BOOK REVIEW
I am delighted to take part today in the blog tour for Tim Ewin’s ‘We Are Animals.
This is the launch book of a brand new imprint. Lightning Bolt. A new digital first imprint for Eye and Lightning Books.
BOOK BLURB
A cow looks out to sea, dreaming of a life that involves grass.
Jan is also looking out to sea. He’s in Goa, dreaming of the passport-thief who stole his heart (and his passport) forty-six years ago. Back then, fate kept bringing them together, but lately it seems to have given up.
Jan has not. In his long search he has accidentally held a whole town at imaginary gunpoint in Soviet Russia, stalked the proprietors of an international illegal lamp-trafficking scam and done his very best to avoid any kind of work involving the packing of fish. Now he thinks if he just waits, if he just does nothing at all, maybe fate will find it easier to reunite them.
His story spans fifty-four years, ten countries, two imperfect criminals (and one rather perfect one), twenty-two different animals and an annoying teenager who just…
His story spans fifty-four years, ten countries, two imperfect criminals (and one rather perfect one), twenty-two different animals and an annoying teenager who just…
Will…
Not…
Leave.
But maybe an annoying teenager is exactly what Jan needs to help him find the missing thief?
Featuring a menagerie of creatures, each with its own story to tell, We Are Animals is a quirky, heart-warming tale of lost love, unlikely friendships and the certainty of fate (or lack thereof).
For the first time in her life the cow noticed the sun setting, and it was glorious.
MY THOUGHTS
A wonderful blend of different encounters, both good and bad, humour (I was chuckling out loud), love, friendship and fate, We Are Animals is really something a little different.
Written with great tenderness, truth and sprinkled throughout with some great comic one liners, I found this a truly joyful read.
Present day, Goa: Jan, much to his disappointment, ends up chatting to ‘A Vest’ (young person, on holiday/gap year, trying to ‘find themselves!) on the beach one day. His name is Shakey and when he asked Jan what he’s doing sitting alone on the beach, Jan begins to tell him his story.
We learn via flash backs of the tale of Jan’s life over the last 54 years. From his childhood back in Fishton, England where he dreamed of travelling, to Sweden, Russia and onto India. We read of the wonderful encounters he has with many different people, from pick pockets to murderers, fishermen to old married couples. Each story is different yet many are set off by the simplest of actions and somehow along his travels across the world he also managers to keep meeting the same people! Fate perhaps?
I found this book very original and at the same time told with much warmth for it’s characters, (and animals!), who are, at the end of it all, just ordinary people trying to get on in life. Each story has a tale of it’s own with much emotion that pulled at the heart strings. I loved the way it shows how each connection between two people can spark a chain of events that span out like a spiders web, yet somehow still leaves a path back to the start. I loved it’s humour and found all the the characters such a delightful bunch of personalities.
Thank you to the author and to Eye/Lightning Books for a copy of the new ebook and to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel’s Random Resources for my spot on the tour.
We Are Animals was released in EBook on March 2nd 2020 by Lightning Books. Thanks to them and Rachel’s Random Resources for my advanced digital copy.
Purchase Links:
For a limited time, We Are Animals will be available for only 99p.
Author Bio –
Tim Ewins has enjoyed an eight-year stand-up career alongside his accidental career in finance.
He has previously written for DNA Mumbai, had two short stories highly commended and published
in Michael Terence Short Story Anthologies, and enjoyed a very brief acting stint (he’s in the film
Bronson, somewhere in the background).
He lives with his wife, son and dog in Bristol. We Are Animals is his first novel.
Social Media Links – Twitter @EyeAndLightning @EwinsTim
Instagram @ https://www.instagram.com/timtewins/ and @quickbooksummaries
Babbage and Sweetcorn 