Wednesday 27 April 2016

For All is Vanity by Robert Cowan







We’re all living day-to-day, taking everything for granted. Then one day, usually on some dull Tuesday afternoon, comes the news that changes your hum drum life forever. It’s the diagnosis of cancer or the unexpected death of a relative, a sibling, a lover.
It’s walking along with a head full of the daily minutiae and suddenly you fall and it’s a broken ankle and weeks of struggle.

A series of terrible events changes Jack Laurence’s life forever and he must learn how to cope with them and find the light on the other side, but will he? He descends into the darkness of addiction, madness and hatred. Seeking revenge upon those that do wrong in the world.

Robert Cowan has excelled himself here. This book has a raw, visceral emotional brilliance that captivated me throughout. As expected with Robert’s sometimes playful style it’s not lacking humour but it’s as dark as a pint of Guinness. The story is told in two styles and that’s all I’m prepared to reveal here but this gives more power when things start to go wrong for Jack. Stunning, powerful, brilliant. Five blood drenched stars.