Painting Over The Cracks by Sophie Buchaillard

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Painting Over The Cracks by Sophie Buchaillard. What a lovely treat to have a collection of poetry to review. You'll all know I love my crime fiction but you may not know that poetry is my second love, although I don't tend to review it very often. So it was wonderful to have some to look over, and the publisher was kind enough to send me a physical copy together with a gorgeous wee notebook for my thoughts. Thanks also to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part. 

The Blurb

Painting Over the Cracks is novelist Sophie Buchaillard’s poetry debut. Inspired by her life and a series of workshops she ran with survivors of abuse, this collection explores the relationship between unspoken shame and fraying family ties, and the healing power of expression, friendship, and community in overcoming trauma. Split into four chronological sections, the collection travels from the anxieties of a single mother to memories of buried traumas that lurk in corners of the mind, colouring every interaction to articulating the unspoken, strong from new friendships and rediscovered communities.

My Review

The collection is split into four sections - 1. Nuclear. Family., 2. Remembrance, 3. To words we can finally speak and 4. To seeing the other.  There are some big topics covered in these poems - motherhood, love, grief, trauma, illness and identity. I don't know how many were based on the personal experience of the author, and how many were inspired by people she has come across during her life but it feels like a very personal collection. 

Some of the poems touched me more than others, and some I didn't connect with at all. And that's OK. I don't expect to like every poem I read but I do always find them interesting. And I found on my second reading some of the poems spoke to me differently from during the first read through, and I'm sure I'll get more when I pick this book up again. 

Poems that really stood out for me included the opening poem that gives its name to the collection, 'Painting Over The Cracks' which talks about the end of a relationship, and 'Because being a mother is', because I am one, and I haven't always got it right. 'Black and blue (i) & (ii)' hit hard. As a child of aging, ailing parents both 'Residential home, final visit' and 'She brings my grief in her suitcase' moved me. I enjoyed the love letter to Wales in 'Wales' as I've spent many a lovely holiday in its beautiful countryside. As someone who has never moved from her home country, unless you count from England to Scotland, I was very interested to read the content on migration, not belonging, being different, particularly 'The silence of translated lives'. But I think my absolute favourite poem in the collection was 'Trust' - I felt that one! 

Painting Over The Cracks a is a great collection. Not all of it   is an easy read but it is well worth an investment of time and quietness. Lots to enjoy, lots to contemplate. 

The Author

Sophie Buchaillard is a Franco-British novelist, essayist and poet, and the author of Assimilation (Honno), a novel exploring identity, migration and belonging in the 21st century. Her debut novel This Is Not Who We Are (Seren) was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year 2023 and focused on the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Sophie writes about identity, culture, migration, belonging and our relationship to travel. Her short stories and essays have appeared in a wide range of magazines. She is also a contributor to the travel writing collection An Open Door: New Travel Writing for a Precarious Century, edited by Steven Lovatt (Parthian). She teaches creative writing in university and community settings.

Got You by Erik Therme

Today I'm helping to open the blog tour for Got You by Erik Therme. It's been a while since I'd read one of his books but have always enjoyed them. If you search the blog you'll find reviews of several. I'd actually missed the email from him about this book so was happy to jump onto the tour. Big thanks to Zoé O'Farrell at Zooloo's Book Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb

Sisterhood can be fatal.

Leah has never been close to her younger half-sister, but she’s not surprised to get a frantic phone call late at night, asking for a ride. Amanda’s life has always been a snarled mess of bad choices and boyfriends, and it’s common for her to resurface mid-crisis.

But this time is different. Amanda is adamant about getting to the neighbouring town of Belmont but won’t say why—only that her five-year-old son is in danger. But Amanda doesn’t have any kids.

Before Leah can get answers, Amanda runs into the road and is killed by a passing car.

In the days that follow, Leah convinces herself that Amanda was confused that night, especially after the coroner finds hallucinogenic drugs in her bloodstream. But that doesn’t explain the nameless boy at Amanda’s visitation. Or the middle of the night phone calls with no one on the other end. Or the unshakable feeling of being watched.

Someone blames Leah for Amanda’s death.

And that someone wants Leah dead.

My Review

Leah has always had a tricky relationship with her half-sister Amanda because of what her existence meant for the family. But she doesn't ignore Amanda when she gets a late night call asking for help. Turning up, Leah sees Amanda is drunk and possibly high and she doesn't seem to be making any sense at all before she storms off and staggers in front of a car in a terrible accident. Leah tries to convince herself that Amanda was talking nonsense on the night she died but then she can't reach their dad and strange things start happening, and it all starts to feel a bit frightening..

Erik Therme's books are always very character driven and Got You is no exception. I couldn't help but feel for Leah, caught in the middle of a wild situation she never wanted to be in. She has great support from best friend and flatmate Em, who I loved because she doesn't really give a hoot what people think, but she could also be a bit mean, particularly to the building maintenance men. I loved Parker too, who seemed like such a pure soul. Actually, for the  majority of the book it is quite to dislike anyone because  actions can be explained. And even when everything does become clear, it's more sad than anything. 

Got You delivers a cracking twisty turny tale with rising tension, touching on big themes such as love, family and grief. As mentioned above, the denouement, whilst taut and exciting, is quite heart breaking. A quick and enjoyable read.

The Author

Erik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harbored runaways, and met Darth Vader. When he’s not at his computer, he can be found cheering on his youngest daughter’s volleyball team, or watching horror movies with his oldest. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature. Join Erik’s mailing list to be notified of new releases and author giveaways: http://eepurl.com/cD1F8L


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