Blog Tour: If Ever I Fall by S. D. Robertson
PUBLISHES: 9TH FEBRUARY 2017
Blurb:
Dan’s life has fallen apart at the seams. He’s lost his house, his job is on the line, and now he’s going to lose his family too. All he’s ever wanted is to keep them together, but is everything beyond repair?
Maria is drowning in grief. She spends her days writing letters that will never be answered. Nights are spent trying to hold terrible memories at bay, to escape the pain that threatens to engulf her.
Jack wakes up confused and alone. He doesn’t know who he is, how he got there, or why he finds himself on a deserted clifftop, but will piecing together the past leave him a broken man?
In the face of real tragedy, can these three people find a way to reconcile their past with a new future? And is love enough to carry them through?
Review:
I find myself having to be very careful about how I write this review. There is so much within this story which I don't want to giveaway, as I really believe that it is important for the reader to live this story through the characters, finding out the details as the characters decide they are ready to tell them.
This story follows the lives of a family who have suffered a great trauma and focuses on the different ways people deal with difficult situations and how this can start to come between them. If Ever I Fall is portrayed in a very different way to any other story I've read. It jumps from the view of Sam's parents, Maria and Dan, and then there is a third perspective which has a great deal of mystery behind it. I found that at first I became really hooked to this mystery; the need to figure it out and understand it. Then there was a small part where I felt myself getting a little more confused, struggling to see how it connected to the story of Maria and Dan. All I will say, is if you hit this phase like I did - and it was a short one - then persevere. S.D. Robertson pulls this story together beautifully.
This is one of those stories that will stay with you for a long time after reading that last page. You'll find yourself running over in your mind how each character was affected, how they dealt with the situation and in turn how their actions affected those around them. It makes you wonder, if you, God forbid, were in a similar situation how would you respond?
I love the honesty of this story. S.D. Robertson isn't afraid to show the pain and the struggle that these characters face. It really makes you think, makes you questions and isn't just a typical happy ending. Oh... and I should warn you... there is a scene towards the end which had me sobbing. S. D. Robertson's writing is so vivid and real that it takes you right there, into each moment with the characters and once you're there, there's no escape. You feel everything they feel.
I give If Ever I Fall;
Order your copy of If Ever I Fall now from Amazon
Now a special little treat for you... an extract from If Ever I Fall. Enjoy! :)
Extract:
The Land Rover is stopped in the middle of the dirt track and Miles is up in my face, looking very concerned, scrutinising my eyes. He looks like he’s about to slap me around the chops, so I pull back and mumble that I’m all right.
‘I had another flashback – memory – whatever you want to call it. Did I pass out again?’
‘Not exactly. It was more of an absence. Your eyes glazed over. You wouldn’t respond to my questions.’
‘What does that mean? It’s not normal, is it?’
‘I’d like to ask whether you’ve experienced anything like this before, earlier in your life, but I know that’s not something you can answer. Can you tell me what just happened from your perspective?’
‘Like I said, another memory. I assume that’s what it was, anyway.’
‘A memory of what?’
‘I was in a boardroom: modern, simply furnished. I was facing a panel of three people. I knew they were my bosses. It was about some big change that was taking place at work.’
‘What was your job?’
‘That’s the weird thing. I don’t know. I did when I was there in the moment, but now it’s gone. I have no idea.’ My brain is fried. I rub my temples, but it provides little relief. ‘What’s happening to me, Miles?’
He shakes his head. ‘I’m not sure. There’s only so much I can see and do here. I think you definitely should have a scan at the hospital. Just as a precaution.’
‘Really? Today?’
‘No, it’ll still have to be Monday. But I’ll be keeping an extra close eye on you in the meantime. And no more solitary walks.’
‘A brain scan? Can you arrange that?’
‘I know a couple of people there.’
Miles is all for returning to the house and leaving the trip to the village until later. But I tell him to continue, as long as he takes it easy behind the wheel, especially until we reach a proper road. I haven’t forgotten the panic I felt as we first started driving. I’m not sure where it came from, but thankfully it seems to have gone now.
Despite the slower speed, I’m still bounced from side to side as the car makes its way from crater to crater along the track. Eventually, after every bone in my body has been shaken, I see the welcome sight of tarmac ahead. We take a right turn.
I’d hoped that I might recognise some of the sights along the way. But other than empty fields, bushes, trees and the odd isolated house, there’s little to jog my memory. Heading inland as we are, there aren’t even any good views of the sea.
When we reach the village, it’s not much to look at. There are a handful of small shops, a pub and a church. There’s also a primary school: a tiny one that looks like it could only accommodate a handful of pupils. But from the small number of houses I see here, that’s probably more than enough. None of it rings a bell, although Miles tells me I’ve been here plenty of times before.
So what on earth brought me here in the first place? With no apparent ties to the area, how did I end up in the village’s only pub, the Red Lion, on the night Miles and I met?
We park outside the small hardware store.
‘Are you sure they’ll have the nails you need?’ I ask.
He laughs. ‘I’ve yet to ask for anything they don’t have. It’s one of those old school places where you tell them what you need and they disappear and find it for you. It might not look very impressive, but I think there must be a huge underground cavern somewhere nearby where they keep all the stock. It’s brilliant, honestly.’
We both step out of the car. I’m about to follow Miles when he asks if I’d mind popping to the general store, which is immediately opposite on the other side of the road. ‘We could do with some bread and milk,’ he says, holding out a ten-pound note, only to pull it back a second later. ‘Hang on. Maybe that’s not such a good idea. Probably best we stay together.’
‘Nonsense,’ I reply, reaching forward to grab the note. ‘I insist.’
I cross the road, aware of Miles watching me do so, and enter the shop.
I see her as soon as I’m inside. She’s standing behind the counter, staring straight at me. I don’t know how I know it’s her. To my knowledge, I’ve never seen her close up before.
But there’s no doubt in my mind.
I’m a hundred per cent certain.
It’s the girl in red.
Chat soon beautifuls,
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