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Coming March 13th From Headline.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy via netgalley.

A son returns to the small town where he grew up, where his mother still lives and where a terrible event in his childhood changed the lives of almost every person living there. As the story unfolds through the eyes of the son, the mother and finally, the father, the reader experiences the taut build up to one day’s tragic unravelling, and the shock waves that echoed through a once happy family and close-knit community. Will they ever be able to exorcise the damage of that day or do some wounds run too deep?

So I read Tom Vowler’s debut novel “What Lies Within” and thought it was stunning for all the right reasons and was very much looking forward to another tale from this author.

If anything  “That Dark Remembered Day” was an even better read for me – one of the types of books that I love, where characters are key and past events influence present times, a psychological insight if you like into the things that make us who we are. These types of stories are hard to pull off in a way that will make you remember them, especially when you read as much as I do, but stay with me this one will.

Stephen returns to his hometown reluctantly, to check on his mother who is unwell. When he was growing up there, tragedy hit the inhabitants and the shockwaves from this are still present in a lot of ways now, years later. Right at the heart of the matter, Stephen has his own issues to deal with. As the story unfolds, told in flashback and present  time, a picture emerges of the repercussions and heartache caused.

The novel encompasses some real life events that I remember quite well – this added to the ambience of the whole for me…a teenager at the time, watching the news but not really understanding the full impact of it. Mr Vowler mixes up the fact and fiction beautifully – giving an added impact to the background of the story.

Overall a beautifully written character driven tale and one that definitely puts Tom Vowler firmly on my must read author list.

Happy Reading Folks!