In the latest in an occasional series of book reviews on the Ginger Quiff blog, it is the third book in Julie Hamill’s series of Life and Soul novels, June, that features. The follow up to Frank and Jackie, June picks up the story of this close knit family and their group of friends as they deal with the trials and tribulations of life, touched by tragedy and sadness, but also filled with love, hope and happiness.
As the series title, Life and Soul, suggests, once again Julie has packed her novel full of situations that are entirely relatable, circumstances we can all empathise with, because what Julie writes about is real life. She relates stories of the everyday, experiences that we all potentially have and if they were happening to us we might think they are seemingly mundane, and just part of life. Things that happen to us at work, the goings-on within families, relationships between friends, the innocence of our children, and what goes on at school, happy events that bring joy and the events that break the hearts of individuals and those around them. She tells stories of relationships that are still fresh and starting out, or the ones that are still in their first flush of romance and love, relationships that have soured but one party is desperately clinging to hope of reconciliation, relationships that do, and will, remain strong even through illness and death. Indeed, Julie writes about just that. Life.
But what is special about this novel, and the one’s that go before, is their Soul. The way in which Julie tells the stories. There is such compassion for her characters, she is so invested in their lives, with an empathy that is unequivocal. Even for the rogue’s. I even started to have compassion for Tommy despite his crimes and misdemeanours. There is a section of the book that deals with nature vs nurture being taught at school, but that theme spreads much wider throughout the book. Tommy for starters, but then there is Daniel and his very different relationships with his mother and father. The whole of life is encompassed within the stories of all the characters from birth to death, when it comes to the latter dealing with it in such a sensitive way, and with such caring and tender words, that despite me reading the book over the first anniversary of my Mums death, and the words blurring through the tears in my eyes, my overarching feeling wasn’t that of loss or sadness, but of overwhelming love.
I urge you to pick up this book and I guarantee that once you start reading it, you will find it hard to put down. There are no car chases, murders, high octane thrill rides here, but what there is an abundance of is relatable true to life stories that will not only have you drawn into the lives of Frank, Jackie, June, Jean Paul, Father Cleary, Daniel et al, and feel like you want to wrap your arms around them, but you will begin to see the stories coming to life in your own head. I can visualise the record shop with the long haired rockers flicking through the records, I can see Jackie and Frank’s front room with Mrs Morrison popping in to say hello, I can feel the shivers as if I’m in the cold high ceilinged manse. Most importantly though, you will put faces of people you know onto the characters. We all know a little June, we all know a Frank, we all know a Jackie, a Viv, a Daniel…. They are our own family, our own friends, our own neighbours, colleagues, classmates… June is life-affirming. Do yourselves a favour, put yourself through the wringer. You can thank me later.
June by Julie Hamill will be published on 31st October by Saron Publishers
Author Socials: X/Twitter: @juliehamill Instagram: @Juliehamillofficial Facebook: Julie Hamill
