Tuesday, June 05, 2012

REVIEW: Saving Daisy by Phil Earle

I read Saving Daisy by Phil Earle at the start of the year and I've found it very difficult between then and now to put how I felt about the book into words.  Reading this book felt like such an emotional experience.  My heart absolutely ached for poor Daisy, who goes through such terrible things throughout this novel, but I'm really happy to have ended the book smiling through my tears, as this book is also filled with such hope.

We first meet Daisy in Phil Earle's previous novel, Being Billy.  But Daisy's story begins before she meets Billy so it isn't necessary to read one before the other, though I definitely do recommend both.

I really loved Daisy right from the start, there was something about her that I could easily relate to.  She's never really known her mother, and she lives with her father, who while doing the best he can, can't really speak about Daisy's mother.  That pain and grief seems to be too close to the surface still, and it's as if Daisy takes those feelings and makes them her own. She blames herself for her mother's death and that guilt is eating up at her from the inside leading her towards anxiety and depression and self-harm.  Added to her guilt, Daisy's vulnerability attracts unwanted attention and sets off a terrible set of circumstances that find Daisy alone and in the care of a therapeutic community.  With the help of Daisy's key worker, Adebayo, she is able to take those first steps towards letting go of her guilt and fears as Adebayo assures Daisy that it isn't her fault the things that have happened. 

I do so love Daisy.  I thought her relationship with her father to be quite sweet, especially their love of movies that they shared.  I wanted the best for Daisy, for her to be happy and to believe that she deserves love and happiness, even after the horrible things she's been through.  I felt so many things while reading this book, sadness and grief mostly.  But while Saving Daisy isn't the easiest book to read in many ways, the emotion that has stuck with me after so many months, is the shining ray of hope and love in the form of Adebayo.  This book is both devastating and beautiful to read and I can highly recommend it!


6 comments:

  1. Cant wait to get hold of this one, have been meaning too since I read Being Billy as that one was amazing too, Great review!

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    1. Thanks Raimy, I hope you get a copy of this one soon as it is wonderful! :)

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  2. I'm like Raimy, I've been meaning to read this since reading Being Billy. Great review, sounds like this is just as good a read.

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  3. I adored Being Billy, so I'm really excited for Saving Daisy! Lovely review :)

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