We were in a car accident as children. I was eight at the time and could never remember the details afterwards. My cousin Larry remembered everything, even though he was two years younger than me. It might sound strange that a six-year-old would remember more than an eight-year-old, but it wouldn’t sound odd at all if you knew Larry.
Even as the years passed and my memory of the event faded more and more, Larry’s recollection of it only grew stronger. His parents never liked that much. Neither did mine. I was the only one who ever listened with the sort of unease and appreciation that he craved. We’d sit huddled on the sofa in my living room while my mother was out and my father was upstairs. I’d hug a pillow against my chest and he’d sit on his knees, hunched forward with his hands slicing through the air as he described it all in active detail ..
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I wonder why Larry can recall events in such vivid detail, whilst Holly has wiped the incident from her memory and why does he feel the need to discuss the accident in such great detail with Holly and keep fanning the flames of the fire
You can find out more about this fascinating book and it’s author .. here!
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Whilst I can’t say this exactly appeals to me, my curiosity is certainly piqued.
Hoping you have a good weekend, I’m really enjoying my current read despite it having an element of time travel which I don’t often fare well with.
‘Master Fennel!’
Something wet and heavy lands with a thump on his chest. If Tom hadn’t been fully awake before, he certainly is now. He sits up and blinks. The heavy wet thing falls into his lap and he sees that it’s a faded brown leather boot, plastered with mud.
– The Architect’s Apprentice by Colin Garrow.
Hi Tracy,
I’m not certain whether ‘Steady Is The Fall’ fits into the genre of psychological thriller, or literary fiction. Either way this is an intriguing start to the story and one which I hope is going to grow with the passing of the pages.
Whilst I really am intrigued by your opening lines and by the Goodreads premise for ‘The Architect’s Apprentice’, I’m not sure that it is one I would enjoy so much when I actually got ‘into’ it.
As I said to Kelly just now, time travel is really only a genre I read on request and there are just so many opportunities to read in my more favourite genres, that I can afford to be very selective … But I hope that you enjoy it, of course.
have a good weekend (despite the weather forecast) and thanks for stopping by 🙂
I like the start to this! I have to wonder if Larry remembers a fight, or conversation, or something else prior to the accident. So many unanswered questions!
Tracy’s beginning sounds good, too. I struggle with the concept of time travel, but have read my share of novels employing it.
Here’s mine:
(Prologue) “It was an emotional nuclear explosion. A few seconds of innocent calm, perhaps a faint falling whizz, the silence as Patrick opened the front door and everything was too quiet … Knowing instantly that something was wrong, but not yet having a clue as to how much, how complete and irrevocable that wrongness was.”
– From the Cradle by Louise Voss & Mark Edwards
Hi Kelly,
Larry does seem a bit obsessed with the accident, almost morbidly so. I’m not surprised that neither set of parents is happy about him keep reminding Holly about the trauma they clearly suffered.
I’m off to check out Tracy’s book next. However I am not a huge fan of time travel and with the amount of authors and publishers on the circuit seeking reviews and promotion, I can generally afford to be very choosy and only pick the ones I really like the sound of!
‘From The Cradle’ is on my reading list as of now and I’m sure that you won’t object, because I see that it is the first one of a series, whereas all their other books have been stand alones 🙂 Both authors have also written solo and although I have several of their titles on my list, I have yet to actually read any of them. I know that Nikki from ‘Notes Of Life’, used to be a big fan of Louise and Mark, so I wonder if she has come across this one yet?
Great opening lines, thanks for sharing and have a good weekend 🙂
This sounds interesting and I do wonder why Larry can remember so much about the car accident. I’ve been in a few and even in the ones where I was driving it’s a blur.
Hi Katherine,
I have to agree with you, in that whilst I have never thank goodness, been involved in a car accident, I have had one or two knocks in my car with stationary objects and to be honest, events have been pretty much a blur throughout.
Holly’s reaction to events is probably more natural and what you might expect, whilst Larry seems to be revelling in remembering every detail to the nth degree and has to keep on recounting events.
I wonder if something happened to him in the crash, which hasn’t been picked up by the medical profession, which has heightened his perceptiveness and if he is going to hit sensory overload at some point in time … but with what consequences ?
Thanks for taking the time to stop by this week, I aways appreciate your comments 🙂
Larry sounds kinda creepy but I’m curious as to why the parents are upset about him remembering the accident. I’m also curious as to why Holly feels the need to validate his obviously numerous rehashing of the accident.
Oh…and here’s my Friday meme
Hi Maria,
It seems as though Holly and Larry are very close for cousins, so perhaps Holly realises that Larry just needs to talk and she is willing to listen if it helps him.
It does seem a bit spooky that Larry’s recollection of the accident becomes more vivid each time he talks about it, making me convinced that something must have happened to him during the event – perhaps a bang to the head – which is causing his ongoing trauma!
Plenty of questions in those opening lines, all needing answers!
Thanks for visiting and I hope that you enjoy your weekend. ‘Happy Reading’ 🙂
I’m wondering where this good memory of Larry gets him. In trouble? What were the adults covering up? I like the writing style given here.
Hi Anne,
I never thought about the possibility of the adults covering something up. Perhaps one of the parents was driving at the time and actually caused the accident – And perhaps the collision has caused Larry to sustain a head injury, the side affects of which have had a lasting impact on his life!
Whatever happened, I can foresee only trouble ahead for Larry, if his recollections become only clearer – He might just remember too much!
Thanks for the interesting slant on the conversation and ‘Happy Reading’ 🙂
This sounds a bit different and I’d be interested in seeing where it goes. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Hi Nikki,
This is definitely a unique premise and different to anything I have read for some time, some might call it almost morbid in its concept.
However, dealing with a loved ones death comes to us all eventually and no matter how close we were and however much we grieve, we generally all find a way of moving on, one way or another.
Seeing just how Holly copes is going to demand heightened emotions all round I think and it will certainly test Emily’s skills as an author, to convey the message she has in mind, in a sympathetic and compelling fashion.
Great to have you stop by, it has been a while since we chatted and I hope that all is well with you 🙂
It must have been a bad accident. I like the cover and title of this one, sounds good.
Hi Naida,
This book does have quite a powerful cover and the title is definitely relevant to the premise. If you check out the full synopsis, you will see what I mean. I’m just hoping that the storyline doesn’t become to maudlin and morbid, but rather concentrates on building the character profile of Holly.
‘Steady Is The Fall’ has great potential, I am hoing for good things!
Thanks for stopping by. We haven’t spoken in a while and I hope that all is well with you 🙂