Review by S_hreya -- Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)

[S_hreya]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)" by Barry Litherland.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

“ A Stone has fallen in a pool and those ripples are spreading ever outwards, and no one knows where they’ll break. On unknown shores, I guess.”

Waves break on unknown shores by Barry Litherland revolves around Childhood Friends Phil and Wayne and the dark past shared by them. Wayne is reckless and aggressive while Phil is calm and sarcastic. Despite their contrasting personalities, a tragic childhood incident binds them. Phil experiences mixed feelings when they reunite with Tina Oldfield, another childhood mate through Wayne. Their otherwise normal life takes a sharp turn when a disturbing event takes place. Wayne is suspected of Burglary by the Police , meanwhile Phil is visited by certain people of power who want him to bring them the mysterious JAYDEE file which contains secrets they’d do anything to get their hands on. The past again comes back to haunt them when Phil tries to dig deeper into the Mistery but things get more and more entangled as the story unravels. Tyrone, A menacing part of their dark past has been released from Jail. The three Friends are in Mortal peril.

Barry Litherland does a great job in portraying a gripping plot which has an aura of itself. From the moment you start reading the book, you’re in that place with the characters, you feel what they are feeling and see what they are seeing. The characters are diverse and develop as the story progresses, they have their flaws and own set of problems to deal with. The story has been written in first person narrative from Phil’s point of view. The alternate switching of timelines from present to childhood has been executed beautifully throughout the story. The plot is thrilling and suspenseful and keeps the reader on edge oftentimes.

I personally liked the layers in Phil’s character. He is caring, sometimes confused, self depreciating, desperate and humorous. His habit of making a sarcastic comment in the gravest of situations is what puts a smile on the reader’s face. Tina’s character was powerful and had independent thoughts ,although I felt it lacked representation in the present timeline. Wayne’s character reveals its depth and emotions as the story unravels. As a whole, you’ll get to see good character development in most of the characters.

I’ll rate this story 3 out of 4 stars because even thought the storyline progresses smoothly, I found a few parts underdeveloped and rushed, they were predictable and could have done with a bit more depth. There are very few grammatical errors and starting from the very first page there are profanities throughout the book, one or two a bit harsh and unnecessary.

As a whole, it’s a story about Friendship, Secrets, Corruption and Violence .Mistery and crime thriller enthusiasts should definitely give this a try and it’s also good for beginner readers because of the simple writing style although it contains a few tough words. It will also appeal to those who fancy childhood, nostalgia and humour in stories. TRIGGER WARNING: The book contains mentions of Rape, Physical/Mental abuse, Child Abuse, Abusive relationships, Murder, consumption of meat and foul language. So I won’t recommend this book to you if any of the above mentioned things trigger or upset you.

******

******
Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[just_hiya]

The review is useful and this will definitely help the readers to choose the book.

[S_hreya]

The review is useful and this will definitely help the readers to choose the book.

Thank you so much

[Manang Muyang]

The trigger warning about the consumption of meat made me smile. The book isn't for hypertensives.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

You did a thorough review and I appreciate all the information. Thank you for your effort!

[S_hreya]

The trigger warning about the consumption of meat made me smile. The book isn't for hypertensives.

Haha, have to be cautious

[S_hreya]

You did a thorough review and I appreciate all the information. Thank you for your effort!

Thank you so much for the feedback ❤