In this breathtakingly brutal and intensely topical psychological thriller, a man is accused of child sexual abuse, and his life and that of his actress girlfriend are thrown into turmoil…
‘Malone is the master of twists, turns and the unexpected, with the skill to keep things grounded. So much so, that the reader can picture themselves in the very circumstances described. Superb storytelling from a master of his craft’ Herald Scotland
‘Beautiful, lyrical prose takes the reader through a perfectly constructed, often harrowing tale’ Denzil Meyrick
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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 witch hunt 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 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.
ABOUT MICHAEL J. MALONE
International bestseller Michael J. Malone, the critically acclaimed
author of A Suitable Lie and House of Spines, returns with a
powerful standalone thriller about secrets, celebrity, and greed
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.
My Review:
Firstly my thanks to Anne Cater for the invitation to join the blogtour and for my copy of the book.
A Song of Isolation is a powerful tale of three individuals caught up in an horrific situation. Amelie is a beautiful, young successful film actress who’s star was shining bright and was the darling of the press when she suddenly left the world of showbiz and disappeared from the limelight. Now living quietly and under the radar in Scotland with her Accountant boyfriend Dave their worlds are turned upside when their young neighbour accuses Dave of sexually abusing and grooming her.
Told from the three main characters points of view this book looks at each side of the story from the accused and his loved-ones to the victim.
Amelie’s chapters were full of loyalty, shock and disbelief that her boyfriend could be accused of such a dreadful crime and her survival instincts kick in when she is targeted online and in real life by the public for standing by her man.
Dave’s side of the story were difficult to read, his time in prison, his confusion over the allegations, his guilt at the devastation it was causing his parents and his anger at the injustice.
Damaris, the young girl who has been abused and is now at the centre of the court case is riddled with guilt, shame and confusion over what happened to her and her story is heart-breaking to read.
It’s not an easy read and this has some uncomfortable trigger topics which some readers will find difficult to read. However, Michael J Malone has written a very powerful, thought-provoking story which centres on child abuse with an underlying tale of family, resentment, lies and greed.
