I was sent a copy of the book for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for letting me participate on this tour. There are plenty of other fabulous bloggers on this blog tour so please do check them out as well!
About The Book
Deceit has a certain allure when your life doesn’t match up to the ideal of what it means to be a modern man.
Tom’s lost his job and now he’s been labelled ‘spermless’. He doesn’t exactly feel like a modern man, although his double life helps. Yet when his secret identity threatens to unravel, he starts to lose the plot and comes perilously close to the edge.
All the while Adam has his own duplicity, albeit for very different reasons, reasons which will blow the family’s future out of the water.
If they can’t be honest with themselves, and everyone else, then things are going to get a whole lot more complicated.
This book tackles hard issues such as male depression, dysfunctional families and degenerative diseases in an honest, life-affirming and often humorous way. It focuses particularly on the challenges of being male in today’s world and explores how our silence on these big issues can help push men to the brink.
Find the book on Goodreads and buy the book on Amazon {affiliate link}.
My Review
If you are looking for a poignant read, then this is the book for you. With the book beginning with Tom, the main character, going missing, you become completely involved in his life as we follow his story up until that point when the police arrive at his wife’s work to tell her he has gone missing. You really feel for him, following his struggles as he learns to deal with the knocks life is giving him.
A sub plot is the situation with Tom’s brother in law, Adam. As the story goes on, you are aware of the changes in Adam’s personality and even his physicality. Tom picks up on it very early on but it takes the other characters a lot longer to realise what is going on. With Tom not wanting to live and Adam desperately trying to, this is often a heartbreaking read in places but also very heartwarming when you consider the mix of characters from the cafe Tom frequents. All seem to provide something different that Tom needs and it is little wonder that Tom seeks solace there.
I really felt for both Tom and Adam – both were going through their own silent struggles and didn’t feel able to speak to their wives about it. I took a while to warm to Tom’s wife/Adam’s sister Siri as she seemed very cold at times, much like her sister in law Heather that everyone seemed to dislike. I really liked the character of Harry, Tom’s best friend, as he was always a confidant for Tom, always willing to lend an ear and was the epitome of a true friend.
This was a really emotional read which tackles many hard hitting and real issues such as depression, suicidal thoughts, unwanted pregnancy, infertility and genetic diseases. It was an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish and I definitely want to read more from the author.
About The Author
I’m very excited that my debut novel ‘Surviving Me’ is due to be published on the 14 November. The novel is about male minds and what pushes a regular man to the edge. The novel combines all the themes I can write about with authenticity.
I qualified as a clinical psychologist in 1992 and initially worked with people with learning disabilities before moving into the field of neurology in 1996. I worked in the NHS until 2008 when i left to write and explore new projects.
I now work as an independent clinical psychologist in West Sussex.
Jo speaks and writes for several national neurology charities including Headway and the MS Trust. Client and family related publications include, “Talking to your kids about MS”, “My mum makes the best cakes” and “Shrinking the Smirch”.
In the last few years Jo has been offering psychological intervention using the acceptance and commitment therapeutic model (ACT) which is the most up to date version of CBT. She is now using THE ACT model in a range of organisations such as the police to help employees protect their minds in order to avoid symptoms of stress and work related burnout.
Find the author here.
Giveaway to Win two signed copies of Surviving Me & five Surviving Me fridge magnets (Open INT)
1st Prize – 2 winners each winning a signed copy of Surviving Me
5 Runners Up – each winning a Surviving Me Fridge Magnet
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
I would like to read this book, the subject is very unique as most books have females as main characters. Your review is very intriguing as well, I would love to win a copy of the book to read it myself.
This sounds like a must read, it is really great to hear of a book which deal so sensitively and well with such difficult issues.
It certainly sounds like an interesting, hard hitting book that brings a lot home so to speak. I expect it is interesting to read it from the roles of male led main characters too! Sim x
Some great themes to cover, there aren’t enough books which cover male issues so great news about this one. I’m definitely going to be reading more in the coming weeks so I need all the books I can get x
This sounds like a really unique read, I like that it is focusing on males as I think often their struggles are so overlocked by people and it shouldn’t be.
This sounds like a great read. It is so refreshing to see a book that covers male struggles. xx
I am a big book worm and this sounds like a really interesting read. I have entered your giveaway xx
This looks a good story, im not a big reader but my wife would like this by the sounds of it, she enjoys emotional stories
This sounds like a great book and really interesting too! Will add it to my list!
This definitely sounds like my kind of book. I love a book that makes you think and feel.