The debut novel by Independent Nurse publisher Mark Allen, has won plaudits from leading literary figures for its realistic descriptions of the nursing world.
Life Term, published by Colenso Books, is a psychological thriller about a six-year-old boy who is sexually abused at random on a riverbank. Many years later, working as a psychiatric nurse, the protagonist is unexpectedly confronted with the opportunity for revenge.
John Sutherland, the emeritus Lord Northcliffe professor of modern English literature at University College, London and a former chair of the Man Booker Prize, described the author’s knowledge of nursing as ‘woven skilfully into the fabric of the narrative’.
Dr Faysal Mikdadi, a Palestinian-British poet and novelist, and academic director of The Thomas Hardy Society said: ‘The straightforward narrative style, almost entirely devoid of authorial interference and focusing very much on ‘events,’ works superbly. The characterisation, in terse and economic language, of the parents, brother and other persons around the narrator, leaves the narrative reverberating in the mind long after reading.’
Mr Allen, the founder and chairman of the Mark Allen Group, which publishes 100 magazines in 12 different sectors, said that as a debut novelist he was 'surprised and very flattered to be receiving some good reviews from such highly respected literary figures'.
Life Term can be ordered by emailing customercare@markallengroup.com or phoning 0800 137201 or 01722 716997. The special offer price, which runs to the end of April 2021, is £9.99 plus £3.99 p&p. You can also order through the author’s book page.