‘A marvellous book that envelops the reader and leaves you with an awful lot to think about human relationships. I heartily recommend Love, Secrets, & Absolution and don’t hesitate to give it five stars.’ALI – THE DRAGON SLAYER‘K.L. Loveley has written an emotional, frank and thoughtful book on a family dealing with Asperger’s Syndrome.’ THE BOOK MAGNETPeople in the village gossip about … the village gossip about Grace’s son, Alfie.
He’s a lonely boy full of secrets, lies, and obsessive thoughts.
How far can a mother’s love go? Will she ultimately sacrifice her life for his?
Set in Nottinghamshire, this family drama follows the lives of Grace and Alfie as he transforms from a naïve, young boy into a teenager spiralling out of control.
Love, Secrets, and Absolution is a coming of age story with a difference.
Deceit, betrayal, love, and addiction, a family falling apart in the midst of teenage angst and torn loyalties; will anybody find absolution?
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Why This Book
Someone (I wish I could remember who — and if it’s you, please tell me) recommended Love, Secrets, and Absolution by K.L. Loveley earlier this year. I downloaded the book while it was free, then it sat in my TBR on Kindle Reader until I had time to read it. I am trying to clear off all my ARCS, giveaways or commitments on authors I know, so I chose this one to read while boarding a flight over the holidays. I’m glad I did — it’s quite a good story – 4.5 stars! (It’s so rare I give out a 5, but this came very close.)
Plot, Characters & Setting
The book kicks off when Alfie is born in a small English village to parents Grace and Paul. As he grows into a toddler, his behavior becomes questionable, pushing his father Paul to grow angry and ultimately have an affair, as he no longer loves Grace over how she coddles Alfie. Grace, with little education or money, learns how to raise Alfie on her own. Alfie learns how to make friends, socializes with others and attends college throughout the course of this novel. He encounters drugs, alcohol, girls and bullies, all in a way to self-medicate or handle his different personality and social anxieties. We later learn he likely has Asperger’s Syndrome, which has helped shape how he sees the world.
Approach & Style
The book is relatively short and very easy to read in one sitting. I read the Kindle version on my iPad in ~2 hours. It’s told in third person POV with a focus on a bunch of different characters who all interact with Alfie. It’s inviting and simple, yet complex in emotions.
Thoughts
I adored this book. Alfie and Grace have a very sad — and happy — story that will tug at your heart. It avoids all the cliches of the high points and low points, instead focusing on the middle range of someone with this type of alternative approach to interpreting the world. Alfie is such a likable character, and I could read more about him anytime. He makes mistakes – I want to shake him. He shows love – I want to hug him. It’s a snapshot of different points in his life where he learns lessons of who to love and trust, and who will lead him astray. Loveley captures a brilliant and endearing quality in a boy who deserves so much more than what he was given. Even though Grace is a wonderful mother, and Paul turns out to be fairly decent in the end, Alfie deserves even more. He needs friends, better extended family and true support from a school. It’s a remarkable story and I cannot recommend it enough for the way it will help you see things just a little bit differently.
Summary
Loveley is a great writer; she knows how to elicit your feelings and trust. I will definitely read more from her, as there is a beautiful quality in how she tells a story. You’ll be engaged from the first moment where Alfie talks to you while in his mother’s womb to the very end where he has to handle all that’s thrown at his mother when she needs help. Take a chance on this one, please.