Brushstrokes of Memory
by Karen McMillan
As befits the title, and the profession of the main character, this novel has an artistic cover and well-chosen internal design. It’s an attractive book.
Will the literary content support the visual appeal? I haven’t read this author’s work before, so for me it’s a case of starting with a blank canvas.
Storyline – after an accident Rebecca has memory loss. Almost ten years of her life have disappeared. In her words:
I went to the bathroom and glanced at myself in the mirror and then looked at myself again with alarm. I had fine lines around my eyes, forehead and mouth that I had never seen before….I took my glasses off and the lines disappeared; I put my glasses back on again and there they were. I had thought I was doing okay for my age, but it turned out I just hadn’t been able to see myself properly because my eyesight had deteriorated.
You’d want to recover those years, wouldn’t you? Naturally, Rebecca does. But her husband, and her best friend, would both prefer that she doesn’t recover all the memories – for different reasons. However, as time passes there’s one crucial fact that they agree she needs to know. It’s an enticing scenario, and one that had me more than willing to read on.
The narration switches chapter by chapter, so the viewpoints of each of the three are revealed. Rebecca’s current thoughts are supported by entries from a diary she kept during a key time in her comparatively recent past.
The characters are very real – each one having her or his own voice. The writing is good, apart from some phrases, particularly within dialogue, that come across as a little forced.
This is a story that is bound to stay in a reader’s own memory as each one of us must wonder how we would cope under similar circumstances.
by Karen McMillan
As befits the title, and the profession of the main character, this novel has an artistic cover and well-chosen internal design. It’s an attractive book.
Will the literary content support the visual appeal? I haven’t read this author’s work before, so for me it’s a case of starting with a blank canvas.
Storyline – after an accident Rebecca has memory loss. Almost ten years of her life have disappeared. In her words:
I went to the bathroom and glanced at myself in the mirror and then looked at myself again with alarm. I had fine lines around my eyes, forehead and mouth that I had never seen before….I took my glasses off and the lines disappeared; I put my glasses back on again and there they were. I had thought I was doing okay for my age, but it turned out I just hadn’t been able to see myself properly because my eyesight had deteriorated.
You’d want to recover those years, wouldn’t you? Naturally, Rebecca does. But her husband, and her best friend, would both prefer that she doesn’t recover all the memories – for different reasons. However, as time passes there’s one crucial fact that they agree she needs to know. It’s an enticing scenario, and one that had me more than willing to read on.
The narration switches chapter by chapter, so the viewpoints of each of the three are revealed. Rebecca’s current thoughts are supported by entries from a diary she kept during a key time in her comparatively recent past.
The characters are very real – each one having her or his own voice. The writing is good, apart from some phrases, particularly within dialogue, that come across as a little forced.
This is a story that is bound to stay in a reader’s own memory as each one of us must wonder how we would cope under similar circumstances.
Review by Norma D Plum
Title: Brushstrokes of Memory
Author: Karen McMillan
Publisher: McKenzie Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-37435-8
RRP: $34.99
Available: Bookshops
Author: Karen McMillan
Publisher: McKenzie Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-473-37435-8
RRP: $34.99
Available: Bookshops
RSS Feed
