The Pursuit of Ordinary by Nigel Jay Cooper
Roundfire Books
Publication Date 27th April 2018
320 pages
Genre: general fiction/literary fiction
Book description:
After witnessing a fatal car accident, a homeless man wanders the streets of Brighton, trying to ignore the new, incessant voice inside his head. But he can’t forget the crash, can't get the face of the woman cradling her dying husband out of his mind. She stared into his eyes, his soul. He has to find her.
Is Dan ill or has he really been possessed by the spirit of Natalie's dead husband, Joe? If he hasn't, why does she let him into her home so easily? Does she have secrets of her own? The Pursuit of Ordinary is a twisting tale of modern life and mental health where nothing is what it seems...
Following the success of debut novel Beat the Rain, Roundfire introduces the second book from bestselling author Nigel Jay Cooper.
Is Dan ill or has he really been possessed by the spirit of Natalie's dead husband, Joe? If he hasn't, why does she let him into her home so easily? Does she have secrets of her own? The Pursuit of Ordinary is a twisting tale of modern life and mental health where nothing is what it seems...
Following the success of debut novel Beat the Rain, Roundfire introduces the second book from bestselling author Nigel Jay Cooper.
My Thoughts:
We are thrown straight into the action at the start of this book with the accident which kills Joe having just happened. We're not quite sure how it's happened, but it has left Joe dead in the road, his head cradled in wife Natalie's lap and homeless guy Dan wondering what on earth is going on.
The story is told in sections from each of the three main characters' points of view. Each section has you questioning what you thought you knew from the last part. It proves just how quickly as readers we are influenced by what one character says about another.
From Dan's point of view we are presented with the stark realities of what it is like to be homeless, and just how quickly and easily circumstances can change and an individual can find themselves homeless. From wife Natalie's point of view there are more questions than answers as she tries to push Dan into telling her what he saw on the day of the accident. Why is it so important that she finds out just how much he saw that day? Then constantly in the background is the spirit of Joe, desperate not to be lost in the unconscious mind of his host as Natalie and Dan try to work out what to think of the situation and how to deal with things.
I have to admit that I liked the idea of this book but unfortunately I struggled with actually reading it. The characters commentary occasionally gets muddled and I had to reread sections to work out who was speaking. With the characters each relating the same time period I also found the story quite repetitive in parts.
The content covers trigger issues such as bulimia, the effects of grief and other issues of mental health which can make for hard reading and while I found it interesting it was also quite disturbing.
I didn't dislike this book however was quite relieved once I had finished it and could move onto something much lighter. In its own way that suggests it is well written as the issues covered quite clearly hit the mark. It's fair to say that in my mind the jury is still out on this book, and I would be extremely careful as to who I would recommend it to.
My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read something outside my comfort zone and making me think about issues which affect so many people but at the same time make them invisible to the masses.
The story is told in sections from each of the three main characters' points of view. Each section has you questioning what you thought you knew from the last part. It proves just how quickly as readers we are influenced by what one character says about another.
From Dan's point of view we are presented with the stark realities of what it is like to be homeless, and just how quickly and easily circumstances can change and an individual can find themselves homeless. From wife Natalie's point of view there are more questions than answers as she tries to push Dan into telling her what he saw on the day of the accident. Why is it so important that she finds out just how much he saw that day? Then constantly in the background is the spirit of Joe, desperate not to be lost in the unconscious mind of his host as Natalie and Dan try to work out what to think of the situation and how to deal with things.
I have to admit that I liked the idea of this book but unfortunately I struggled with actually reading it. The characters commentary occasionally gets muddled and I had to reread sections to work out who was speaking. With the characters each relating the same time period I also found the story quite repetitive in parts.
The content covers trigger issues such as bulimia, the effects of grief and other issues of mental health which can make for hard reading and while I found it interesting it was also quite disturbing.
I didn't dislike this book however was quite relieved once I had finished it and could move onto something much lighter. In its own way that suggests it is well written as the issues covered quite clearly hit the mark. It's fair to say that in my mind the jury is still out on this book, and I would be extremely careful as to who I would recommend it to.
My thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read something outside my comfort zone and making me think about issues which affect so many people but at the same time make them invisible to the masses.
About the Author:
Nigel was born in London and now lives in Brighton (via Nottingham) with his partner, their two children and greying ginger dog.
Nigel's debut novel Beat The Rain was Roundfire's bestselling title and a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee for Best Debut Author.
Nigel's debut novel Beat The Rain was Roundfire's bestselling title and a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee for Best Debut Author.
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