Kevin Ansbro

3.5 rounded up.

If the title of this book doesn’t make you curious, I wonder what would. I kept looking at the title thinking “whatever can this be?” What it is, is a dark comedy, almost a farce, with so many other elements thrown in that it defies an easy classification, and an author with a slightly twisted sense of humor.

I should say that this is not the kind of book I gravitate toward. It has a level of violence that I normally shun and a view of the afterlife that I would classify as more fantasy than magical realism. If this were a favorite genre, I’m betting I would have rated this a full star more than I have.

Kevin Ansbro is a skilled writer and has a comfort with the outrageous that not many could handle well. Someone here compared him to Neil Gaiman, and I can see her point, but for my part, I think you would need to throw a good portion of Stephen King into the mix. Which is to say, Kevin Ansbro is really one of a kind.

This book will not be for everyone, but if you liked both Pulp Fiction and Airplane, you might find it a perfect fit.
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An uplifting, life-affirming story of romance, friendship and mystery, Kinnara perfectly captures the intoxicating thrill of encountering other cultures and people. When the brash, superficial bling of western culture meets an entirely different philosophy in the Far East, new relationships are forged as the self is submerged... and old relationships can be reinterpreted in the sublime light of the Eastern sun.

As in all human encounters, however, nothing is entirely straightforward, and author Ansbro isn’t afraid to pull the rug out from underneath his characters as they search for fulfilment in an entirely 21st century way. He perfectly observes and reports the delights and mild desperations of international travel, from the perspective of a twenty-something taking his first great adventure in the wider world beyond small-town England.

The shock of encountering true poverty overseas – and the grace with which it is borne by populations who have no other option – will ring true with any traveller who has eyes to see. Similarly, anyone who’s emerged blinking from a long haul flight (in the economy class, with a wailing baby alongside) will appreciate the exuberance of the brilliant blue sky and sea which await on the other side of the arrivals lounge.

If this all sounds terribly serious – don’t worry. It’s not. Ansbro has a deft way with words and has crafted an entertaining page-turner. It’s entirely up to the reader what you take from this multi-layered tale.

Kinnara is a novel all about experiencing the sunlight of the soul and – rather than leaving it on some distant shore – bringing an echo of it back to illuminate everyday life. Oh, and there’s a sea monster too...
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A novella about traversing one of life’s inevitable landmarks into the emotional independence of adulthood, this beguiling tale blurs the ordinary banality of everyday middle-class life with significant spiritual revelation. As if that weren’t enough, author Kevin Ansbro also takes a stab at accounting for acts of violence among British-born Muslims.

Yet despite such weighty subject matters, ‘The Angel in My Well’ isn’t heavy-going in the least. Ansbro opts to explain universal truths of cosmic significance over a nice cuppa tea in a normal suburban house where an average lad has been moping since the death of his nearest relative. Our hero is utterly unconcerned by the miraculous appearance of the titular angel, bearing him tidings of goodwill, and he immediately accepts the rightness of her revelations.

With all the metaphysical stuff squared away, the pair head out for a party… after kitting out the cosmic messenger in trendy threads with all the right labels. It’s a weird juxtaposition of the incredible alongside the entirely unremarkable; the very meaning of existence contrasted with the meaninglessness of most lives. A very subtle set of messages, indeed.

The more challenging thread to the story is that of the second-generation Muslim man, born British to immigrant parents. While the rest of his family are comfortable living in England, he’s become gradually disenchanted with the western society and its disintegrating morality. This puts him on a conflicting pathway with Joe as their destinies converge with potentially fatal consequences.

Despite the serious subjects, the author adroitly keeps much of the tone light and the pace rapid. This is a story wrapped in playful banter, not outright brutality. It’s easy reading, although I did find Ansbro’s habit of constantly using colons: in sentences – or dashes throughout the text – instead of commas: more than a little distracting. That grammatical glitch doesn’t detract from the impact of the raw personal emotion at some crucial stages, however.

The Angel In My Well is a slim book, one which delivers much more of substance than its word count might suggest. Those experiencing great grief and loss for the first time may well find it a comfort. A very promising first publication which bodes well for Ansbro’s future writing.
7/10

There's a more detailed review over at https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress.com/2015/10/14/the-angel-in-my-well-a-mean...
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