Review - Torn by Gilli Allan

Wow – what a great title for a book in which I felt - absolutely torn!

Jess is a thirty something, single, hard working, hard playing ex city trader, who discovered that she was pregnant without knowing who the father was, and she met a policeman Sean who took on her and her son Rory.  When bully Sean’s mental and physical abuse became too much for her to handle, she left him and upped sticks to the country where she thought she could escape him once and for all. 

One night while out having a drink with a friend, Sean turns up and starts to drag her around, and she is “rescued” by Danny and his friends, who are a group of hippy individuals.  While out with her friends on New Year’s Eve, she is strongly attracted to one of the guests and realises that it is Danny, who’s new appearance is a delight to her and he ends up spending the night at her house.  She discovers that he is only 19, yet her feelings for him develop throughout the book.  She is also drawn to the man that Danny works for James - a widower with a young daughter who is Rory’s best friend so they are thrown together on a number of occasions and their friendship also grows.  Who does she choose and why? Don’t ask me – you know I won’t tell you.  You’ll have to read it for yourself and find out! 

A charming book, in which you befried the main character Jess and just want her to be happy whatever it takes.  She has a wonderful relationship with her young son Rory which having a young son the same age myself, I could totally relate to.  Well written and perfectly developed characters make this an effortless and most enjoyable read, and you want to just keep on turning the pages to find out who she chooses, or if indeed she chooses either of them!  The homes and places that Gilli portrays are so expertly created that you can completely picture them and envisage the scenes as they unfold. 

I loved this book, it was emotional, sad, happy, funny and just generally fab!

Gilli Allan started to write novels in childhood.  She went to Croydon Art College when she left school and went on to do a variety of jobs including shop assistant, beauty consultant, barmaid and property.  She was happiest in her favourite job which was as a commercial artist.    She started to write again when she stopped work to have her son and Torn is her third novel. 

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