Book Review: Quicksand of Memory, Michael J. Malone
Fiction: Quicksand of Memory, Michael J. Malone
Blog Tour April 6, 2022
Luke has worked hard to rebuild his life from a very troubled past. Pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol seemed to be the best way to get a reduced sentence after a car accident which killed his one-time best friend. After his release, he fell in love with a young mother named Lisa and her toddler son. Their dreams of being a family shattered, though, when Lisa died after a brief illness. Luke has chosen to raise Lisa’s son as his own, has started his own counseling business, and has settled down in his hometown of Glasgow.
Jenna is also struggling. Her mother’s health is failing due to an illness which also changed her personality very negatively. Jenna has her degree, but in part because of her mother’s illness and in part because she thoroughly enjoys it, she is working part-time as a bookseller in Glasgow. She, too, was touched by tragedy several years before when her one-time boyfriend suddenly died.
Luke and Jenna meet and begin to fall in love. However, others were affected as well by the past. Tragedy casts wide ripples, and sometimes the way one tries to deal with loss is not grief. It’s revenge.
Quicksand of Memory moves fast, with each chapter raising the tension. Luke and Jenna may be star-crossed lovers, though someone is determined to make those stars cross and ruin both their happiness and their individual lives. Forgiving others is a challenge. Forgiving yourself may be an even greater challenge. Luke is clearly a “good” guy–raising a child not his own, counseling others to help them cope. But as the tension in his own life increases some of the violence and excess that marked his younger days shows itself in his present life. His judgment clouds, his guilt grows, and his choices take on a darker edge.
Michael J. Malone raises some fascinating questions in this story. How much is too much to forgive? Can a life turned to good overcome a checkered past? What influence do our parents and our friends have on the choices we make, especially when we are young? These are not easy questions and the answers may be as individual as each person’s life. They are questions that in some way and to some degree affect all of us. My answers may not be your answers. I may be completely wrong. We may both be wrong. We may both be right. The way we answer these questions in our own lives and relationships will inescapably direct the paths we take.
I am not sure where Orenda Books finds their authors, but they are an extraordinary publisher. As far as I can tell, every one of their authors (and translators) is gifted with eloquence and insight. An Orenda-published book is going to have a terrific plot, amazing characters, and deep insight into the human condition. Malone’s book offers all of this and it is easy to see why he fits into their wonderful lineup of amazing authors.
Our thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for our copy of Quicksand of Memory, given for our participation in this blog tour. The opinions here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives on this novel, check out the other bloggers on this tour.
Book Review: Quicksand of Memory, Michael J. Malone