Sebastian Beaumont

Another marvellous read from Sebastian Beaumont with his second novel.
This novel has a somewhat similar feel to his first but is more grounded. However, we do again find someone who needs to heal and recover. Mark left his wife and young child and took the train to a new town, once again a seaside town but one with no name and no mobile phone reception.
The novel sticks with Mark throughout as he tries to find his way through the world; he is confused and lonely at times and at other times has glimpses of the realisation that he has done the right thing. He survives by working out himself what he needs to do and with understanding, refuge and support, surely a plea for this to be available for everyone who needs it.
The novel has a good pace, is well written and interesting. His first novel, 13, had many strange events. In The Juggler, the events are less unlikely but sometimes inexplicable at first. Mark has to search his mind for the reasons and make sense of his life so that he can heal and move forward.
It isn't a novel that will preach at you about how to live your life, it is just a novel about one person's journey.… (meer)

An excellent read. Stephen promises an old school friend to try being a taxi driver for 12 months and we meet him working the night shift in Brighton. It seems that tiredness is affecting how he perceives reality and the difference between what is real and what is imagined becomes very blurred. Characters move in and out of his life, some of them clearly real, others having a confused status. Stephen tries to keep a grip on what is happening, but not surprisingly starts to lose his sense of perspective.
The characters he meets include Valerie, a woman who seems to be terminally ill, Helena and her brother Semour and the unbelievably beautiful Pheonix.
An intriguing and interesting read that has themes about memory and repression of memories and how we know who we are.… (meer)