BAD MAGIC

by A. M. Stirling

[zooloo1983]

Not going to lie the blurb definitely got my interest. It’s not often you read about a man being sexually abused and I was interested to see how this would play out. Whenever I finish a book the first thing I do is write my review to clear my head before I start my next book, however, I can’t clear my head with this book, it’s stuck in there still. I can not stop thinking about this book!!!!!!

It was a wild ride for sure! A lot of details are not given it’s more of what your imagination can play. Richard loses his parents when he was young, his Nan can’t be bothered with him, for want of a better phrase and ships him off to Canada to stay with his Aunt for the summer. There he meets his cousin Amanda, so self-assured in every which way and basically destroys Richard in that summer. She takes his innocence away and messes with his head. He knows everything that happens is wrong, yet he wants it at the same time. This however does complete screw his brain up and this is obvious from the way he lives his life.

For twenty years he managed to stay away from Amanda. He lives in the UK she lives in Canada, until the day his Aunt dies, then he has to see her again. As you can imagine, his world crashes and is turned upside down.

Richard is far from likeable, he has a “girlfriend” back in the UK yet he is sleeping with an old flame when at the funeral and has a longing to rekindle the flame. Amanda, not liking that the focus is not on her, drugs and raped him. The biggest problem for Richard, he was upset that he couldn’t remember the act yet being disgusted that he wanted it, a complete conflict in his mind.

Amanda, well she is not likeable, jail bait for sure. I admired her confidence and she knew what she wanted, but she had crossed so many lines and then an awful game of cat and mouse started, a class A manipulator.

However, despite not liking Richard, I actually felt sorry for him. His life spins out of control and it wasn’t his fault, well not entirely. He took his eye off the ball, made some bad decisions, why? Amanda! She consumes him and it is what I imagine Stockholm syndrome is like.

Even when I got to the end of the book, it still feels far from satisfying. It feels like there is a dark cloud hanging over him and now me. I can’t shake the feeling that things aren’t right. My head just feels clouded. I want to say more about the book but I know I can’t and to be honest, I am not sure what I would say. I have to digest this. What a great book because it is definitely one that will get you talking. Although I will be recommending this to everyone, if they are able to handle the content, as it is a book that needs to be read, and I think it will be finding its way on my book of the year list.

I feel dirty for enjoying the book because of the subject matter but I really did. I was morbidly fascinated by the story of Richard and Amanda, the power plays they had, the power she had. I thought Stirling did a sterling (sorry!) job with the book, he tackled the subject matter with respect and it was not glorified or glamorised. It was raw, dark, uncomfortable and foreboding. There is no light, there is no satisfaction, there is just an end and you have to deal with it. This is a debut and I will most definitely read Stirling’s next book, I was absorbed by his writing. I felt the panic, the disgust and the shock. Hats off to Stirling for writing this book! I think it’s a book that is needed and it shows men can be victims too.