You went travelling to escape something - that's clear - then you separate from your friend and you end up here where you hide in the margins, never in the middle of the page. You're one of the most uptight, frightened little shits I've ever met. I may not have much money but I'm not a slave to my next fix.'īut you're not free from the limits you set yourself either. And you have more in common with him than you think.' 'But a man can live without all those things. 'Who are you to judge him? Just because he hasn't got what you have doesn't mean he's wasted it.' With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan McMillan for the arc in return for an honest review.ĮXCERPT: 'So you are never curious how Joe's life became such a waste?'

Overall, I don’t think this is John Marrs best book but it is a fun read and it keeps you absorbed. It’s all a bit mad, busy and crazy but despite the ‘cast of 5000’ it is compelling reading with the plot turns coming at you right to the end. There’s one scene where the ‘purley gates’ really do open!!! That’s a doozy! A couple are connected in a surprising, shocking and heartbreaking way which you don’t see coming. However, there are some VERY good twists in the book with at least three characters hiding their wolflike personalities in sheep’s clothing which delivers some good sucker punches. The dialogue is a mixed bag to with some feeling unnatural and inauthentic. This is deployed throughout and whilst you do get some juicy revelations it is a bit disjointed. The unlikely character of Peyk, a sort of handyman, turns out to be the only one who sees people and events as they really are and it transpires he’s a bit of a weed assisted philosopher! Throughout the book for the main characters you get a chunk of the present day and then some backstory from a year or so ago.

There are some interesting ones with intriguing backgrounds and considering there are so many the author does a good job at giving insights into them. Every single one of them is faking in in some way shape or form, most are running or hiding from something which is often huge.įirst of all, there’s no getting away from the fact there are a lot of characters to get your head around and it takes a while to familiarise yourself with them.

Rerelease of ‘Welcome to whoever you are’ which I enjoy much more second time around - go figure!!! The novel has a good premise with a disparate bunch of people from various corners of the world ‘washing up’ at a rundown hostel in Venice Beach.

The vacation john marrs