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Parting Lines
Tim Hoskings was such a nice boy, but eventually nice boys turn into bitter men. Priorities change and decisions get made — like the decision to become an arsehole. To finally stop putting everyone else first and get what you want from life.
At this point in time any rational person would turn to the fine art of negotiation, but the mid-life crisis isn’t a rational state of mind. It is a head-first plummet towards everything you haven’t been in the past. A jetpack strapped to your back accelerating you downwards, fuelled by the fear of regretting all the things you never did before that day when you are lying on your back rotting in a box and thinking to yourself, “F*ck.”
* The letter U has a pending court case to battle discrimination against vowels.
Visit http://dangarstu.com to purchase your copy now!
At this point in time any rational person would turn to the fine art of negotiation, but the mid-life crisis isn’t a rational state of mind. It is a head-first plummet towards everything you haven’t been in the past. A jetpack strapped to your back accelerating you downwards, fuelled by the fear of regretting all the things you never did before that day when you are lying on your back rotting in a box and thinking to yourself, “F*ck.”
* The letter U has a pending court case to battle discrimination against vowels.
Visit http://dangarstu.com to purchase your copy now!
226 pages, Paperback
First published May 21, 2014
1 person is currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Allen
1 book9 followersStuart Allen is an emerging writer, usually emerging from a hangover at around eleven. He is exactly what you would expect to get if you put all the characters from his novel into a blender then poured the resulting pink sludge into a cheap suit and forced it to go to a day job in IT. He lives in Sydney with his wife and two verbally-abusive guinea pigs.
Please swing by the Goodreads "Midlife crisis" group to add other books that match the theme: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Please swing by the Goodreads "Midlife crisis" group to add other books that match the theme: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 11, 2014
This review is from Kirkus, the rating is mine. ;)
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
A novel of human foibles and near redemption.
Tim Hoskings has been slogging through the same miserable routine for years: Wake up, grind through traffic, work a soulless job, come home to a decent if not passionate relationship, maybe go out and drink too much with his friend Todd. In the course of one week, however, Tim’s life turns upside down. Kicked out of his house for cheating and fired from his job for punching a colleague, Tim decides to clean up his act and figure out what’s really important. First up is apologizing to Derek, the man Tim slugged in the office. But, far from a straightforward meeting, Tim’s attempt lands him in a world of unfamiliar sexual practices, near tragedies, love where he least expects it and even a tattoo. Along this journey with Derek and his friend Cassandra, Tim finds himself embroiled in a plot to avenge Cassandra’s just-deceased foster mother, whose birth son, Peter, has been stealing money from her for years. Amusingly, this plan involves Tim and Derek’s participation in a porn shoot at Peter’s studio, as well as a panicked getaway. When he returns, there’s even more chaos on the home front. Tim soon begins to discover that the path to balance and happiness may, occasionally, mean getting a little crazy. Debut authorAllen has crafted a convincingly flawed protagonist whose mistakes and attempts at recompense fuel an entertaining plot. While some of the supporting characters are two-dimensional, readers will appreciate the well-tuned dialogue and unexpected settings (an S&M club, an old woman’s painting studio, the aforementioned porn shoot). While this is no in-depth investigation of the human soul, the reader will come away with a new appreciation for the lines between safe and staid, between out of control and experimental.
A fast-paced, straightforward character study that blends humor and pathos.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...
A novel of human foibles and near redemption.
Tim Hoskings has been slogging through the same miserable routine for years: Wake up, grind through traffic, work a soulless job, come home to a decent if not passionate relationship, maybe go out and drink too much with his friend Todd. In the course of one week, however, Tim’s life turns upside down. Kicked out of his house for cheating and fired from his job for punching a colleague, Tim decides to clean up his act and figure out what’s really important. First up is apologizing to Derek, the man Tim slugged in the office. But, far from a straightforward meeting, Tim’s attempt lands him in a world of unfamiliar sexual practices, near tragedies, love where he least expects it and even a tattoo. Along this journey with Derek and his friend Cassandra, Tim finds himself embroiled in a plot to avenge Cassandra’s just-deceased foster mother, whose birth son, Peter, has been stealing money from her for years. Amusingly, this plan involves Tim and Derek’s participation in a porn shoot at Peter’s studio, as well as a panicked getaway. When he returns, there’s even more chaos on the home front. Tim soon begins to discover that the path to balance and happiness may, occasionally, mean getting a little crazy. Debut authorAllen has crafted a convincingly flawed protagonist whose mistakes and attempts at recompense fuel an entertaining plot. While some of the supporting characters are two-dimensional, readers will appreciate the well-tuned dialogue and unexpected settings (an S&M club, an old woman’s painting studio, the aforementioned porn shoot). While this is no in-depth investigation of the human soul, the reader will come away with a new appreciation for the lines between safe and staid, between out of control and experimental.
A fast-paced, straightforward character study that blends humor and pathos.
August 29, 2014
It actually feels like a grouping of many mini stories rather than a story with large main events threaded through. Whilst the story is a continuous one, there is not a lot to the story so for the most part the books strength lies in the wording, musings and the touch of humour. No need for strong visualisation, Stuart has you there right in the moment.
The book is full of perceptive everyday events that are all very real and "hey! That could have happened to me!". It is like following a guy day by day where not a lot interesting happens but you get a little bit of insightful information and clever look at the ways of the world.
A stronger story and this would have been bombproof.
I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book in paperback, from the Author himself.
The book is full of perceptive everyday events that are all very real and "hey! That could have happened to me!". It is like following a guy day by day where not a lot interesting happens but you get a little bit of insightful information and clever look at the ways of the world.
A stronger story and this would have been bombproof.
I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book in paperback, from the Author himself.
July 6, 2014
I'm a few years off a mid life crisis but a great review from one of the book sites and the cover had me hooked. I really enjoyed it and the characters were really well thought out. I think is an underlying social commentary as well which people of a certain age will relate to. Please don't let this be the last one, I'm eager to read more from Stuart Allen
June 26, 2014
Well what a ride! We'll worth it a go. I giggled the whole way through. Very realistic in a scary way. Crazy stuff Stuballs.
January 26, 2015
I won this book via a First Reads giveaway, though all of the opinions here are my own. I'll try not to include spoilers, though there may be a few. Just to warn you, on another note, the book has sexual content and a bunch of swearing. Though, I didn't feel like much of that was gratuitous. It all seemed fitting for the situations.
Parting Lines by Stuart Allen is a book about a man finding his true self after his life turns out horribly wrong. It's essentially a mid-life crisis. Tim Hoskings, the main character, has had the same life for a couple of decades. He has a wife, a normal job and a stable life. That is, until he decides to have an affair. Soon after, he goes into work and assaults a man. Now he has no home, because his wife has kicked him out. Now he has no job, because he has been fired for the assault. He lives on a yacht and hopes that he can fix what he has done to other people. This begins by trying to apologise to Derek, the man he had assaulted. It turns out that this Derek and his friend Cassandra can actually help Tim on a journey of rediscovery, though not everything goes to plan. Well... There wasn't really any plan in the first place, I guess.
I think that the plot was quite intriguing. There were a lot of ups, downs and inbetweens in the book. Though many of the events that happened seemed miserable, the way the book was written didn't make it feel unhappy. Which isn't a bad thing. I liked that way that Tim had a lot of terrible stuff going on his life, but he kept on going and doing his best to try and fix the stuff he had done, meanwhile trying to contribute to other peoples' lives. In many cases, the things that happened seemed a little unusual or far-fetched, but I didn't really mind. I think it's mainly because I knew that it was part of Tim's rebirth. He essentially has "woken up" and is trying new things, testing the waters for what he thinks he might like. There are several sub-plots and, while not all seem necessary, I do like that they all link together somehow and that they're all just pieces of some big puzzle slotting together. It was something of an emotional rollercoaster to read. I liked a lot of the subtle jokes and dry humour. Though, I also liked that there were kind of upsetting portions where I could feel sad or shocked at what had just happened in the book.
I liked most of the characters. My favourite had to be Derek. I just thought that he was such a sweet person and he seems so genuine. I liked the way he was eager to become friends with Tim even after being assaulted; it's hard to explain my feelings on the matter, but I just thought that his relationship with Tim was so sweet. I thought it quite incredible that Derek was willing to forgive Tim and that Tim was doing his best to become friends with a man who he had not even noticed until the assault. I liked that Cassandra was so willing to help Tim in his new journey. I know that, in some cases, she was just doing it to help Derek or herself, but it did seem like she was also doing it to help Tim.
As for characters I didn't really like, I suppose Clare and Todd would have to be the top of my dislike list. I just couldn't help but think that Clare was really selfish and kind of greedy as well. It just seemed, this is just my opinion, that she kept on complaining that Tim was the one that was selfish, but only ever kept on doing things for herself. The man essentially had no money, but she kept on demanding more from him, even though she had all of their savings and used it to pay for the mortgage. She went ahead and changed the locks of their house, even though his stuff was still there and he needed it. On Todd, I just didn't get the feeling that he was any sort of real friend to Tim. To me, it just seemed like he felt like he was being forced to meet up with Tim and that he never really wanted to spend any time with his friend. I understand that he was confused or mad by Tim's recent behaviour, though it just didn't seem like Todd would be the type of friend I would like to have for myself.
There are a few faults, in my opinion. There were a few storylines that felt a little unnecessary. For example, the reason's for the visit to the doctor and also the whole thing with the police and court case. I just didn't feel like either story really seemed like they completely fit. I thought that the ending was fitting. I think that Tim's story is essentially over for me. We (who have read it) can pretty much guess what happens next. Though, I must say that I thought the ending a little dull in comparison to what else happened in the novel (no offense intended, Mr Allen). I think that there are other characters in the book that I would like to have known more about and think that some of those storylines could be expanded well in another book. I'm quite intrigued by Josephine and her painting career, for example. I would also like to know about the Cassandra and Derek storyline.
I think that Stuart Allen has an interesting way of writing. I did really feel like it tested my emotions and it really kept me intrigued. I would like to read more of the author's work in future. Overall, I think that it has a few faults, but nothing is really wrong with the book, save for my opinionated feelings. So, essentially, I still think it's worth five stars.
Parting Lines by Stuart Allen is a book about a man finding his true self after his life turns out horribly wrong. It's essentially a mid-life crisis. Tim Hoskings, the main character, has had the same life for a couple of decades. He has a wife, a normal job and a stable life. That is, until he decides to have an affair. Soon after, he goes into work and assaults a man. Now he has no home, because his wife has kicked him out. Now he has no job, because he has been fired for the assault. He lives on a yacht and hopes that he can fix what he has done to other people. This begins by trying to apologise to Derek, the man he had assaulted. It turns out that this Derek and his friend Cassandra can actually help Tim on a journey of rediscovery, though not everything goes to plan. Well... There wasn't really any plan in the first place, I guess.
I think that the plot was quite intriguing. There were a lot of ups, downs and inbetweens in the book. Though many of the events that happened seemed miserable, the way the book was written didn't make it feel unhappy. Which isn't a bad thing. I liked that way that Tim had a lot of terrible stuff going on his life, but he kept on going and doing his best to try and fix the stuff he had done, meanwhile trying to contribute to other peoples' lives. In many cases, the things that happened seemed a little unusual or far-fetched, but I didn't really mind. I think it's mainly because I knew that it was part of Tim's rebirth. He essentially has "woken up" and is trying new things, testing the waters for what he thinks he might like. There are several sub-plots and, while not all seem necessary, I do like that they all link together somehow and that they're all just pieces of some big puzzle slotting together. It was something of an emotional rollercoaster to read. I liked a lot of the subtle jokes and dry humour. Though, I also liked that there were kind of upsetting portions where I could feel sad or shocked at what had just happened in the book.
I liked most of the characters. My favourite had to be Derek. I just thought that he was such a sweet person and he seems so genuine. I liked the way he was eager to become friends with Tim even after being assaulted; it's hard to explain my feelings on the matter, but I just thought that his relationship with Tim was so sweet. I thought it quite incredible that Derek was willing to forgive Tim and that Tim was doing his best to become friends with a man who he had not even noticed until the assault. I liked that Cassandra was so willing to help Tim in his new journey. I know that, in some cases, she was just doing it to help Derek or herself, but it did seem like she was also doing it to help Tim.
As for characters I didn't really like, I suppose Clare and Todd would have to be the top of my dislike list. I just couldn't help but think that Clare was really selfish and kind of greedy as well. It just seemed, this is just my opinion, that she kept on complaining that Tim was the one that was selfish, but only ever kept on doing things for herself. The man essentially had no money, but she kept on demanding more from him, even though she had all of their savings and used it to pay for the mortgage. She went ahead and changed the locks of their house, even though his stuff was still there and he needed it. On Todd, I just didn't get the feeling that he was any sort of real friend to Tim. To me, it just seemed like he felt like he was being forced to meet up with Tim and that he never really wanted to spend any time with his friend. I understand that he was confused or mad by Tim's recent behaviour, though it just didn't seem like Todd would be the type of friend I would like to have for myself.
There are a few faults, in my opinion. There were a few storylines that felt a little unnecessary. For example, the reason's for the visit to the doctor and also the whole thing with the police and court case. I just didn't feel like either story really seemed like they completely fit. I thought that the ending was fitting. I think that Tim's story is essentially over for me. We (who have read it) can pretty much guess what happens next. Though, I must say that I thought the ending a little dull in comparison to what else happened in the novel (no offense intended, Mr Allen). I think that there are other characters in the book that I would like to have known more about and think that some of those storylines could be expanded well in another book. I'm quite intrigued by Josephine and her painting career, for example. I would also like to know about the Cassandra and Derek storyline.
I think that Stuart Allen has an interesting way of writing. I did really feel like it tested my emotions and it really kept me intrigued. I would like to read more of the author's work in future. Overall, I think that it has a few faults, but nothing is really wrong with the book, save for my opinionated feelings. So, essentially, I still think it's worth five stars.
January 25, 2015
I received this book through First Reads Giveaways. It was a good story. I liked it. It had a bit more profanity than I like, but I assumed it would when I saw the cover. It's just a book about human life, you know? All the things that will and can go wrong and how we strive to overcome those things. It was open, honest, and real. It wasn't my usual type of book, but I really did enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews