Finding the Plot

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Finding the Plot

Category:	Fiction
Author:	Siobhan Curham
Publisher:	AuthorHouse
Price:	£15.49
ISBN:	9781434327697
Pages:	404
Reviewed in issue:	9

It was a delight to read Siobhan Curham’s Finding the Plot. Siobhan has self published this novel after having others accepted by mainstream publishers.

The physical book is well printed and strongly bound. Pleasingly, typographical faults are sparse, with only infrequent commas going astray. The cover left me cold, however, in that the title did not stand out too well against a heavy background. Cover illustrations should add to the title, not smother.

In the story, I was puzzled that a train journey by the character Cheddar left Doncaster and travelled by way of Peterborough, York and Milton Keynes before arriving at Kings Cross. Elsewhere a “moth-watering image” created a smile.

I was able to visualise all four main characters in the story, and each person’s life was well expressed. The settings all rang true, too. One particular chapter stirred me sufficiently for me to comment on it. These scenes where Danny meets his parents after many years nearly brought a tear to the eye. Megan, Natalie, Cheddar and Danny experience fun, laughter, tears and near despair as their stories are told in the book’s 400+ pages. The self-help quotes which head each chapter are thoughtful and worth considering.

With this review, I’m delighted to report that this author who has chosen to self publish really does have a worthwhile tale to tell, and she relates it well. I certainly recommend it.

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