Esther and Bruno, are two completely different characters, one an eighty-something-year-old woman and the other a teenage boy who develop an amazing friendship and support one another through changes in both their lives as they learn to accept both the past, present and future.
The chapters mainly alternate between Bruno and Esther, both telling their stories, and we learn how their situations become intertwined and how quickly they become ensconced in each other’s lives. Bruno is just learning who he is and how to deal with the issues life is throwing at him. Esther is realising that she isn’t too old to learn new things and embraces them entirely.
I loved both their stories, but I found Bruno’s being particularly heartbreaking until he realised he didn’t have to change and that he just needed to accept himself for who he was and that everything else would fall into place. I commend Drew Davies for bringing together sexuality, mental health, generational issues and friendship and dealing with them in such a sensitive manner.
I was astounded to learn that conversion therapy is still legal in the UK. For those of you who aren’t aware of it, this is taken from banconversiontherapy.com. ‘Conversion therapy includes medical, psychiatric, psychological, religious, cultural or any other interventions that seek to change, “cure”, or suppress the sexual orientation and/or gender identity of a person’.
If you fancy reading something a little bit different, that isn’t a thriller, rom-com or fantasy story, then check out The Locked Away Life. It’s definitely worth adding to your TBR list.
I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this book, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Locked Away Life by Drew Davies.
Book Description
At the grand old age of eighty-two, Esther Saul has just one regret in life. Today, she’s going to change that.
For decades, Esther has barricaded herself in her vine-covered manor house. She spends her days tending to her rose-filled garden, glued to the pages of her favourite books, and listening to her beloved records. But, one spring morning, Esther wakes up and realises that time is running out.
Forty years ago, the love of her life betrayed her – the only man she allowed herself to trust. Where is Thackeray, the handsome Scot with a devilish smile and piercing blue eyes? Will she ever learn the truth? Will she ever understand why he lied to her? Esther has to find out. If she doesn’t act soon, her one regret will haunt her forever…
But she’ll need some assistance. That’s where Bruno comes in. After Esther places an advert in the local library, seeking internet lessons, the eighteen-year-old knocks on her door. Esther can see how out of place Bruno is in their sleepy village, and that the paid position could be his one-way ticket out of there.
An unexpected friendship forms between the two strangers, who have nothing in common except that they have spent most of their lives in hiding. It’s the beginning of a journey – featuring a secret motorcycle ride, an escape plan, and a garden party with whisky, apple pie, and dancing the jig. Along the way, can a locked-away life finally start living?
Just as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, this utterly gripping page-turner is for anyone who has ever felt left behind, came close to giving up, or needed a friend. Perfect for fans of Sally Page, Ruth Hogan and Mike Gayle.
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Drew Davies was born in London and grew up in Whanganui, New Zealand. He attended the Unitec School of Performing Arts in Auckland and won a Playmarket New Zealand Young Playwright of the Year award in 2000. After a brief stint on a kiwi soap, he has worked in Search for the past 15 years. Drew’s other claim to fame is that Stephen Fry once called him droll. Either that, or he got his name wrong. He now lives in Wanstead, London.
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