#BlogTour: Tale Of A Tooth by Allie Rogers @Legend_Press @Alliewhowrites #TaleOfATooth #5Stars

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Book Blurb:

Four-year-old Danny lives with his mother, Natalie, in a small Sussex town. Life is a struggle and when they are threatened with a benefits sanction, salvation appears in the form of a Job Centre employee called Karen. But Karen’s impact is to reach far beyond this one generous gesture, as she and Natalie embark on an intense relationship.

Told in the voice of an intelligent, passionate and unusual child, Tale of a Tooth is an immersive and compelling look at the impact of domestic abuse on a vulnerable family unit.

Tale Of A Tooth was published on the 19th April 2018 in paperback and ebook.  You can purchase a copy of both here.

My Review:

Wow what a compelling, thought provoking and heart breaking story Allie Rogers has written.  This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.

I absolutely fell in love with the main character and narrator, Danny a highly intelligent but unusual child.  I enjoyed seeing the world through Danny’s eyes where there is fun to be had anywhere.  A very observant and sensitive child who describes situations through noises and colours.  He is especially in tune with his mum’s changing moods, describing how she feels through colours.  He loves dinosaurs and can repeat a lot of facts he has learnt from books borrowed from the library, something that made me love him all the more.

Danny’s close relationship with his mother was beautiful and touching to read about.  They have cute little rituals and catch phrases known only to them.  His mother, or meemaw as he calls her, is the only person who can calm him down when he feels overwhelmed which was fantastic to read about.  His hurt and confusion when his mother starts a relationship with Kerry was palpable, especially when everything turns a little sour.  I really felt for him in those moments and wished I could give him a hug.

Domestic abuse is still a little bit of a taboo subject, one that some people want to pretend doesn’t happen and sweep under the carpet.  This is especially true when it is a woman who is the abuser as society don’t want to believe they are capable of something like that.  The descriptions of abuse aren’t sugar coated and they are quite hard and poignant to read about.  They develop a harder edge when it is seen through Danny’s young eyes as I wasn’t sure he was always aware of what he was seeing.  I felt very frustrated towards Natalie at these moments as I wished she would stand up for herself and remove Danny from the situation.

This is the author’s second book but the first one that I have read.  I can’t wait to read Little Gold and any future books from Allie Rogers.  Tales of A Tooth would make a great book club book as there would be lots to discuss!

Huge thanks to Imogen Harris and Legend Press for my copy of this book and for inviting me onto the blog tour.

About The Author:

allie-rogers

Allie Rogers was born and raised in Brighton, where she works as a university librarian.

Little Gold, Allie’s first novel, was published by Legend Press in May 2017. Drawing on her memories of Brighton in the early 1980s, the book is a story of survival and the transformative power of friendship.

The book received warm reviews, including this, from Umi Sinha, author of ‘Belonging’,

‘Reminiscent of Scout Finch, Little Gold is a great addition to literature’s endearing child characters. Vulnerable but fiercely individual, she navigates danger on many fronts – her broken family, her bullying schoolmates, and the dangers of predatory adults – until she finds an unexpected ally in an elderly neighbour. Vivid, touching, sad and frightening, this book exposes the dark underbelly of 1980s Brighton and left me haunted long after I put it down.’

Her forthcoming novel, ‘Tale of a Tooth’ (Legend, April 2018) is a powerful narrative, told in the voice of four-year-old Danny. Jess Richards, author of ‘Snake Ropes’, ‘Cooking with Bones’ and ‘City of Circles’ has said,

‘Explores a narrative which is too often kept private, but nevertheless, desperately needs to be told.’

Follow The Blog Tour:
If you liked the sound of this book from my review please follow the blog tour and find out what these other fabulous bloggers are saying.
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Published by jojosovertherainbowblog

Book mad mum of three and Bookseller for Rossiter Books. Sharing the love one book at a time!

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