer, Theresa , moves to the High Country of Victoria, Australia, to finally write the novel she had always planned. Here, she meets and marries Rick Goodman , a former TV star and local entrepreneur.

More than a decade her senior, Rick is charming and successful, and the most lovingly attentive partner Theresa has ever had. He encourages her dreams to write a novel and rekindles her long-forgotten desire to have a child. Life on their idyllic Alpine property is bliss, until Rick gets a text message from his ex-wife, Anita , the glamorous daughter of a wealthy TV producer. Rick tells Theresa that Anita has run off overseas with her new boyfriend, and that they must care for his teenage daughter, Chloe .

While her efforts to bond with her bewildered and resentful stepdaughter fall flat, Theresa is overjoyed when she finds herself pregnant. But as months go by with no word from Anita, Theresa’s search for answers leads her to the women in Rick’s past, and she must uncover the truth about their lives, in time to save herself and her unborn child.

My Review:

This started out as a really good page-turner, but somehow ran out of steam about three quarters of the way through. But never mind that … let’s focus on the good points, of which there are many.

The story is told from multiple points of view – mainly from our main characters, Theresa and Rick, and a bit from young Chloe. And then there’s Marco, who the author throws into the mix when the reader is just getting a little bit comfortable. I remember I suddenly sat up a bit and thought “Ooooh … now who do we have here?” Very clever there, Naomi! I loved how we were able to really gain a deeper understanding of each character by getting their point of view throughout the story.

It’s a slow-burner and while much of the plot will seem obvious to the reader, the author has included a lot of subtleties in her writing, clearly displaying knowledge of her subject matter. Domestic abuse is not an easy topic to address, but it’s done very well here. Theresa has no clue what she has gotten herself into, and although readers might find themselves screaming at her (out loud, at times), Rick has chosen his mark well, and knows she has nowhere to turn, and no-one to confide in.

Shippen deftly skips in and out of her character’s heads: bemused home-maker/step-mother/author; scared, lonely, confused teenager; out-of-control narcissist; lazy young hotshot. It all makes for a great read and an in-depth look at all our human strengths and weaknesses. Are we brave enough to ask ourselves big questions, like: “Would I recognise if someone was manipulating me?” “How would I know if someone was lying to me?” “What would I do if someone close to me was being abused, or if I suspected they were being abused?”

Books like this one, that lead us to ask questions and start conversations are vital. Well done to Naomi Shippen on writing such a relevant debut. I can’t wait to see what’s next!