Watching the Wheels

 Watching the Wheels by Stephen Anthony Brotherton




Exposed. Vulnerable. Isolated

Watching the Wheels by Stephen Anthony Brotherton is published on 28th February 2023   by The Book Guild Ltd. My thanks to the author and publisher who sent me a copy to review and Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour. 



Synopsis

 A collection of short stories -

a killer created from abuse,

a teenager in search of answers from his older brother who committed suicide ten years earlier

a woman trapped in a persistent vegetative state,

a ghost hunter afraid of ghosts,

a bullied police officer,

a man in a care home wanting a great adventure,

and other fractured human beings looking for answers, trying to survive.

What would you do in their place




My review

This is a snapshot, and for the majority of the book a dark look at different lives, and how they are affected and controlled by people around them in a variety of ways. Generally they are focussed on the darker elements of life and society, though there may be some aspects readers could relate to in a couple of the stories. All the while the author wants you to think what you would do in their place.

Personally I found that the stories within this collection made for difficult reading and enjoyment isn't an adjective I can use to describe the reading of them. Each individual story leaves the reader questioning the "How's" and "Why's" of  what they have just digested and the types of person that exist in the world we live in; and that Stephen has chosen to write about.

From the opposite perspective you could argue that what he writes about does happen in real life and we should acknowledge this and also how it makes us feel about the darker sides of our society.

Is it a book I would keep on my bookshelf to read again ? ..... No. Is it a book that gets you to think about what you would do in their position ?......... Yes. Does it  make me angry about how individuals treat other individuals and the fact it never changes ? Yes. Has Stephen achieved his aim with this book ?...... Definitely YES.






The author

Stephen Anthony Brotherton now lives in Shropshire but grew up in the West Midlands. A social worker for nearly thirty years, he currently works for the NHS and is a member of the Bridgnorth Writers’ Group and the Shrewsbury Writers’ Lab. His first book Fractures, Dreams and Second Changes, was released by The Book Guild in 2921. Watching the Wheels is his first collection of shorter stories.

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