MJ Reviews – New Book: The Old Friend – Chantelle Atkins – @Chanatkins – A collection of tales and poems #review #poetry #tales

Blurb

A sinister town that’s not on any map, mysterious black vans and missing people, a book that can kill you, a vengeful mother, an account of life after death, and your worst nightmares come true. This is a strange and dark collection of poems, short stories and musings on a variety of gritty subjects, such as revenge, body image, fear, death, life, motherhood, nature and writing.  

My review

This is an interesting collection of unusual tales and poems some of which will stay in my thoughts for a long time!

Many were relatable to me personally – the poem – We Write – and – The Writer Woman – A Cautionary Tale exploring the addictive side of writing obsession which is oh so understandable to us writing types!

Three of my horror favourites – the tale of so-called friends in Child’s Eye, Dylan’s Dream, and the weird, grotesque and not so simple purchase of a shed in The Shed!

The unwelcome attitude to strangers in small towns is portrayed and executed with a creepy ending in Black Hare Valley. There are some character style, reflective and human interest poems like Stan, Dark Little Girl, All These Thoughts of Dying, A Woman of a Certain Age and Crushed By A Number which I really was impressed by.

And poignant tales about death, risk, darkness, fear and confusion… 7 minutes, Moonlit Shadow, Driving The Bends, The Black Van and Slug which will creep you out especially if you are scared of slugs!

Another favourite was The Rubbish Man about people who dump their rubbish. The working world, difficulties, and challenges of life are explored in poems such as Monday Morning, Fine Wine, and Tired. And the darker thoughts of the pandemic and worst case scenario in tales such as Outside. Those who love the forest, (I do!) will be drawn into The Forest.

I loved the poem called The Universe which brings a sense of hope in difficult times.

A collection which you would benefit from reading more than once to gain more insight. Excellent tales and poetry. Highly recommended.

My rating: 4.5 stars

I also thoroughly enjoyed Chantelle Atkins The Mess of Me – my review link: https://mjmallon.com/2021/03/25/book-review-the-mess-of-me-by-chantelle-atkins-chanatkins-book-review-ya/

The Old Friend Releases April 29th:

Chantelle Atkins

Chantelle Atkins was born and raised in Dorset, England and still resides there now with her husband, four children, and multiple pets. She is addicted to reading, writing, and music and writes for both the young adult and adult genres. Her fiction is described as gritty, edgy and compelling. Her debut Young Adult novel The Mess Of Me deals with eating disorders, self-harm, fractured families and first love. 

Her second novel, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side follows the musical journey of a young boy attempting to escape his brutal home life and has now been developed into a 6 book series. She is also the author of This Is Nowhere and award-winning dystopian, The Tree Of Rebels, plus a collection of short stories related to her novels called Bird People and Other Stories. The award-winning Elliot Pie’s Guide To Human Nature was released through Pict Publishing in October 2018. A Song For Bill Robinson is the first in her YA trilogy.

Director at Chasing Driftwood Writing Group CIC: https://chasingdriftwoodwritinggroup.org/

Author at https://chantelleatkins.com/

Have you read any of Chantelle’s wonderful work? I urge that you do. Please comment below.