Helly Acton

A stand out of Helly Acton's novels is that they are always original. Begin Again takes Sliding Doors and turns it into a way better book of what if. It's funny, sad, horrifying at times but ultimately uplifting.

The main character of the novel is Frankie, who writes a gossip column somewhat ashamedly. Her life isn't really going where she would like it to be, with all her friends coupled up or living too far away. She's distanced from her mum and her single life is going nowhere, particularly when she subjects herself to a blind date on her birthday that is clearly going nowhere. Frankie bails, goes to buy a kebab but meets an untimely end related to kebabs, new boots and concrete. But all is not lost. Frankie ends up at The Station and is offered an alternative - choose one of five lives based on key decisions on her life and she can live again. The lives are all different in big or small ways, but as Frankie spends a short period of time in each she finds that amongst their benefits, there are also downsides. Which ones can she live with - or change? As she explores each life, she finds out what really matters most.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a fresh and unexpected way of telling the story of finding yourself, with some really funny situations. Acton is good at keeping it light, but still digging into the more difficult aspects of modern life with wisdom. Frankie is a great character with a lot of strength (even if she's pretty blind to it at the start of the novel). Her friends are also fantastic, each supportive in their own ways and honest with Frankie. The novel is also very relatable - who hasn't felt lost in their life and wished that they could pivot to see what things had been like if they chose something different?

I really liked the whole set up of this book and the way Frankie had each life to live temporarily, before discussing it with her guide at The Station and then moving on. It made what might have been a morbid experience into a fun, light one. It was certainly inventive and I was hooked, waiting to see which life Frankie would enter next. Acton always knows how to write a great twist and add originality to a novel. Begin Again is no exception and definitely a great book for a summer read - the pages just fly by!

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com… (lisätietoja)

After Amy’s boyfriend unexpectedly dumps her, she discovers she is on the set of a new reality TV show and her break-up has been witnessed by a studio audience and filmed. It won’t be aired unless she agrees to stay and participate in the show, but if she does stay, she’ll get 10,000 pounds -- and the chance to win a million.

I don’t watch reality TV but this was an interesting portrayal of its problems -- and possible advantages. Amy is on the show with a group of women who (with one exception) likely wouldn’t choose to sign up for reality TV under ordinary circumstances. (I’d argue that approaching women who are at an emotional low is manipulative -- they’re really not given the opportunity to make a clear-headed decision.)

When the show sets them tasks designed to turn them into better girlfriend/wife material, the women push back against and call out the sexist ideas the show is promoting, and they discover they have a platform for discussing things they believe are important. I liked the way they, despite their differences, support each other.… (lisätietoja)

Helly Acton’s debut The Shelf last a lasting impression on me of a funny, original novel. The Couple is just as great in terms of originality and fun but it is a little more out there. And by out there, I mean that there are some alternate reality elements that may throw the reader (like it did me). The blurb didn’t really spell it out for me, and I wish it did.

The alternate universe that Millie and her friends exist in are that single people rule. Couples and love are frowned upon, both socially and through laws and taxes. People have children via anonymous donors and couples are viewed very negatively. Still, some persist and are seen as odd in society. If someone wants sex, they turn to Slide, an app for hook-ups with user ratings similar to Uber. Millie works for Slide, which has recently been bought out by a social media conglomerate called Human. As part of the media for Slide, she and her colleagues are tasked with introducing a new drug to people that will stop you falling in love – forever. That means that friends and family will always come first and careers will follow a linear path without any deviations for love. Millie stands by the single life, enjoying the time with almost sister/best friend June, her mum and colleague Ruth. But when Ruth quits Slide for the couple life, Millie and new recruit from Wales Ben are tasked with working on an advertising campaign for the new drug, Oxytoxin. Ben is the product of a happy couple and has even been part of one himself. As he and Millie work through the aspects of the campaign, they find themselves becoming closer. Will Millie follow her heart or her single vision board?

The Couple is primarily a romantic comedy with those alternate universe elements thrown in. I must admit to feeling a bit of place with the couple/singles thing as it took me a while to work out that it was a clever commentary on how some people treat singles. Once I got into the swing of Millie’s world, I really enjoyed the story. Ben and Millie make for a cute pair, with lots of in jokes and spark. I enjoyed the clever commentary on social media companies and even the name Oxytoxin (which has got to be a riff on another drug with horrible consequences, or on the feel good hormone, oxytocin). There is also a fun villain in Sasha, Millie’s colleague who will stop at nothing for a promotion. Ruth provides the perspective of life as a couple and June is at times hilarious in her assessment of Millie’s character (and at others, frustratingly obstructive)! The romance and comedy are nicely balanced with commentary on people’s need to judge individuals by their relationship status. I did feel the story tied up a little too nicely and neatly, particularly in relation to Sasha’s revelation and Al’s one liner (one of Millie’s friends who doesn’t get a lot of page time). Overall, it was a fun read with a conscious look at society today.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com… (lisätietoja)

The postie tried to hide my copy of The Shelf. It might have got rained on but that didn’t stop my determination to read it. Now I’m so invested in book scavenger hunting I do it nearly every day hoping to find as great Easter eggs as this book. The Shelf was the right book at the right time. It’s a witty delight that upholds feminist principles in the most fun way possible.

Amy is in her thirties and feeling out of the loop, comparing herself to her friends’ Instagram feeds. She’s not married and she doesn’t have children. What she does have is a boyfriend who calls her Piglet and an okay relationship. So when Jamie tells her he’s planned a holiday, Amy knows what’s coming – a proposal. It starts with a limo and it ends with Amy being dumped on the set of The Shelf, a reality TV show for newly single women. She really wasn’t expecting that. The aim of the show is to teach these women how to correct their ‘flaws’ and attract and keep a man. The one who does it best is ‘The Keeper’ and the winner of a load of prizemoney. But in this Big Brother-style house, the producers didn’t count on the women bonding together to give the tasks their own feminist twists. They aren’t going to lie down and take it, but become good friends and stronger individuals.

What I love about The Shelf are the strong characters and the unwillingness of (most) of the women to submit to a man’s whims. Jackie is a real firecracker, not afraid of saying exactly what she thinks with the words to pack the most punch. Gemma is determined to stick to her principles but she’s also prepared to learn and grow. Amy sits somewhere in the middle, more of a character you could be good friends with because she’s normal. Pleasant but an individual thinker who refuses to let go of her dreams. And then there is Flick. She’s what Big Brother would call an intruder and she is a smart woman who gave everything up for a relationship, yet claims she is happy. The conflict between the contestants is what makes for good TV, but Flick also has lessons to learn as becomes her own person again in the house. The men who did the dumping range from the concerned to the all-out total tools but amount of page time the truly odious ones is nicely moderated.

The Shelf also has a few messages for women cleverly hidden inside the book – be your own person and never denigrate yourself to make someone else feel better. It never feels preachy as the story is so neatly wrapped around these lessons and it really feels as if the reader is going on the journey with the characters. The plot moves along at a good speed, yet never feels ‘edited’ like the actual reality shows can. The characters are clever and witty with great dialogue. (Jackie has some of the funniest lines I’ve read for a long time). It was sad to have to leave The Shelf, I felt it created a team environment with the reader part of the journey. I’m looking forward to reading Helly Acton’s next book (The Couple, out 2021) and having some more laughs.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com… (lisätietoja)