Dorm Room

Around the same time I started writing Synergy part 3, I started writing a New Adult novel too. It started as a side project, just something else that was in my head that I needed to write. It was more laid back than Synergy, I felt it flowed easier at times, but, somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the story and it was no longer a side project.

I got some great comments online and felt more motivated to finish it than I did Synergy at some points. I was sad when I finished it. Dorm Room allowed me to add in my own personal past experiences. I may have changed them slightly to match the characters, but the frame work was all there, and so, in the end, the characters journeys were my own too. I learned things about myself, I reflected on those situations that happened and saw them in a different light.

Writing Dorm Room was in some ways, like a personal therapy session for me. Writing is therapy, whichever way you look at it. They always say a great writer writes about the things they know, and whether that's as black and white as writing a memoir, or simply injecting your own experiences into your characters world, it all works.

Dorm Room has been finished for some time now, and while I debated self publishing like the Synergy series, I decided there's no rush for that. When I first started writing, I wanted everything done yesterday, much like the rest of my life, but now, I've learnt these things take time. Maybe I will self publish Dorm Room one day, but for now, I'm sending it out to publishers. You can only try.

BOOK REVIEW: The Asylum by Johan Theorin

4/5 Stars

Blurb:
'We don't talk about sick or healthy people at St Patricia's. Words such as hysteric, lunatic and psychopath... They are no longer used. Because who amongst us can say that we are always healthy?'

An underground passage leads from the Dell nursery to Saint Patricia's asylum. Only the children enter, leaving their minders behind. On the other side are their parents - some of the most dangerous psychopaths in the country.

Jan has just started working at the nursery. He is a loner with many secrets and one goal. He must get inside the asylum . . .

What is his connection with one of the inmates, a famous singer?

What really happened when a boy in his care went missing nine years ago?

Who can we trust when everyone has something to hide? 


Review:
I didn't know until purchasing the book that it is translated from Swedish. The last translated book I read wasn't the best so I'll admit, I was a little dubious. However, I soon forgot I was reading a translated book, and wouldn't have been any the wiser if it wasn't for certain names and place names. So kudos to Marlaine Delargy, the person who translated the book, you obviously did a great job. 

Now, onto the story. Jan Hauger is a pre-school teacher who lands a job in a very different kind of pre-school. One that is attached to a psychiatric hospital. The patients there are criminals, some dangerous and infamous, and Jan is told never to question what goes on there. He is to simply take the children to see their parents on visit day, and bring them back. The problem is, Jan has had his own experience with hospitals, and he's not as innocent as he seems. 

The book follows Jan in the modern day, taking care of the children at pre-school, and meeting with his co-workers in the pub at night. It also follows Jan in years previous, as a teenager. Over the chapters, the mystery unravels bit by bit, and I found myself wanting to read on further so I could understand what happened all those years ago to Jan - and why is he so interested with a certain someone in the hospital?

The book's ending certainly took a turn I wasn't expecting. I thought I knew it all, but I really didn't. I always like a book that can catch me off guard, but - and this was the only problem - I also like a book that wraps things up. I'm the kind of person that has to know everything in due time. I don't like surprises or mysteries, I like to be reliably informed. I left the book still wondering what happened to Jan, and while some people might like that, it's what stopped this book from getting a 5 star. Overall though, I enjoyed the mystery and the well thought out plot line from Johan Theorin. 

BOOK REVIEW: How To Grow An Addict by J.A Wright

4/5 Stars

Blurb:

Randall Grange has been tricked into admitting herself into a treatment center and she doesn’t know why. She’s not a party hound like the others in her therapy group—but then again, she knows she can’t live without pills or booze. Raised by an abusive father, a detached mother, and a loving aunt and uncle, Randall both loves and hates her life. She’s awkward and a misfit. Her parents introduced her to alcohol and tranquilizers at a young age, ensuring that her teenage years would be full of bad choices, and by the time she’s twenty-three years old, she’s a full-blown drug addict, well acquainted with the miraculous power chemicals have to cure just about any problem she could possibly have—and she’s in more trouble than she’s ever known was possible.

Review:

'How to grow an addict' is the story of Randall - a young girl who grows up with an awful father, a distant mother, and an unhealthy attitude to sex, alcohol and drugs. Going through her young life sneaking pills from around the house and falling too quickly for boys who only want one thing, Randall loses her place in the world. She has nothing to stop her from needing the next high and has little to no self worth. 

I'll admit, when I first started this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, but as the story unfolded, I found myself drawn in. I felt so sorry for Randall and desperately wanted things to turn out well for her. There were moments where I saw her get back on top of things, and I wondered what could possibly make things worse, of course, something always did. 

If I didn't know any better, I would think I was reading a true biographical story. J.A Wright does a perfect job of writing Randall's story - I believed every word like she was a real person. I'd be surprised if the author doesn't have some real life experience which she drew on for the book.

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy by the author in exchange for an honest review. My review is completely unbiased and based off my own true opinion.