Blog Tour: Playlist and Review for Absolution by Amanda Dick

     You're going to want to read this book if you love emotional heart-wrenching stories! 

Title: Absolution

 Author: Amanda Dick

Book Tour: March 30- April 3

Hosted by: SBB Promotions

 

Jack McKenna is a man with two very distinct pasts.   One ended with a car accident involving his girlfriend, Ally, and a split-second decision with horrific consequences. Desperate to escape the guilt, he carved out a new life for himself. Four years spent hiding in the shadows, punishing himself for not having the courage to go back to her. Then, out of the blue, a phone call forces him to face up to everything and everyone he left behind.   Ally Connor’s life was split in two - before the car accident that shattered her spine, and after Jack’s sudden disappearance. Abandoning her when she needed him most, she fought hard to make it back from the brink. The face she shows to the world is strong and courageous, but behind the mask, the pain is burrowing deeper.   But fate had more in store for these two broken souls than either could have imagined. A funeral, a homecoming and a journey of self-discovery that would change both their lives - if they let it.   Suddenly, the secrets they want to hide from each other are the very secrets that could make them whole again.

     

★★★★★ stars

Holy moly. This book packs one emotional punch!  It's really hard to believe this is Amanda Dick's debut novel.  She writes like a seasoned professional.  I couldn't put this book down, it held my attention from the very first page, and I was left thinking about this book after I finished it.

The story opens up with Jack getting an unexpected phone call that shakes him up considerably.  It leads to him going home and facing things and people he left behind. The story is told from mainly Jack and Ally's point of view, although Callum often pipes in. These three were in the car that fateful night of the accident, and nothing has been the same since. I liked Jack, Ally, and Callum, although it wasn't an instant admiration.  It slowly grew as bits and pieces of what was haunting the three came to light.  I understood the fears each had and even the faulty rationale each was using to rationalize past and present actions.

This story was really about the power of forgiveness.  Jack, Ally, and Callum needed to forgive themselves first and foremost.  It was hard watching them struggle to verbalize the apologies they felt the other deserved, when they were unable to say it to themselves.  I felt so bad for Jack and all he'd lost by choosing to run away.  I felt horrible for Ally thinking it was her that'd caused Jack to run and her fears that being honest with him would cause him to run again.  I also certainly felt Callum's misery at trying to keep Ally from being hurt again by Jack's return and his unrequited feelings.  

I love how Amanda Dick treated the many issues her characters dealt with.  She was honest and real.  There was no sugarcoating and it was very easy to connect, empathize, and absorb what happened to them.  I think the simplicity is what makes this book so powerful.  The book deals with complicated emotions and events, but by laying them bare, it makes them all the more potent. I'm eager to see how Amanda Dick manages to top this book.  I'm adding her next book, Between Before and After, to my reading queue, and stock piling the tissues now.  

*Thank you to the publicist for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*

Amanda Dick is a night-owl, coffee addict, movie buff and music lover. She loves to do DIY (if it's not bolted down, she'll probably paint it, re-cover it or otherwise decorate it) and has tried almost every craft known to man/womankind. She has two sewing machines and an over-locker she can't remember how to thread. She crochets (but can't follow a pattern), knits (badly) and refrains from both as a public service. She believes in love at first sight, in women's intuition and in following your heart. She is rather partial to dark chocolate and believes in the power of a good vanilla latte. What lights her fire is writing stories about real people in trying situations. Her passion is finding characters who are forced to test their boundaries. She is insanely curious about how we, as human beings, react when pushed to the edge. Most of all, she enjoys writing about human behaviour - love, loss, joy, grief, friendship and the complexity of relationships in general. After living in Scotland for five years, she has now settled back home in New Zealand, where she lives with her husband and two children.