Quicksand of Memory by Michael J Malone

It’s over to Mandie to hear her thoughts on Michael J Malone’s brand new novel, Quicksand of Memory. Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for the tour invite and publisher Orenda Books for the advance copy for review. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

Jenna is trying to rebuild her life after a series of disastrous relationships.

Luke is struggling to provide a safe, loving home for his deceased partner’s young son, following a devastating tragedy.

When Jenna and Luke meet and fall in love, they are certain they can achieve the stability and happiness they both desperately need.

And yet, someone is watching.

Someone who has been scarred by past events.

Someone who will stop at nothing to get revenge…

Dark, unsettling and immensely moving, Quicksand of Memory is a chilling reminder that we are not only punished for our sins, but by them, and that memories left to blacken and sharpen over time are the perfect breeding ground for obsession, and murder…

Mandie’s Thoughts

I have always been a huge fan of Michael J Malone and his latest book Quicksand of Memory is another great read. There is always something that will pull at every range of emotion you can experience and although this does have a slightly different feel to his previous books the effect is still very much the same and you will definitely feel like you have been through everything alongside the characters.

Luke is trying to start a new therapy business off the ground whilst caring for the son of his partner who had passed away. He is clearly struggling with this and also with actions in his past that he is trying desperately to distance himself from. One of his first clients is Jenna who herself is struggling with her past and also her ailing mother. Their first session does not go well but Luke really seems to like her and as they get to know each other they both feel relieved that they no longer have a business relationship. As they seem to bond over some similarities as the reader you are fully aware of the secrets they are keeping. What you don’t know is how this will affect them going forward or just how deep their connections run. Luke’s only other client is Jamie who himself has had a troubled childhood but is also a link to the past that Luke would rather stay right where it was the past but at the same time he really wants to help. 

You can’t help but feel for Luke as he deals with everything that life is throwing at him. He knows that he is not perfect and that his business is a way to in some way atone for his past actions. He is still suffering from what he did, and this often clouds his actions when dealing with situations. At times the youth that he was rears up and his usual calm demeanour is replaced by something else. As we get glimpses of the past and his toxic relationship with his friend Danny, the ripples in the present make more and more sense.

Quicksand of Memory is a book that highlights just how views can be coloured by the past, what you remember may not be the whole picture and this can lead to actions that can have very serious consequences. For Luke his determination to run from the past meant that he never actually had the full picture in the first place and this led to events that changed his whole future for ever, Jenna was collateral damage due to half truths and hero worship but as is often the way of revenge neither were the ultimate losers in this story nor the only victims.

About the Author

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish Association of Writers. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and the critically acclaimed House of Spines, After He Died, In the Absence of Miracles and A Song of Isolation soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr.

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