About the book
Away from the hotels and holiday lets, there is an unseen side of Cornwall, where the shifting uncertainties of the future breed resentment and mistrust.
Melody Janie is hidden. She lives alone in a caravan in Bones Break: a small cliff-top on Cornwall’s north coast. She spends her time roaming her territory, spying on passing tourists and ramblers, and remembering. She sees everything and yet remains unseen.
However, when a stranger enters her life, she is forced to confront not only him but the terrible tragedies of her past.
My review
This story stayed with me long after I finished it. Uncovering the Cornwall behind the picturesque photos and holiday advertisements, The Lip is a raw and powerful read. There’s a distinctive honesty to Charlie Carroll’s writing and the way he paints both his characters and their surroundings with a poignant, unflinching beauty. Melody Janie’s story and her blend of resilience and vulnerability really moved me. There were times where I had to take breaks from reading because of how absorbed I became in both her life and character.
Dealing with themes of grief, mental health, and isolation, the story dips between Melody Janie’s past and present, reaching the roots of her pain. There’s a twist that comes as a shock, but emphasises the heartbreaking, unforgiving reality of mental illness. The book also shines a light on the issue of treating Cornwall as a holiday destination alone, ignoring and compromising the lives of the people who live there.
Atmospheric, harrowing, and unique, The Lip is an important read – and one I recommend.
Thank you to John Murrays and Two Roads Books for having me on this blog tour!
About the author
Charlie Carroll is the author of three non-fiction books: The Friendship Highway (2014), No Fixed Abode (2013) and On the Edge (2010). He has twice won the K Blundell Trust Award for ‘writers under 40 who aim to raise social awareness with their writing’, wrote the voice-over for the TV series Transamazonica (2017), and is one of the Kindness of Strangers storytellers. His debut novel, The Lip, is out in March 2021.
Follow Charlie Carroll
Instagram: @charliecarrollauthor
Twitter: @CharlieCarroll1
Website: www.charliecarroll.co.uk
Follow John Murray Press
Instagram: @johnmurrays
Twitter: @johnmurrays
Website: www.johnmurraypress.co.uk
Follow Two Roads Books
Instagram: @tworoadsbooks
Twitter: @TwoRoadsBooks
Website: www.tworoadsbooks.com
Mila's Bookshelf 