by Raj K Lal | Feb 22, 2016 | Book Reviews by Raj, Diversity in Writing, YA Books, YA Writing
I’ve just finished reading Alex As Well by Alyssa Brugman (New York: Henry Holt & Company, 2015, originally published in Australia by Text Publishing Company) for a YA Writing Course I’m on at the moment, run by Keris Stainton. Alex As Well is a novel...
by Raj K Lal | Jan 23, 2016 | Book Reviews by Raj, Female Protagonists, Olivia Levez, The Island
The Island is a Young Adult debut novel by Olivia Levez, due for publication in March 2016. The story is about a troubled teenaged girl, Frances Stanton, or Fran, as she sometimes allows herself to be called. Fran is a complicated person, one who is often not seen...
by Raj K Lal | Jan 12, 2016 | Book Reviews by Raj
Jonathan Taylor’s novel Melissa (Cromer: Salt, 2105) is a multi-faceted novel on the impact of decay and loss, of the complexity of events leading up to these, as well as looking at what happens in the aftermath of such events. Anyone who has experienced loss,...
by Raj K Lal | Jan 8, 2016 | Bobby Nayyar, Book Reviews by Raj, Glass Scissors, Limehouse Books
In Glass Scissors, Bobby Nayyar, of Limehouse Books, has shared personal and intimate memories, lots of pain and honesty – like telling everything to a total stranger you think you’ll never see again, but who sits and listens intently as you speak. There’s a lot of...
by Raj K Lal | Jun 5, 2014 | Blog, Book Reviews by Raj, Diversity in Writing, My Writing, Reviews
I wrote a guest blog about finding a character I could relate to for Leila Rasheed, who writes books for children. It’s about finding a character we can relate to, and one which stays in our memory long after reading the book. I first met her when I was on the MA in...
by Raj K Lal | Nov 7, 2013 | Book Reviews by Raj, Reviews
It is surprising that Mother’s Helper by Maureen Freely was first published in 1979. It could have been published this year. The subject matter is still relevant today; perhaps even more so. A would-be patriarch, Bob Pyle, struggles to maintain control over his...
