Saturday 15 February 2014
Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
Here Is the first draft of my pitch for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel award.
“Prisoners, Families, Dolls and Judgements” is one man’s search for Judgement, beyond that offered by a court, a judge or popular opinion.
Holding her breath and a pink photo album, Katy placed her hat on her head and just jumped, whilst her dad lay on the ground and blankly stared up at his daughter’s increasingly frustrated expression.
In the exercise yard at HMP Cirencester, Solomon frantically paced around searching for his friend Graham, who all the time lay peacefully in his cell, entangled in the torn up green bed sheets.
Graham knew that he has done wrong, accepting this from almost the moment it happened, but just how much damaged did he really do and were others not also in some way partly responsible? Solomon’s book about the dolls had offered the opportunity to find out, but even now as he lay breathless in his smoke filled cell, he didn’t know what this knowledge had actually achieved or if his actions recently had made it all worse. Maybe he would find out soon.
Caroline avoided all the anger, confusion and despair in the way she had always done, by not moving or offering any opinion whatsoever. At least on this occasion she had an excuse, although it could be argued that yet again she had taken the easy option.
One of the early reviewers of Prisoners, families, dolls and judgements summed up well what I was trying to achieve.
“The story is intriguing and uncomfortable at the same time. Be prepared to love some of the characters and despise others. Either way you'll be moved to have an opinion and that's surely all we want from a new writer? As a debut novel, I would challenge you to find a more original piece of writing.”
Any comments or thoughts gratefully received
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Revised submission
ReplyDeleteOne man’s search for Judgement, beyond that offered by a court, a judge or popular opinion.
Graham knew that he has done wrong, from almost before it had happened, but just how much damaged did he really do and were others not also in some way partly responsible? The judge didn’t think so and the sexual offender treatment courses certainly didn’t allow this type of consideration. What was he supposed to do? Wait until he died for some ultimate judgement?
Solomon’s book about the African dolls had offered the opportunity to find out and making them had at least created a different challenge to his standard match models. However, even now as he lay breathless in his smoke filled cell, tangled in the torn up green bed sheets; that moments before he had thought were pond weed, he didn’t know what this knowledge had actually achieved. Had his dolls really influenced the lives of the Marchant family, maybe now he would never know. Or alternatively he would find out very soon indeed.
One early reviewer of the novel summed up much of what I was trying to achieve.
“It is intriguing and uncomfortable at the same time. Be prepared to love some of the characters and despise others. Either way you'll be moved to have an opinion”
I want the reader to form this opinion and maybe in reflection, be surprised by their own viewpoint. The modern day world of families, relationships and criminality is not always black and white. The line between good and bad is not always clear and ‘Prisoners, families, dolls and judgements’ exposes this, leaving the reader as the ultimate judge.
“Holding her breath and a pink photo album, Katy Marchant placed her Red hat on her head and just jumped.”
But, why?