Review - Glitterland by Alexis Hall

Glitterland by Alexis Hall

Genre = m/m, romance

My rating = A glittering hunjed pahcent Five Stars plus!

The Blurb

The universe is a glitterball I hold in the palm of my hand.

Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on love, hope, happiness, and—most of all—himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people’s expectations.

Then a chance encounter at a stag party throws him into the arms of Essex boy Darian Taylor, an aspiring model who lives in a world of hair gel, fake tans, and fashion shows. By his own admission, Darian isn't the crispest lettuce in the fridge, but he cooks a mean cottage pie and makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it’s like to step beyond the boundaries of anxiety.

But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can’t see past the glitter to the light. Can a man who doesn't trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can a man who doesn't believe in happiness ever fight for his own?

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My Review

It feels like this book had slowly been intertwining itself into my very soul for the last few months even without me realising it! Little tidbits here and there, then glimpses of the cover and it finally had me unconsciously being willed to read it! Some things I guess are just meant to be and this book and I together were one of them.

Basically it is a story of opposites – my favourite kind. You have the deep and obscure Ash with his posh accent, middle class and designer clothes, then you have the bright and brassy Darian with his faux/copy designed glittery shoulder padded clothes with his childlike but entrancing demeanour. So yes, this was going to be something that would immediately hook me in to read. But what made it for me was the writing style and content. It had me conducive to bring out every emotion I had. It had me open mouthed shocked at some of the behaviours, it had me near to tears with sorrow but the best bit? It had me absolutely shrieking with hilarity at the dry humour inflicted across the chapters. I mean serious laughter – belly shaking ‘stop it I cannot breathe!’ laughter. Now you would think a book that touches on depression, bi-polar and attempted suicide was not a matter you would think would induce hilarity but it was the way Ash’s character came out with the one liners and the synonyms. Superbly done. 

Ash has been so gripped in his mental illness since he left university it has become the be all and end all for him. It totally controls his life and those of his close friends, especially Niall. He feels trapped in a deep, dark void that he is unable to pull himself out of. His only escapism, if you can call it that, is his writing. He has built up a successful career as Rik Glass, a top published author at the peak of the ratings. This is part due to his friend and agent Amy who makes him attend the marketing ploys required by that of a successful author otherwise he would just trap himself in his study content in his solidity and writing. Ash is afraid to change or take a chance on life and he lets his illness monopolise every aspect of it. That is until the opportunity to change was thrust upon him on a rare night out with Niall and Max on Max’s stag night where he first sets eyes on Darian, the sexy uninhibited man on the dance floor. That eye contact was the start of the cycle of change for Ash and also Darian.

Darian was an absolute joy to read with his brash behaviours and his tacky Essex accent he was the ultimate escapism in a character EVAH! He was so darn funny but again his flamboyant and carefree attitude was also a cover for his insecurities in life. This was to do with his mother who left him at a young and impressionable age but the book didn't really delve into that part of Darian’s life much. He was so over the top with his soul bared for all to see. He has no airs and graces and that to me was part of his attraction. He and his friends (also sung as the Common People a la Paul Young!) were so supportive and loving of each other they really were the white to the black of Ash’s old friends from University. What a set of pompous arses they were with their one-upmanship and snobbery. Cack! Again with the opposites – one side open armed and welcoming where the other were closed off and uninviting to outsiders. 

I loved every aspect of this book but I suppose one ickle thing that maybe I would have changed was the way Darian’s accent was written. Now I don't know if this is me being a Brit (hunjed pahcent!) that I know how the Essex accent sounds, so for me I would have preferred the written word in their correct form. However I do realise that this maybe would not come across with those not fully au fait with the Essex sound (just go look up TOWIE on Youtube or Rylan Clark – yes he was the voice I kept hearing when I really needed Darian to sound like Mark Wright!) But it was not a dealbreaker for me, no way at all.

This book was amaze-balls, fantastic and one of the best I have read this year. Top five definitely. Oh and I have a new author to stalk …er follow!

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