Tom Vaughan MacAulay (Red Door Publishing)
The fast-paced and cut-throat working environment of the city is at the heart of Being Simon Haines, which as the title suggests follows the life of the main character.
With the verdict of a campaign he has been working on for London law company Fiennes & Plunkett looming, the once aspirational young professional Simon decides to spend his rare free time out exploring in Cuba. As the book flashes back to significant periods from the past, his relationship with his girlfriend Sophie, and Dan who he met in university, the subsequent tumultuous episodes that have transpired are explored.
Delving into the fractured relations and stress of the city, the detailed descriptions manage to convey the gruelling environment with exceptional depth, and mixed emotions towards the characters’ extreme behaviour but also showing their vulnerable sides. Transporting the reader to the different locations, the calm Cuban scenes portray a juxtaposed outlook compared to the hectic way of life in the city, providing a fine balance – unlike main character Simon’s ability to organise his work/life situation as efficiently as possible.
Rather than an empty narrative void of empathy and emotion, the story scratches the surface to tackle the difficult subjects and the consequences of certain actions, providing a fascinating insight into the distinctive working world that we seem to hear so much about without experiencing the reality. Featuring themes of morality, love and nostalgia this is a well-informed debut novel from Tom Vaughan MacAulay who manages to set the scene with strong characters and vivid descriptions.
Price: £8.99. Info: www.reddoorpublishing.com (RH)