BLOG TOUR & REVIEW: The Pursuit of Ordinary by Nigel Jay Cooper @nijay @RoundfireBooks @annecater
The Pursuit of Ordinary
by Nigel Jay Cooper
So happy to be leading off the Blog Tour for The Pursuit of Ordinary by Nigel Jay Cooper.
I read his first novel, Beat the Rain, back in 2016 and really enjoyed it - see my 4 Star review HERE.
When introduced to his new novel, I just could NOT pass it up!
Publisher: Roundfire
Publish Date: April 27, 2018
Paperback
320 Pages
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
After witnessing a
fatal car accident, a homeless man wanders the streets of Brighton, trying to
ignore the new, incessant voice inside his head. But he can't forget the crash,
can't get the face of the woman cradling her dying husband out of his mind. She
stared into his eyes, his soul. He has to find her. Is Dan mentally ill or has
he really been possessed by the spirit of Natalie's dead husband, Joe? If he
hasn't, why does she let him into her home so easily? Does she have secrets of
her own? The Pursuit of Ordinary is a twisting tale of modern life and mental
health where nothing is what it seems... Following the success of debut novel
Beat the Rain, Roundfire introduces the second book from bestselling author
Nigel Jay Cooper.
Author, writer,
father, runner. Not always in that order. Born in London, England, Nigel lives
in Brighton with his partner, their two children and greying ginger dog.
His first novel, Beat The Rain, was published in July 2016 and became his publishers bestselling title. It was also nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016 for Best Debut Author.
His second novel, The Pursuit of Ordinary, will be published in 2018.
Nigel was co-founder of global advocate marketing platform Qubist (Qube Media) and previously worked as a writer and editor for Channel 4 Television and as a newspaper sub editor.
He's a sometime marathon runner and occasional actor and singer. Sometimes his brain switches off and lets him sleep, but not that often.
His first novel, Beat The Rain, was published in July 2016 and became his publishers bestselling title. It was also nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016 for Best Debut Author.
His second novel, The Pursuit of Ordinary, will be published in 2018.
Nigel was co-founder of global advocate marketing platform Qubist (Qube Media) and previously worked as a writer and editor for Channel 4 Television and as a newspaper sub editor.
He's a sometime marathon runner and occasional actor and singer. Sometimes his brain switches off and lets him sleep, but not that often.
My Review:
Cooper's sophomore novel brings us another thought provoking, sat at times and hopeful in others, kind of read. While bleak, like his debut novel, it didn't quite pack the punch that Beat the Rain did. However, Cooper elicits emotions from his readers by tackling issues of abuse, mental health and grief.
The author brings us a unique story in which a homeless man, Dan, witnesses a crash and sees a man, Joe, dying in the arms of his wife, Natalie. As a result, Joe's spirit seems to jump into Dan's body and is directing him to go to his wife. That she will help. That he would always find a way back to her. So "they" show up at her door and she unexpectedly invites "them" in.
I can't say too much without giving anything away so I'll keep this short and sweet. This book goes back and forth between Natalie, Joe and Dan's POVs. The beginning felt a bit disjointed and I was a little confused but then quickly saw what the author was doing. While we see the same scenes through each person, it began to feel slightly redundant in certain aspects and I could feel my mind wander. However, each one, while similar in scene, did bring something new to the character at hand... and that became fascinating for getting to really know the characters. Boy are they interesting - and ALL full of secrets. Each has their own agenda.
Intriguing, unique and emotional.
Thanks for this fabulous Blog Tour support x
ReplyDelete