In my efforts to promote self-published literary fiction writers, I’ve decided to start posting reviews and author interviews. It will be a great way to find out more about indie literary fiction and the people who make it. My first review is for a novel called Peace by A.D. Koahah.
“Peace Osei is young, beautiful – and addicted to heroin; the only thing that can keep painful past memories at bay. But when a face from the past re-enters her life demanding answers to questions she is not ready to face, it threatens to send Peace swimming deeper into self-destructive waters. Having spent so long drifting away from the real world, can Peace find the strength to face the past and banish her demons?”
This is a heartbreaking story about a young woman who has hit rock bottom. Haunted by her past, Peace has turned to heroine to numb her pain. This book follows her struggle as she tries to come clean about the mistakes she’s made and rid herself of this drug.
The novel is well written. The dialogue and characters are quite realistic and fleshed out. I enjoyed the writing style a lot. Koboah gives you just enough description to help you imagine Peace’s world, but not so much that you feel bogged down.
Neglect instead wove an ugly thread along the littered streets of this new world, and the only thing that distinguished each unremarkable building from its neighbour was the graffiti that screamed at the passer-by from every exposed concrete surface. It seemed as though every time the bus turned a corner, it was met by a sprawling estate or a high-rise block of flats that loomed menacingly on the horizon, dominating the landscape and casting an oppressive shadow over the world beneath.
Be warned that the novel while beautifully written is also desperately sad. It does have a triumphant end so you don’t wade through all of that sorrow for nothing, but still it is quite sad. There is one particular scene toward the middle of the book that is quite shocking and difficult to read. Consider yourself warned.
If you are interested in reading a well-written solid story that will pull you into the world of a poor young woman who is addicted to heroine definitely pick this book up. It is well worth the read.
4 out of 5 stars
