Book review: The Anchoress - Paul Blaney

The Anchoress

The blurb.

Maggie has locked herself in her closet and she won’t come out. Lying in the cool, dark space by herself is surprisingly soothing. Visitors come and go – some more welcome than others. There’s Norman the nosy neighbour, who’s worried her strange behaviour may be lowering the tone of the area. A police officer drops by to offer advice on home security and issues a strange invitation. Then a reporter arrives, inviting Maggie to tell her story to the local paper. And there’s the charming pizza delivery man, who shoots the breeze with her before sliding a thin-crust with anchovies under the door. Maggie finds herself opening up to Pizza Guy about her past, and finally it becomes clear why she has taken refuge in her closet. What will it take for her to face the world again?

The Anchoress is a story about memory, childhood, grief and acceptance. It’s about what happens when you shut out the world and rediscover yourself.

My opinion.

This book surprised me. The blurb intrigued me but I wasn't really sure what to expect. Even while reading it I still couldn't really tell where the story was going, but that's probably why I enjoyed reading it: it was unexpected, intriguing and challenging. Maggie deals with a lot of difficult questions about people, relationships, life in general. Even if you're not in the same place as Maggie, her questions still challenge you to think. The philosophical reference to Socrates was dead-on.

I'm not to sure of the ending though, without giving away too much spoilers. I feel like Maggie's story isn't over... I felt like there was something more... like maybe "Pizza Guy" and Collin are more alike than Maggie realizes?

I liked reading this novel. To me, it was calming; like I was closed off from the world too for just a little while.

Many thanks to Red Button Publishing for introducing me to this novel and giving me the opportunity to read and review it.