Review: The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman
The Friday Project, 2011.
A robber charges into a bank with a loaded gun, but instead of taking any money he steals an item of sentimental value from each person. Once he has made his escape, strange things start to happen to the victims.
A tattoo comes to life, a husband turns into a snowman, a baby starts to shit money. And Stacey Hinterland discovers that she’s shrinking, a little every day, and there is seemingly nothing that she or her husband can do to reverse the process.
The Tiny Wife is a weird and wonderful modern fable. Small, but perfectly formed, it will charm, delight and unnerve in equal measure.
The Tiny Wife is a short novella. It’s about ninety pages in length and so I read it in a couple of sittings (night shifts got in the way again,) so it’s great if you’re looking for something short to read. This book got recommended on You Tube so I thought I would give it a go. I chose the hardback version as I just thought the cover was beautiful. You can also get in paperback and on Kindle too.
The story opens on a bank robbery but the thief doesn’t take money. Instead, he takes a sentimental item from each person. Soon after the robbery, each person goes through a different experience – some have a positive outcome and some don’t. The story is mostly told from the point of view of the husband of someone in the bank. Stacey begins to shrink soon after the robbery as a reflection of her own life. Another example is Dawn’s tattoo of a lion that comes to life and begins to chase her.
This story makes you really think and the lesson is not to take your life for granted. It really made me reflect on my life. From the first page this book pulled me into everyone’s story. I wanted to know how it ended and it’s beautifully written. I loved the illustrations which are dotted throughout the book too. It made me think of what would happen to me. Even though I finished it a couple of days ago, I am still thinking about it.
This was an original, magical story and well worth reading. I loved it.
by 
Competitions – Where Love Lies Winners.
Thanks to Julie and the lovely people at Bantam Press we had THREE copies of Where Love Lies to give away.
Well done to Elaine from Lancashire, Rich from Surrey and Annette from Staffordshire who have all won a copy of Where Love Lies.
Here is a little about the novel:
Lately, Felicity just can’t shake a shadow of uncertainty. Her husband Quinn is the kindest person she knows and loves her peculiarities more than Felicity feels she deserves. But suddenly it’s as if she doesn’t quite belong.
Then Felicity experiences something extraordinary: a scent of perfume in the air which evokes memories that have been settled within her for a long time, untouched and undisturbed. As it happens again and again, the memories of a man Felicity hasn’t seen for ten years also flutter to the surface. And so do the feelings of being deeply, exquisitely in love . . .
Overwhelmed and bewildered by her emotions, Felicity tries to resist sinking blissfully into the past. But what if something truly isn’t as it should be? What if her mind has been playing tricks on her heart?
Which would you trust?
Where Loves Lies is available to buy via Amazon and other leading bookstores.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Reunion
Friday 8th August 2014: Reunion.
Fiction Friday is our weekly prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.
Today’s prompt: You haven’t seen your family for a while. You are all forced to reunite for some reason. Why haven’t you seen them for a while? What happened? Who is in your family and what is the dynamic?
by Bella’s Scribblings: Finding The Time To Write
Bella Osborne
I have covered this in a previous column but this is School Holiday season and it’s particularly hard. Children are like limpets but with a more advanced sticking ability.
First of all don’t feel guilty about wanting to spend some of your hard-earned holiday time on your writing – IT IS OK. The children will get the lion’s share of your time, which goes without saying. It’s most likely that soggy middle that needs some attention now (soggy middle of your novel that is).
So the big question is how do you find the time when the offspring are demanding your every waking moment and a few of the night-time ones too?
No1 – Be prepared. I know you love stationery so make sure you always have a notebook and a pen (one that actually works not that free one) with you at all times. (I will excuse you in the shower/bath but have one ready for when you come out). This means you won’t miss an opportunity to write, even if it’s just the odd sentence of brilliance – they all add up.
No2 – Be vigilant. Time is a crafty little thing and these childfree moments creep up on you. So you have to recognise them and grab them quickly. Usually they occur when the child/children are unexpectedly distracted – Loom bands is working well in our house but the length of time they hold child’s attention is varied. They can be unexpected so watch carefully for those ones. An example would be ‘Picking fluff out of Daddy’s tummy button’ bought me 9 minutes the other day!
No3 – Be creative. Set them up with tasks or games that they will hopefully become engrossed in and will leave you in peace for a few minutes without trashing the place. Make sure you sell this in at the start e.g. “Mummy/Daddy (I do have some male followers and I am all for equal opportunities) has some work to do so instead of you having to sit quietly and be bored would you like to…?”
by Competitions: Win a Kindle.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
Novel Kicks is five and to celebrate, we are giving you the chance to win an Amazon Kindle.
We love books and reading. This Kindle fits in your pocket (it is incredibly light,) has Wi-Fi so you can easily download over 650,000 titles and will hold up to 1,400 books (that will get you through a holiday.) It can also be seen clearly in sunlight which will be perfect for the summer.
Not only are we giving you the chance to win a Kindle, we are also giving the lucky winner a £10 Amazon voucher to go with your new Kindle so you can immediately treat yourselves to some books.
TO ENTER:
To be entered into the draw to win a Kindle and the £10 voucher, comment on this post with your name and county by the closing date which is Monday 11th August 2014 at 23.59. The winner will then be picked at random from the entrants and announced on the Novel Kicks blog on Tuesday 12th August 2014. The winner will also be contacted via the e-mail address they provided when they entered the competition (we will never pass it on to someone else.)
UK and Ireland only.
As a side note, Amazon will require you to have an amazon account in order to register the Kindle upon receipt. To find out more about the Kindle, visit www.amazon.co.uk
by Book Club
