(Originally published 21 March 2011)
A reader recently emailed me with her personal review of my second novel, DAMAGED GOODS. Whilst it was an excellent review (which I won’t quote as it contained some very personal information about her own life) and I thank her for it whole-heartedly, she made a very interesting comment which has been echoed by several readers of this book.
She told me that she found the story so powerful, so demanding, that she kept having to put it down and go make herself a cup of tea, catch her breath and then go back to it. But she had to keep reading it, had to know what happened next, had to know what became of the three sisters and their father. She is recommending DAMAGED GOODS to her friends as “The Cup Of Tea Book” and the title seems to have stuck, as I have since received another email referring to it as such.
So be it. If you want to read DAMAGED GOODS, it is recommended that you put the kettle on and settle in for a read that will take you on a journey that will sometimes leave you breathless, sometimes horrified, sometimes exhausted, but ultimately exhilarated.
While I don’t feel free to quote that particular reader’s full review, I can quote a review posted on Amazon as, once it is in the public domain, it is free to put “out there”. Thank you “Blaiz”.
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5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing book!, December 26, 2010
Blaiz (Los Angeles, CA) –
This review is from: DAMAGED GOODS (Kindle Edition)
Being a survivor of physical abuse myself, I was afraid to read this book based on the description. However, I had enjoyed the author’s book A PLACE IN TIME so I decided to at least read a sample. I was hooked. I think the reason I was able to read it is because the incidents of abuse are told by one sister to another, during reminiscences, more than 60 years after the incidents took place. Don’t get me wrong, the abuse is still horrible and disturbing, but as seen through a child’s eyes, and from that distance, I was able to read about them without inducing any terror based on my own experiences. Yes, this is the story of one man’s evil and the damage he wrought on his three daughters and his wife, but it’s also, and more importantly, the story of how the love and loyalty among three brave sisters helped them to survive the cruelty to which they were subjected. It’s also a story of redemption and forgiveness, and makes it clear that it’s never too late for you to be the person you want to be, and to live the life you should have lived, despite the cards you were dealt as a child. It’s a very powerful book that is hard and cruel, but also achingly beautiful. I highly recommend it.
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C. A. HOCKING 