Smash all the Windows

Smash all the Windows by Jane Davis

For the first time in my reading life, I finished a book, turned back to page one and started reading it again. The story and characters so compelling, the story telling so complex, complete, and often subtle—I simply couldn't just move on to another book.

But the more urgent need for the immediate reread came from the emotions evoked.

Tragedies happen all the time. People are killed—floods, fires, airplane crashes, auto accidents, tsunamis….

They happen far away to people we don’t know. We, on the other hand, are tucked away in our safe little corner of the world, cocooned by family and friends, smug in our security, subconsciously believing “that will never happen to us.”

Focusing on a few of the individuals connected to a Tube accident in London blamed on the dead, Davis shows the harshness of the impact on the families of the dead and the burden of sorrow they carry that lasts forever. Davis shakes us out of our complacency and rightly so.

What inspired the novel?

Davis says: The novel began with outrage. I was infuriated by the press’s reaction to the outcome of the second Hillsborough inquest. For those who don’t know about Hillsborough, a crush occurred during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final, killing 96 fans. A single lie was told about the cause of the disaster: In that moment, Liverpool fans became scapegoats.” Read more HERE 

It has taken conviction to right the wrongs.

It will take courage to learn how to live again.

‘An all-round triumph.’ John Hudspith

For the families of the victims of the St Botolph and Old Billingsgate disaster, the undoing of a miscarriage of justice should be a cause for rejoicing. For more than thirteen years, the search for truth has eaten up everything. Marriages, families, health, careers and finances.

Finally, the coroner has ruled that the crowd did not contribute to their own deaths. Finally, now that lies have been unravelled and hypocrisies exposed, they can all get back to their lives.

If only it were that simple.

Tapping into the issues of the day, Davis delivers a highly charged work of fiction, a compelling testament to the human condition and the healing power of art. Written with immediacy, style and an overwhelming sense of empathy, Smash all the Windows will be enjoyed by readers of How to Paint a Dead Man by Sarah Hall and How to be Both by Ali Smith.

If you do read Smash all the Windows, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

www.darlenejonesauthor.com

The thrill of finding a new (to me) author - Jane Davis

Scrolling through my Paperwhite recently, I happened on An Unknown Woman by Jane Davis and, intrigued by the sample, decided to buy it.
"Where has this writer been hiding?" was my first thought as I read. Only later did I realize she's written several books. I've since read her I Stopped Time and have added more of her work to my e-reader.
And now this:


Jane Davis Launches ‘Unpredictable’ Eighth Novel
CARSHALTON, SURREY, 12 February -
Fans of Davis’s fiction have stopped trying to predict where she’ll take her writing next. Since winning the Daily Mail First Novel Award in 2008, she’s become known for writing about big subjects and giving her characters almost impossible moral dilemmas. She’s said in the past that what interests her is how people behave under pressure, because it reveals so much about them. And as the tagline of Smash all of the Windows suggests, her new offering is no exception.

When life steals everything you love, is anger the only answer?
Says Davis, “This book started life as my reaction to the outcome of the second inquest about the Hillsborough football stadium disaster, when the ruling that had laid the blame at the feet of football fans was overturned. The expectation was that now justice had been delivered, the families could ‘get on with their lives’. My question was, What lives?

In creating my fictional disaster, I combined two of my fears – travelling in rush hour by Tube, and escalators – plus a fall I suffered on my way to a book-reading in Covent Garden. I was overloaded, having just finished a day’s work in the city. I was carrying my laptop bag, my briefcase, plus I had a suitcase full of books in tow. The escalator that I normally use was out of order and we were diverted to one that was much steeper and faster. I pushed my suitcase in front of me and it literally dragged me down head first. Fortunately, there was no one directly in front of me, but things could have ended very differently.”

Jane spent her twenties and the first part of her thirties chasing promotions at work, but when she achieved what she’d set out to do, she discovered that it wasn’t what she had wanted after all. It was then that she turned to writing. Her debut, Half-truths and White Lies, won the Daily Mail First Novel Award. Seven further novels, which straddle contemporary, historical, literary and women’s fiction genres, have earned her comparisons to Kate Atkinson and Maggie O’Farrell. An Unknown Woman, was Writing Magazine’s Self-Published Book of the Year 2016.
Smash all the Windows
Genre: Modern and Contemporary Fiction (FA), Literary, General fiction
‘A dazzling high wire walk through interwoven strands balanced so carefully you know you’ll never fall.’ Dan Holloway, novelist, poet and spoken word artist
‘Just fricking perfect. An all-round triumph.’ John Hudspith
‘This is an astounding read. I was completely captivated.’ Liz Carr

It has taken conviction to right the wrongs.
It will take courage to learn how to live again.
For the families of the victims of the St Botolph and Old Billingsgate disaster, the undoing of a miscarriage of justice should be a cause for rejoicing. For more than thirteen years, the search for truth has eaten up everything. Marriages, families, health, careers and finances.
Finally, the coroner has ruled that the crowd did not contribute to their own deaths. Finally, now that lies have been unravelled and hypocrisies exposed, they can all get back to their lives.
If only it were that simple.
Smash all the Windows will be released on 12 April, but you can pre-order it now for the special price of 99p/99c (Price increases to £1.99 on 12 March. Price on publication will be £3.99). The Universal Link is books2read.com/u/49P21p

From 13 February to 10 March, US readers can also enter a Goodreads Giveaway for a chance to win one of 100 eBooks. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447206-smash-all-the-windows

Contact

Website: https://jane-davis.co.uk
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JaneDavisAuthorPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/janedavisauthor
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/janeeleanordavi/boards/

www.darlenejonesauthor.com