Beautiful – Love & Loyalty
Finding Jack by Sofia Due is a beautiful cotemporary novel that tugged on my emotions.
It is heartbreaking to witness the effects of war on a character who was the lone survivor of a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. “It can be difficult to be the one who comes home.” Even years later, guilt and grief still consume aa character. He survived. His pals didn’t. He came home in his body but his mind is still wandering in Afghanistan.
We also witness the devastating effects of alcoholism on a family after a father drank himself to death. “He chose to carry on drinking when he knew it would kill him. It’s as if he chose to leave us.” To choose the bottle over his wife and daughter was a traumatic choice for those left behind.
Characters have to find a way through the pain. Some choose the bottle. Some have an emergency pack of cigarettes, just in case. Others channel their thoughts through artistic endeavour. They need to choose what will build them up and not what will drag them down.
There is a lot of love to go round as there is a home that helps house and educate disadvantaged youngsters. They are given a purpose again.
We witness the dreadful theme of exploitation and human trafficking. Those who have little are unscrupulously used, having their emotions manipulated, to work to bring loved ones over to Britain for a price – but it never happens.
Despite some very hard hitting themes, Finding Jack is a beautiful novel. We see new relationships form and old ones renewed. Love and loyalty loom large.
All the characters are realistic and likable. I loved the banter between the two leading ones.
The Cornish landscape comes to life under the author’s artistic pen. In contrast we travel to the factories in the back streets of Birmingham (also familiar to me as it’s my home town.)
I really enjoyed Finding Jack and did not want it to end. The novel spoke to my heart and made me smile.
I will leave you with a powerful quote:
“This was what happened when you smiled at the world, it smiled back.”
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
Finding Jack
How do you get over the loss of your husband? And not only your husband but your home too and all the trappings of your old existence?
Gennie moves back to Cornwall in search of a fresh start. Working for Marion’s children’s charity seems perfect. Tucked away in the countryside, close to an artists’ community, it’s a place for Gennie and her daughter, Alice, to rebuild their lives in peace and quiet – until ex-soldier Jack comes along with the same idea in mind, a face from the past, forcing Gennie to confront things she would rather forget and igniting fears of another turbulent relationship.
Involving herself with Jack and his problems is the last thing she needs, not now she’s made new friends and opportunities are opening up again, but can either find happiness and a new direction without the other?
Purchase Links
https://www.bookguild.co.uk/authors/author-detail/211/
Author Bio
– Sofia Due lives and works in London but spends much of her time in North Cornwall, which inspired the setting for this book. She works as a lawyer, specialising in asylum and human rights claims and often acts for victims of modern slavery. Her debut novel, Ed & Lily, was published in 2021. Finding Jack is her second novel.
Social Media Links –
