#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday -Simple by Anita Dawes

/ Marcia Meara

Please help me welcome Anita Dawes back to The Write Stuff this afternoon. Anita is sharing a lovely review of her novel Simple. I’m sure you’ll enjoy checking it out and will also be happy to pass it along to your favorite social media sites. Thanks so much, and thanks for being here, Anita!

REVIEW:

D. W. Peach
5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting page-turner!
Verified Purchase

This story was a riveting page-turner that I was unable to put down and couldn’t wait to get back to when I did. The tale takes place in the backwoods hill country of the Eastern US where life unfolds according to different rules than it does in town. The law has no influence, relationships are frequently brutal, and survival requires living by one’s instincts.

The main character, Leanne, grows up in a cabin with her grandmother and extended family where a “meanness” comes out in violence and cruelty. She and her mentally disabled uncle, Simple, are burdened with kind hearts and eventually, their defiant choices put them in mortal danger of their own family.

Part of what makes the book so engrossing is its utter unpredictability. The tension is on a knife’s edge at all times. The family is explosive, and Leanne, though only fourteen, survives by her wits, knowing full well the nature of her adversaries. All of the characters are thoroughly believable and so real that I’m staying far away from any place where I might run into their like. Honestly, it’s a bit chilling.

Dawe’s prose reflects the colloquial dialog and lack of education among the hill-folk, and yet it flows smoothly and is effortless to read. Each character’s voice is distinct and consistent. There is no gratuitous sex or violence, although these elements are frequently present as ways in which the family’s goals, anger, and revenge are carried out. The details regarding hill-life lend credibility to the story and increase immersion.

Despite the brutality, ultimately this is a read about the power of kindness and love, and finding one’s way home. This book is one of my favorites this year. Definitely high on my recommendation list.

BLURB:

SHADES OF DELIVERANCE MEETS THE WALTONS…
Simple’s life is a painful nightmare.

He is one huge bear of a man, but with the heart and mind of an innocent child. He suffers terrible abuse from his vicious and uncaring backwoods family.

Together with his half-sister Leanne, they are hunted like wild animals and suffer the terror of nearly being burned alive as they try to escape.

Will they ever discover the joy of freedom?

Buy Simple HERE


Author Anita Dawes

Hi, my name is Anita and although I am over 70, I am by no means a ‘silver surfer’. I have been writing fiction for a while now but never been picked up by the mainstream publishers. They all loved what I wrote, but said it was hard to slot them into a category!  It came tantalizingly close with Bad Moon, but no cigar, as they say.

When I retired, and with the help of my sister-in-law Jaye, I decided to dust off some of my manuscripts and try to achieve the impossible.

I am a paper and pencil girl. You could chain me to a computer for years and nothing would happen! Jaye is managing to cope with it, but then she has much more patience than I do.  (She is as stubborn as a mule, which helps!)

They say you are never too old to learn, but in my case never is another word for infinity!

You can find Anita on Social Media here:

Email:   jenanita01@btinternet.com
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