The Art Of Hiding by Amanda Prowse

Foundations

The Art Of Hiding by Amanda Prowse – wow it’s a book that will blow your socks off! It will cause you to re-evaluate your life. It is a powerful contemporary read about grief and the resilience of the human spirit. I just could not put it down.

Lead character Nina was realistically drawn. Her emotions, following her loss, were spot on – grief brings tears, anger, a crushed spirit and shows you what you are really made of. I empathised with her character, recognising the conflict of tears versus anger. Her interactions with other characters were a joy to behold. She was the perfect mix of shy and vulnerable, and tough and gutsy. I loved her.

Grief hurts. It crushes spirits. Every day is a struggle. “Carrying on was what was required for all those who got left behind.” Grief brings our true spirit to the surface – do we crumble or survive?

Family matters much more than stuff. Sometimes it takes a crisis to bring our focus to what is really important. The novel shows how stuff alters our focus and how relationships can suffer. Stuff is just stuff. Family matters. Family are “Bound by love, blood and shared history.” No matter how they have been apart, family have the ability to pick up where they left off because of shared memories.

The novel explores the foundations on which we build our lives. There is the study of show and appearances. Those whose focus is wrong, whose foundations are built on wealth tend to keep what they have. They use people. In contrast, those with little give what little they have to help others. There is a sense of community. They care about people. The foundations of those who have less, are built on solid ground – they are built on relationships. “Happiness was never going to be found in things; it was… in people.”

The novel is about true friends. There are some beautiful relationships built on people and not possessions.

The reader sees the awakening of characters, who blossom and become the person they were meant to be.

I found The Art Of Hiding such a powerful read. It really ‘spoke’ to my heart as I ‘lived’ the novel through the eyes of Nina. It is a novel that will move you emotionally. You will marvel at how much strength is left when you get to the end of yourself.

A wonderful study of grief, character and the resilience of the human spirit.

I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON

 

 

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