Kate Harris, a lecturer in her late thirties, is attacked in her Surrey home and left for dead. Continuing threats hinder her recovery, and these life changing events force her to journey into her past to search for the child she gave away. Can she overcome the demons of her own personal history before time runs out?
Anne Brooke is the author of seven novels, as well as many short stories and poems. She was shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Novel Award in 2006, the Royal Literary Fund Awards in 2004 and the Asham Award for Women Writers in 2003. Living in Surrey, she is proud to be an Essex Girl and, in her other life, works in student care services at the local university. She plays extraordinarily bad golf and has a secret passion for Terry Wogan. More information can be found at Anne's website.
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Reviews
'... a novel about the elusive nature of memory, and about truth' [Marsha Rowe, Co-founder of Spare Rib]
'I’ve been meaning to write a review of Thorn in the Flesh for some time. It’s taken a while partly because I haven’t known quite what to say. It’s like a discovery you look forward to sharing with someone special - but you don’t want to tell them too much and spoil the surprise. Surprising it certainly is. Having read three of Anne’s novels now one might expect to see a certain pattern emerging – qualities in the writing that makes you think – ah yes, this is typical; this is similar to what she did before. Many of us are happy to read our favourite authors confident that they will deliver more of the same ingredients that worked so well before. No – think again. Each of Anne’s books is gloriously individual – each builds on the strength of what has gone before to deliver something new – a fresh experience for the reader. When I read Thorn in the Flesh I literally could not put it down. Anne delivers a compelling story that keeps you turning the pages. I found her strong central character Kate entirely believable. She is depicted with searing honesty and the character is fearless in her refusal to compromise – to conform to expectation. I imagine that because of this Kate is a character the reader will love – or love to hate. Here is a woman who is attacked in the sanctuary of her own home – whose certainties and securities are torn away – what happens next? Where does she go from here? Thorn in the Flesh is not a comfortable read, it provides no cosy solutions and ultimately it gives no easy answers. It gets under the skin of the reader and causes you to look into the void – to imagine the unimaginable. It is to the credit of the author that the character’s journey is so believable. To me there is truth in the story and integrity in the writing. The story taps into the resonance of ancient myth delivered with the pace and assurance of a modern thriller. Read and enjoy.' [Review from Sarah Watts on the Writewords site]
'I have just finished reading Anne Brooke's Thorn in the Flesh. In the end, having carried it around with me for the last few days I found I had to know what happened, and read the last 100 pages nearly at a sitting. Kate, like most of us, is her own worst enemy. She is a very private person and does not confide even in her best and oldest friend, Nicky. If she had done things might have been different. Kate is raped. She is afraid she knows who it was, even though he wore a mask. But she only tells the police part of her ordeal and doesn't tell them about the threatening letters she has been receiving before and after the attack. Kate does not want to face up to her past. She would rather bury it deep and not acknowledge it even to herself. But the attack forces her to confront both her past and her own character flaws. When Nicky may be in danger, Kate finds she has the strength to overcome. The book raises many issues, including how a woman deals with that most feared of crimes - rape - especially when she thinks she knows who her attacker is. How to continue a very close relationship with a childhood friend when she marries and has a family, without coming between her and her husband. How to deal with the past and your own memories when the past comes back to haunt you. It is not a comfortable story to read, but it is gripping and all women will identify with Kate, when she tries to overcome the mistakes of her youth. Kate's solution to her problems develops from her own particular character and the violent ending is wholly right for the story. Read this book if you want the hairs to stand up on the back of your neck. You will question your own feelings about rape, friendship and your attitude to your own past.' [Jill Weekes, online book reviewer]
Thorn in the Flesh is a gripping psychological thriller whose central character Kate goes through a whole gamut of emotions from the deeply sensual to the tenderness of true friendship, betrayal, loss, fear, a sense of personality annihilation and nail biting terror. I am constantly amazed by Anne Brooke's ability to understand abnormal levels of perversion. But at the end of this novel one is left not with the feeling of an abnormal caricature but more with a query and urge to understand what strange twist of otherwise normal events could have sown such a tragic seed.' [Margaret Gill, author of Narwhal]
Publication February 2008
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