The first half of this book did not have me convinced, but as I kept reading and as the story unfolded I found myself enjoying it more and more.

It has often been said that the pen is mightier than the sword, and Louise Swanson paints a vivid portrayal of just how frightening the stroke of a pen can be to some people. Swanson references them being like something from Men In Black but for me, I conjured up a pairing more sinister – the Agent Smiths from The Matrix. I spent my Sunday devouring this heartfelt, emotional, charming and gorgeously-written debut from Emma-Claire Wilson, whose journey I've loved following. I hope to introduce new features during 2022 and join the Bookstagram community on Instagram properly, so come and follow me there too! However, please know that the writing is superb, the characters are believable and interesting, and the dystopia aspect of the novel had me fully invested, immersing myself in Swanson’s strange new world.

You will find some events seemingly inspired from dystopian classics such as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. My short stories have won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting twice for the Bridport Prize and being published in a variety of UK magazines.

The story for the most part is imaginative on how a scenario like this plays out and the impact it has. It’s easy to overlook the chapter headers of the stages of grief – and to park the moments of incongruity like the reappearing single trainer and Fern’s visceral reaction to the smell of sour milk. Despite this though, the story felt very real and in rhe words of Fern 'if you tell a story well enough it is true'. When Fern learns of a secret ‘bedtime story service’ a fellow ex-author is part of, she is keen to be involved. The characters are always beautifully depicted, the story is always fully involving and you can guarantee it will be an emotional ride.

We see the world through the eyes of Fern Dostoy – a former best-selling and award-winning author, her husband lost in the last pandemic, now working as a hospital cleaner, living in a flat that doesn’t feel like home, just trying to survive – her empty life captured on the pages of her secret diary.

As Fern had her sporadic visits from “the tall one and the short one”, an image made its way into my mind. She finds an old notepad and pen, she daren’t use her laptop in case it’s monitored but she’s determined to tell the truth.In this strange world Swanson has created, anything was possible and the story could have gone in any direction. The main protagonist is enthralling, the deep emotional layers of the narrative are hard to put into words but you'll run the gamut of all of them at various points then the end will slap you around a bit before releasing you into the aftermath. And then chuck in some time travel, some glamour, more than one murder, some mystery, a lot of gossip, and what's not to love.