I don't remember, before I started this little blog I mean, every really paying much attention to who published books; I wasn't totally immune to it of course, I probably glanced but that'd be it. I feel I was perhaps a little foolish. The Mountain in my Shoe is published by Orenda Books, the same company that gave us In Her Wake and A Suitable Lie - I only name these two because I've read them, there are more - and what I've come to realise is that these are the sometimes hidden gems.
Forgive me this little diversion, but it is kind of relevant I promise, publishing is a hard business and whilst we're bombarded with adverts in magazines and on train station platforms proclaiming "This is the new Girl on the Train" (I can't wait for that analogy to stop by the way) it means that those companies with not the same budget slog quietly (well maybe not so quietly judging by how many times Karen Sullivan has gone over her Twitter allowance) picking out beauties that they want to invest in; not just financially either I'm guessing. Thus, she says getting back to the point, we end up with books that Orenda publish; books that are actually excellent, not only with a terrific story, but that are well-written, well edited as well as bound with eye-catching covers. The Mountain in my Shoe is no exception.
The characters are totally enchanting, each with a distinct voice through which I knew their history and also the present events. Each voice is interwoven in such a way that they seem to echo each other and become multi-layered characters.
The story of Conor develops in a heart-breaking series of different homes, and I don't think there could be many people who would fail to be touched by what the little boy has gone through. And this of course is echoed by the equally heartfelt history of Bernadette we are fed throughout the story. Both lost and sad and searching for that relationship with someone special, I was thankful they had found each other. The Mountain in my Shoe explores who and what shapes us as people, it's a story about love in whatever form that may take. A beautiful book.
