House of straw by Marc Scott @marco1918253109

Book Description:

Traumatised by the tragic death of her twin brother, Brianna falls into a state of deep depression, isolating herself from the world and all those that care about her. When a twist of fate reveals that she has a half-sister she finds a new purpose in her life and sets out to find her sibling, desperately hoping she can fill the void left in her world.

Poppy has not enjoyed the same privileged lifestyle as her sister while growing up. Abandoned into the care system at the age of eight, she has encountered both physical and sexual abuse for most of her life. Passing through the hands of more care homes and foster families than she can remember, the damaged product of a broken upbringing, Poppy has never found a place to feel truly safe. Kicking back at society, she turns to drug abuse and acts of extreme violence to escape from reality.

When the two siblings are finally united, they discover that they have much more in common than their DNA. Their paths are shrouded with sinister secrets of betrayal and regret and both girls share a deep-rooted hatred for one of their parents. As the dark truths of their lives are unveiled they realise that nothing can ever be the same again…

My Thoughts:

This is an author who certainly knows how to start and end a story!

From the opening chapter, the author had my full attention. The story flicks between two half sisters Bree (Brianna) and Poppy. The two sisters couldn’t be anymore different. Bree has had a relatively privileged upbringing whilst Poppy has been in and out of different homes in care and is barely scraping a living.

Poppy you can’t help but feel empathy for even though she isn’t the most likeable of characters but then what she has been through has a lot to do with that. Through her character we are taken on a journey which involves domestic, sexual as well as drug abuse. Her story is not an easy one to read about but it helps explain the person that she has become.

Bree, I was never fully sure what to make of her. She is grieving over the loss of her twin brother and I think finding out she has another sibling, gives her something to latch onto. I cant say that Bree was that likeable either although along with Poppy, you got glimpses of something softer, they just never seemed to last for long.

House Of Straw was a dark and at times uncomfortable read that holds some real punches. It had me go through a whole array of emotions and kept me gripped throughout. The ending sent me in to turmoil with the revelations that both shocked and surprised me. Definitely wasn’t prepared for just how dark and twisted this turned out to be but it has left me very keen to read more by the author.

My thanks to the author for a readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.

Marc Scott was born and bred in the heart of East London. His dark and gritty writing style has earned him much praise with readers. 

He worked in the film and video industry for more than twenty years, the highlight of which was spending twelve months based in Hollywood, organising marketing campaigns for a UK film distributor. 

More recently he spent several years working with young offenders as part of his role associated with the court service. It was during this time he became deeply moved by the tragic story of one young girl who was struggling to come to terms with the neglect and abuse she had suffered throughout her life. Her tragic case inspired him to write his first novel HOUSE OF STRAW. 

The book has already received excellent reviews from bloggers and buyers and his second book is planned for release at the end of 2020. 

His favourite book is Birdy by William Wharton, which he confesses to have read at least half a dozen times. He also enjoys the works of Kazuo Ishiguro. ‘I love authors that can find something that is extraordinary in ordinary people’ he says. ‘A reader wants to feel like a bystander all through the journey and that only happens if they can feel an emotional attachment to the main characters’. 

Marc lives in Buckinghamshire and has three grown-up children George, Marissa and Amie. He says his daughters have been the main motivation behind his love of writing. ‘I always run everything past them. Their honest appraisals definitely keep me on the right track’ he says. 

He is a keen sports fan and has an undying passion for Leyton Orient Football Club.