ANOTHER FASCINATING BOOK REVIEW FOR 'LILY ALONE' BY VIVIEN BROWN

Just a glimpse of the enigmatic front cover of Vivien Brown’s novel Lily Alone will intrigue the reader who will want to discover what the image represents.  And from the first page, we enter the scary world inhabited by a bewildered child whose mother appears to have suddenly disappeared. This is the gripping introduction to young Lily’s story and we all start to worry and wonder about Ruby, her mum. Where has she gone?  When will she return?  What has happened to her? Where is her dad? 

Seen through the eyes of an almost three-year-old, anxiety and misunderstanding take over for both the protagonist and the reader, for we can all feel apprehension for this little girl.  It is not long before young Lily finds herself in danger and we long for someone to step into her solitary frightening world and sort out the terrible state in which she finds herself.

Author - Vivien Brown 

The various other characters in the story are gradually and cleverly introduced, so realistically drawn  and many of us will identify with that very odd British neighbourly custom of keeping ‘oneself to oneself’, but, oh, the damage this can, and often does, bring in to certain sad circumstances.

I very much enjoyed the descriptions of Fiona and Laura, the nurses who figured so much in the lives of Ruby Baxter and little Lily. The nurses continuing search for love and companionship gave us a glimpse of modern day romance,  particularly with the introduction of Paul, the young curate – and those nurses - well!  Life has certainly changed since the introduction of 'finding love on line' and the author obviously has researched the world of hospitals and nursing staff.  

So, Vivien Brown's fast-moving story unfolds and I can say that I enjoyed every one of the thirty six chapters and would recommend this book to all reading groups who enjoy a ripping page-turner, particularly my own Billericay Writers' Group. Additionally, I thought the story would lend itself very well to a film script.