D. D. Johnston

Rating downgraded because of continual use of foul language. This story follows the life of Wayne, a Scottish fast food worker from approximately 2000-2011. The opening section shows the dead end life of working class (or lower? living in slums) young adults and their consequent focus on drinking, trying to find sex, and rebellion against the establishment. Some of Wayne's acquaintances have read enough socialist, communist, anarchist, and other polemic to base their arguments on, but Wayne pretty much doesn't have a clue. They do follow the news enough to be aware of world events, such as the WTO protests in Seattle, WA, or giving support to Albanian immigrants in France. The prior bombing at a Scottish airport is referred to in an aside when they travel to other EU countries.
Wayne's stepsister, attending college, is a stepping stone for him to move to London where he is involved in more protests and meets a French woman who apparently has enough family money that she can cover their living and travel expenses. The only mention of drugs, other than smelling a whiff of pot while passing some group, comes late in the book as that woman & her new lover get into cocaine.
This story is told as a rambling narrative, chapter shifting between different time periods as Wayne tries to tell his story and backtracks to explain different relationships. About halfway thru the book it is 2011 and he remarks how pointless all the protests and activist marches and street fighting was. Nothing has changed. They had been fooling themselves that they could make a difference in the world. At the end of the book, he is depressed. His friends offer some help, but grow tired of his drunken behavior. One friend, Spocky (nicknamed for his Asperger-like focus on a single topic: politics), asks him if he cares for anyone besides himself, then "What makes a men?" Wayne can't (or won't) understand the question, unable to recognize that we need to synthesize our experiences, accept responsibility, act with respect and a view for the future generations. Spocky leaves in disgust.
This book was leant my by my 40's son. I presume he found it spoke to his lived experience. I'll see if I can get some comment from him about it's value. He has somehow found a way to step outside of capitalism, as much as possible, by learning a craft and country living skills. That still begs the question of what do millions of young people do who have no access to the healing power of living close to nature where they can provide for their basic needs.… (mehr)

The Secret Baby Room Claire and her husband Dan move to Manchester In hopes of a new start. However, within a few days of moving there Claire finds something suspicious. Follow Claire and her quirky neighbors on a journey to decide if Claire is losing her mind or if there really is a secret baby room.The only reason I kept reading this novel is because I wanted to know what was going on, so in a sense it was suspenseful. Did it have me on the edge of my seat? No. It seemed that the story line was dragging. There was so much going on at one point that was really not intriguing, at that point I just had to sit the novel down. I didn’t get a sense of mysteriousness or secretiveness that I usually get with suspense books. This novel could have been wrapped up way sooner than it was and then the ending was kind of blah!I give the overall story line a ¾ but because of the dragging and choppy story telling, I rate it a solid 3.Thanks NetGalley and Barbican Press for allowing me the opportunity to preview this novel.… (mehr)

A paranoia-packed, nail-biting thriller that will have you questioning what is real and what may just be delusion, The Secret Baby Room is a modern-day Rosemary's Baby that kept THIS pregnant reader perched on the edge of her seat. Newly unemployed and freshly-uprooted newlywed, Claire Wilson, has too much time on her hands. Alongside her husband, Dan, she's moved into unfamiliar territory, becoming a new homeowner in what she perceives to be an unwelcoming neighborhood. When she spots a woman holding a baby in an abandoned apartment scheduled for upcoming demolition, Claire becomes obsessed with seeking out the unsafe mother-infant duo. She becomes quite single-minded in her pursuit of the truth, reading danger and conspiracy in everything from vagrants pushing strollers to disturbing graffiti tagged all over town. Is there really danger lurking in the abandoned apartment, or has Claire's recent miscarriage caused her to be a bit sensitive to all things baby?

I'm a mother of a 21 month old, and I'm currently 6 months pregnant, so I'll freely admit that I've got baby on the brain (and on my hip or around my knees and kicking in my stomach) pretty much all of the time. I found this book to be highly entertaining and extremely readable. It had a colorful cast of characters including an abusive rags-to-riches landlord, a mother-earth wiccan woman and her free-spirited, feral children, an oversexualized alcoholic and a fetus-scrawling graffiti artist. It was a good time, to say the least :) While I wouldn't shelf it next to Great Expectations or another piece of high-falluting, fine literature, it was a fun, tense read that is guaranteed to keep you turning those pages! Recently published by Barbican Press, this thriller is now available to those looking to pad their beach bags with a good book. As always, a big thank you should be extended to NetGalley for making this advanced reader copy available :)… (mehr)

The Secret Baby Room by D. D. Johnston is supposed to be a British psychological thriller. I found it to be a very strange novel. Claire and Dan Wilson have just moved into a new home in Manchester (not far from where Dan grew up). Their home is in the shadow of an apartment building (they call it tower block) that is going to be demolished. Claire lost a baby several months before moving and is still getting over the loss. Claire’s new neighbors are very interesting. Morgana Cox is married with two children. She believes in many causes (some are a little nutty) and Morgana is a Wiccan. Liana Shaw is her other neighbor and the party girl. Liane likes to drink to excess, goes out clubbing, and bring home a boy toy.

One day Claire is looking at her window and sees a woman with blonde hair holding a baby in the apartment building (Sighthill Tower) that is going to be demolished. Unfortunately, no one believes her. Claire then starts thinking something has been happening to children in this neighborhood for many years if not decades (she hears the legend of the White Lady). Claire thinks the local graffiti of a baby with a crucifix staked through its heart is some warning (instead of it just being a messed up teenage). Claire’s husband, Dan is getting fed up with Claire and wants her to get help (Dan is not the most loving or caring husband). When Claire hears a baby in the tower (apartment building), she calls the police again. The local police (who would rather not take action on any crime because it results in paperwork) believe Claire to be a crazy woman. Claire warns the company that is going to blow up the tower. They do a thorough search and find no baby.

Claire is determined to find out what is going on. She interviews people in the local retirement home, takes off after a street person with an empty pram (baby stroller), and keeps sneaking into the tower. Claire heard of a secret baby room in the tower and wants to find it. She thinks it will hold clues. Is someone out to get the children in the area? Is there really a baby hiding in the tower? If so, who does the baby belong to?

You will have to read The Secret Baby Room to find out. The Secret Baby Room is a British novel that contains British slang and spelling. I did not enjoy reading this novel. It seemed more like a crazy woman grasping at straws than a thriller. Overall, The Secret Baby Room was one strange novel. I give The Secret Baby Room 1 out of 5 stars (I really disliked this novel). I do not see how the graffiti, the White Lady, and the cemetery of little children all tied together nor why they were mentioned in the book (really did not relate to story in the end).

I received a complimentary copy of The Secret Baby Room from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.… (mehr)