A unique book for me. One that doesn’t look at a crime from the police point of view. One that doesn’t look to solve a murder or other serious crime.
This one is a story of abuse. The story of a young woman graduating from University. One with an empathy for street prostitutes.
Jilly is about to submit her final project. A photographic assignment in which she has documented the lives of local, street based, sex workers.
Her boyfriend Rob has never liked her associating with, in his words “prossies” But in her own way Jilly has used him in the same way the sex workers use their clients, for gain.
She doesn’t love him, in fact she doesn’t really like him, but he has put a roof over her head, kept her fed and safe, and brought her a high end computer to do her work on, so she can put up with the sex.
What she can’t put up with is his increasing mental, and occasional physical abuse, especially when he’s drunk. And when he starts to humiliate her in front of his best friend and drinking buddy Nige, she decides it’s time to move on.
But not before she does a favour for a friend, and goes to a sex workers house to take some “nice family photos” for her.
Tina is too old to be on the streets, her husband, and pimp, Noel is against the photos but he, and their son Leon, take part in the session.
It’s when one of the candid shots make it into the national press that things start to spiral out of control.
Jilly wants to help Gina, but how, without making things worse.
This is a cracking book that enthralled me from page one.
Circles of Confusion is a great title but it’s misleading, there is nothing confusing about this story.
Spirals, free falling, out of control are much more descriptive.
The characters in this book are great.
The violence and abuse are alluded to without graphic depictions, and in my opinion that makes the book more tense.
It’s a tough read in parts but the subject is treated well by the author, without reducing the serious issues it covers.
A great read
Pages: 283. Publisher: Independently Published. Available on Amazon
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