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The BookViral Review:
Eminently readable and consistently entertaining In A Gadda Da Vida has a candour that is unexpected and refreshing in a sea of too-often generic biographies & memoirs.
Charismatic, measured and authentic in its depiction of the pains, confusions and insecurities of the teenage experience, Stark Hunter’s characters (names changed to protect their identities) simply come to life as he powerfully crafts visual images from a decade of change. A period in his adolescent years, which evokes memories of our own, when no one told us what we were supposed to do with the pain and conflicting feelings of love and lust. And an excruciatingly honest portrayal of what interests boys and how they talk about it.
Spanning the 1960’s it will resonate with readers on different levels and for thematic reasons amongst readers of all ages with parts of Hunter’s memoir heart-achingly sad whilst he’s ever mindful to keep a kernel of hope alive.
With memories captured in flowing prose, we are reminded of the different spheres we inhabit as children, often adrift in the orbit of older siblings and parents as we make sense of the world into which we evolve and Hunter reminds us of this time-worn perspective. The richness of his memoirs tapestry densely woven from human emotions and character interaction to ensure In A Gadda Da Vidal never loses its relevance.
With any sense of mawkishness kept at bay Hunter’s narrative is perfectly paced, his memories unfolding with wit, pathos and sensitivity and completely free of emotional shortcuts as he cuts between timeframes. And then comes the point to which In A Gadda Da Vidal was building from the very first mention of his “sweet-smelling Mexican girl with the red-painted lips.”
A climax, in the true sense of the word, set up in intricate detail. A moment that’s ordinary in some ways and extraordinary in others as Hunter throws us a curve ball. Not a cleverly contrived narrative ploy but a moment in his life upon which his future turned.
One of those rare treasures that absolutely must be read there’s inherent chemistry at work in Hunter’s narrative that’s both disarming and refreshing with In A Gadda Da Vida proving an unreservedly recommended five-star read!
Stark Hunter demonstrates anti-poetry with a twist in his new Opus ‘The Pink Oleanders’, which features the life story of the Moore family, spanning 3 generations and 35+ years. With reflective vignettes of somewhat ordinary scenarios brought to life and given flavour by Stark’s individual approach to prose. Each vignette is divided into snapshots of memory, creating a stand-alone insight into life against the background of the ‘Hoover Street House’.
The best Family Life Fiction Drama novels tell stories about characters doing something extraordinary and here Callahan uses this premise to open up the vast, still largely uncharted terrain of providence and the human heart.
It would be hard to imagine any novel about a nightclub not containing drugs, depravity, and all-around bad behaviour and The Reprobates certainly doesn’t disappoint in a rip ragingly provocative read that takes its readers from outrageous highs to rock bottom in the blink of an eye.
Should writers write what they know about or has this age-old sage piece of advice become something of a cliché.
Never before has the voice of social commentary in literature sung higher. Freedom of speech has brought with it a cacophony of loudly spoken, written and sometimes harshly promoted opinion and judgement.
Are we desensitising our young people with the graphic offerings of modern media? And going even further, do the conclusions of ‘Bandura and the Bobo doll’ still hold true in the modern era?
Near Death Experience’s or NDEs as they are more commonly called are not a new phenomenon; they’ve been reported throughout history and yet few subjects create so much division.
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