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

Tiggywinkles · Post by **Tiggywinkles** » 22 Apr 2020, 05:29

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) by Barry Litherland is a book that did not disappoint and is a dark yet highly humorous tale about the complex nature of friendship and the tragic effects of childhood neglect, abuse and bullying. Set in a small coastal town in the United Kingdom this story takes us on a journey that moves back and forth between the past and the present. Narrator Philip and his best friend Wayne are unwittingly forced to solve a crime that directly effects them both.

There is a rich list of characters in the book ranging from social justice champion and love interest Tina through to a potentially dodgy M.P., a foul mouthed cop, and an interesting array of bullies and thugs cast as your typical cave man through to the disturbingly psychotic. The central character Philip opens the tale as a young boy describing the somewhat reluctant beginning of his life long friendship with Wayne. Wayne at first comes across as an uncouth drunk with a penchant for starting and losing fist fights in pubs. But, his character develops during the telling of his sad tale as a man though flawed, is a man of conviction with an unwavering allegiance to those whom he cares for. Philip, with his inclination towards self derogatory internal dialogue and conflict evasion appears to lack the motivation to engage in the competitive world of small town journalism or life in general. But as the book's title suggests, the disturbing circumstances of he and Wayne's shared history flow out from the past and into the present where Philip is reluctantly compelled by fate to find his unique brand of courage and face hired thugs, violent psychos and the Gestapo like interrogation skills of Maximillian Studley-Brown.

Although this book is very humorous there are some deep issues hidden behind the laughs. Not the least being childhood abuse and the development of personality types when exposed to neglect, violence and bullying. If a reader is sensitive to this issue then this may not be a suitable book for them. When I say that the book is humorous I must mention that abuse of children itself is never made light of but shown to be the brutal and destructive force that it is both on the lives of individual children and within human society as a whole. The nature of true friendship is explored through the two very differing personalities of Philip and Wayne, friends with a shared past that was at times brutal and painful and which had a profound effect on the men they were to become. As the story line develops we slowly piece together the events from their childhood and the related consequences unfolding in the present, travelling like a ripple, and in some cases, like a tidal wave. The question being, do Philip and Wayne get to dodge the tidal wave, or is the force of past tragedies inescapable?

If you enjoy dark humor then for you this book is definitely worth a read as humor is the element I liked most about this book. It takes skill to make a reader laugh when the themes of childhood trauma are dark indeed but through the use of gritty and at times plain in your face crude metaphor this book had me cracking up. I must note that readers who are offended by swearing may not enjoy this book as much as I did. While not overwhelming in the use of profanity, there is at least one or two incidences of swearing in each chapter. I on the other hand, who swear like a pirate, found this book incredibly funny. If you liked films such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz then this book may be just what you have been looking for with it's distinctive bold wit and sarcasm.

My star rating for Waves Break (on Unknown Shores) is 4 out 4 stars . I found this book a great read that was hard to put down therefore as such I can not describe any element of it that I disliked. Not only did it satisfy my love of sarcasm and dark humor, filled with flawed characters and tragedy, it was also very well edited and easy to read. I liked this book so much that I would be very interested to sample more of this author's work if the opportunity arises.

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Waves Break (on Unknown Shores)
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NatRose · Post by **NatRose** » 23 Apr 2020, 01:12

In my experience it's rare to find a book that makes good use of sarcasm and dark humor. For that reason alone I might have to add this to my TBR list. What time is the book set in? Your description makes me think it's not the modern day but rather a childhood tale set in "the good old days" that shows some ways in which they weren't that good.

Tiggywinkles · Post by **Tiggywinkles** » 25 Apr 2020, 02:56

Hi thanks for your comment. Yes, I agree it is hard to find such a book and I would say that is why I enjoyed it so much. I do like a dark tale but it is not often to find the combination of a dark tale plus humor. The book has two time settings, the characters' present, which I think by the references to technology is set within the last five years. The main characters were in their 30's so that would place the chapters set in their childhood to be around the 1980s.