It was supposed to be a love story. One unlucky girl, ´a magnet for unfortunate events´ accidentally met her soulmate. He, a romantic looking for love, playing love songs met his soulmate. Love at first sight, do you believe in?
However, the reality proved differently. Mark, the kind and selfless piano player proved to hide a dark merciful soul. While Holly, always on the run, had the profile of the perfect victim for abusive men looking to control her at any price.
The Soulmate by best selling author Rona Halsall takes the reader to the most unexpected thrilling journey from Scotland to the beautiful Wales. Approaching very sensitive topics such as violence against women, parental abuse and mental health, it is playing so many tricky games with us, the readers, that at the end of the book you are left completely confused.
The story unfolds as a game of masks that are switching from one stage of the story to another. The naive musicians that selflessly followed Holly trying to save her from an violent and controlling boyfriend was in fact a cute psychopats whose only real true friend was a parrot. Holly may be a victim, but her ambiguity may be confusing and her flaws irritating. Mark´s mother was indeed abusive, but does it excuse his game of playing God with her?
The Soulmate not only tells a story with spectacular twists and unexpected changes of situations, but also compells us to answer fundamental questions about life and the train of things - or rather their distorsion. Big questions rarely receive THE answer, but stories may challenge our minds to keep thinking about fundamental life&death choices.
A book to remember and an author would be happy to come back soon.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
