Usually, a book that even dares to mention “Covid” once will send me running for the hills and screaming my lungs out. However, the pretext of lockdowns was used so skillfully, and the whole subject dealt with so sensitively, that I hardly realised I was reading about a time-period which bracketed the unmentionable virus. There was no belabouring the point at all, and the plot and premise most definitely took centre stage in this entertaining read. For me, this is a wonderfully imaginative take on the whole concept of lockdown and how that can be used to further your own nefarious ends. 

“It’s like one of those viral videos taken inside some swanky apartment complex, where all the slim and fit thirty-something residents are doing star jumps behind the glass railings of their balconies while the world burns.” From this lengthy yet intriguing opening line, we are dragged–quite compellingly–into the world of Ciara and Oliver, where nothing and nobody is what they seem. The world building, characterisation, and plot building were all well done, and I found myself able to believe the set-up and fall into the story.

While the pacing is at a slow burn, it’s a gripping read nonetheless, and I did not want to have to put it down. Here are some lines I loved … “

The residents are used to living above and below and beside other people’s entire lives while pretending to be utterly unaware of them; hearing each other’s TVs and smelling each other’s cooking but never learning each other’s names.” … A sad but true observation of modern-day life.

And … “Which was bad, because he couldn’t afford to feel good. That was always when bad things started to happen.”

And … “Everything he’s wearing is fit so snugly that she fears she could be committing a sex crime just by looking at him.” 

And, finally, … “The stench feels like it’s got so thick that it’s taken on a solid shape, and that shape is coiling around Lee’s neck like a deadly python, slithering and tightening, making her windpipe dangerously small.”

 As you can see, I enjoyed this book immensely. The main reason this read didn’t get five stars was due to the frequent overuse of unnecessary words such as “practically”, “literally” and “really”, which I find so totally off-putting and which detract from the enjoyment of the read. Time and again, this sort of stuff pulled me out of the fiction, and I had to work to get back into the tension of the story. As it is, I did enjoy this book and will most definitely check out the writer’s other books. 56 Days gets a solid four stars from me.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.