The Storytellers by Caron McKinlay
Trapped between life and the afterlife, three women meet and share their stories while discovering the truth about the men in their lives—and about themselves.
Suspended in an eerie state of limbo, an entity called the Gatekeeper tells Nikki, Ronnie, and Mrs. Hawthorne they are on the cusp of entering the afterlife—but only if the women can persuade him that in their earthly lives, they knew the meaning of love.
Fragments of their memories return, plunging them back into their pasts, and forcing them to face the desires, disappointments, addictions, lies, and obsessions they battled in life.
But before time runs out, will they find the answer to the ultimate question: what is love?
‘Utterly mind-blowing! If Stuart Turton had written Gone Girl it would look like this. Intelligent, compelling writing that is genre-defining. Brilliant!’- Victoria Dowd - The Supper Club Murders
‘Fascinating and Compelling. Feminist themes here, which I loved, and a brilliant mystery, and best of all, some highly skilled storytelling.’ - Laura Pearson
About the author
Caron grew up in a mining town on the east coast of Scotland where her dad would return from the pit and fill her life with his tall tales. She never thought about making a career in writing – that was what posh people did, not someone from a working-class council estate.
However, her father’s death was the cause of deep introspection and her emotions gave birth to a short story, Cash, which was published in the Scottish Book Trust’s anthology, Blether. This gave her the confidence to try and believe in herself.
When not blogging, reading, and writing, Caron spends her time with her daughters. She doesn’t enjoy exercise – but loves running around after her grandsons, Lyle and Noah, to whom she is devoted.
Caron had three childhood dreams in life: to become a published author, to become a teacher, and for David Essex to fall in love with her. Two out of three ain’t bad, and she’s delighted with that.
Review
‘The Storytellers’ is such a unique book that I thoroughly enjoyed and heartily recommend! It a multi-genre read and doesn't fit into a pigeon hole and that is part of what makes it great, it bends and forms around the reader and it means something different for everyone.
It follows the life of Nikki, Ronnie and Mrs Hawthorne who all meet in limbo, which just happens to be a beach with a random bar and bartender. For some reason, I had it in my head as Morecombe! The bartender turns out to be the Gatekeeper and each woman has to share their story and what they think love means. As parts of their lives come back to them, they begin to learn about their desires and loves and what made them tick…
I loved all three of the women but I think I identified with Mrs Hawthorne the most, maybe it's the secret old woman inside of me or the fact that I can see the life I want but can't seem to reach it. Yes, this book revolves around the three characters' relationships with men but for me, it was interchangeable with my situation and I found it very moving.
I also loved that there was a hidden narrative throughout the story and hence why it can also be classed in a way as a crime book. This is really a book that you can't talk about the story at all without ruining it for people so I'm not going to. This is a book that needs to be experienced and trust me when I say I don't think you will regret reading this one!
Caron is part of my book tribe and I have loved seeing her get all the recognition that she deserves and I haven't yet seen a bad review for this book. There is a reason for this as the writing is outstanding, it shines off the page and surprises you at every turn. It's the wee observations, the humour and the honesty with which this tale is told that makes it special. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
