Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by dans_bookscape
Nana by Mark Towse
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Nana – @towseywrites
‘Meet Olly’s nana, Ivy. It takes more than clean dentures, brandy, and bingo night to keep this one happy! Nana Ivy lives in Newhaven Crescent, where most of the other residents are past their expiry date and all kinds of batshit crazy, the kind of place where you hang your sanity up at the door. Being the matriarchal type, Ivy cares for the other residents as though they were kin, so of course, it’s of enormous concern when their veins begin to blacken and they start shedding skin, not to mention the glistening things crawling out of their hair. They’re pushing their luck, and Nana Ivy knows it. Did I mention she has a dark secret? Young Olly doesn’t know what to make of it when he comes to visit, but he’s about to find out there’s more to his nana than cough drops and slippers. Oh yes, he’s in for a long night.’
I normally write notes for book as I’m going as preparation for doing these posts...for Nana, I wrote one thing ‘eeeewww’. Simplistic I know, but I feel it sums up what I was going through my head throughout this novella.
There’s old people literally falling apart, a box full of toe nails, geriatric orgies and the odd sacrifice...what more could you want from a story right?
Seriously though the novella is, whilst gross, genuinely funny as these old people just totally don’t give a shit and will say and do what they want. They are decomposing, pissing and shitting themselves but they have a goal...carry on living no matter the cost!
This is another fun read from Mark Towse, his stories are so unique and crazy and this is a great quick read.
‘Meet Olly’s nana, Ivy. It takes more than clean dentures, brandy, and bingo night to keep this one happy! Nana Ivy lives in Newhaven Crescent, where most of the other residents are past their expiry date and all kinds of batshit crazy, the kind of place where you hang your sanity up at the door. Being the matriarchal type, Ivy cares for the other residents as though they were kin, so of course, it’s of enormous concern when their veins begin to blacken and they start shedding skin, not to mention the glistening things crawling out of their hair. They’re pushing their luck, and Nana Ivy knows it. Did I mention she has a dark secret? Young Olly doesn’t know what to make of it when he comes to visit, but he’s about to find out there’s more to his nana than cough drops and slippers. Oh yes, he’s in for a long night.’
I normally write notes for book as I’m going as preparation for doing these posts...for Nana, I wrote one thing ‘eeeewww’. Simplistic I know, but I feel it sums up what I was going through my head throughout this novella.
There’s old people literally falling apart, a box full of toe nails, geriatric orgies and the odd sacrifice...what more could you want from a story right?
Seriously though the novella is, whilst gross, genuinely funny as these old people just totally don’t give a shit and will say and do what they want. They are decomposing, pissing and shitting themselves but they have a goal...carry on living no matter the cost!
This is another fun read from Mark Towse, his stories are so unique and crazy and this is a great quick read.