A Song of Isolation by Michael J. Malone @MichaelJMalone1 @OrendaBooks @RandomTTours #ASongofIsolation #BlogTour #Metoo

A Song of Isolation by Michael J. Malone will be published by Orenda Books on 17th September 2020. My thanks to the publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me on to the blog tour. 

Film star Amelie Hart is the darling of the silver screen, appearing on the front pages of every newspaper. But at the peak of her fame she throws it all away for a regular guy with an ordinary job. The gossip columns are aghast: what happened to the woman who turned heads wherever she went?

 Any hope the furore will die down are crushed when Amelie’s boyfriend Dave is arrested on charges of child sexual abuse. Dave strongly asserts his innocence, and when Amelie refuses to denounce him, the press furore quickly turns into physical violence, and she has to flee the country. 

While Dave is locked up with the most depraved men in the country and Amelie is hiding on the continent, Damaris, the victim at the centre of the story, is also isolated – a child trying to make sense of an adult world… 

Breathtakingly brutal, dark and immensely moving, A Song of Isolation looks beneath the magpie glimmer of celebrity to uncover a sinister world dominated by greed and lies, and the unfathomable destruction of innocent lives… in an instant.

My Thoughts:

A Song of Isolation by Michael J. Malone is as memorable as it is harrowing. I found the complexity of emotion and the depth of the writing moving and completely compelling. 

The story contained is that of Amelie the film star, Dave her boyfriend who has been accused of abuse and Damaris the victim. This is the story of an accusation and the impact it can have on all concerned. The implosion of lives and the effects that the media can have when taking sides and carrying out their own trial. I found the way that the story honed in on the ripple effect of celebrity status really interesting. 

The characters had a realness to them that was breath taking and whilst not always entirely likeable it was impossible not to feel something for them and the events that happened. 

It worked well to get the different perpectives from the characters. I found this helped drive the plot and had me riveted to my seat as the pages turned. You might think that there is traumatic details contained of child abuse but that is not the case, this story is told in the nuances. 

The story has a sadness to it, lies, deceit and duplicity the order of the day. The author has successfully written the most compelling psychological thriller I have read in long while. It is written beautifully and I can't recommend it highly enough. 

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 and In the Absence of Miracles soon followed suit. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr. 

You can find the author on Twitter: @MichaelJMalone1 

Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.