A Godawful Small Affair by J B Morrison

Fifteen year old Zoe Love has gone missing from her home in Brixton. As her father alerts police, and a thorough search of the area is undertaken, her younger brother Nathan believes he has a better plan. A year earlier, Zoe claimed to have been abducted by aliens but no one believed her. Nathan thinks those same aliens have come back for her, and he, by getting abducted himself, is the only one who can bring Zoe back. He puts on his bright orange spacesuit costume, packs his rucksack with supplies - including a telescope, Swiss army knife, a Christmas cracker compass, and an MP3 player with Zoe's favourite David Bowie playlist - and waits. As the weeks drag on, and no aliens show up, even Nathan has to face the fact that maybe Zoe won't be coming home.

The previous books I've read by JB Morrison (once Jim Bob, the singer of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine) have been gentle comedies focusing on the life of 80-something Frank Derrick. A Godawful Small Affair is a change of pace with a total change in lead character. The story unfolds through the eyes and thoughts of ten year old Nathan, as he struggles to understand what has happened and tries to make sense of it in the only way he knows how - it's all down to aliens - and, although here and there lighter humorous moments peep through, the subject matter is serious.
Morrison handles the subject and perspective well, particularly his capturing of the mind-set of a ten year old, obsessed by anything and everything related to space. At first I thought we might be in a Stranger Things/ET- style scenario of actual aliens but we aren't; what happens to Zoe is an awfully familiar affair, seen so many times in the news.

There are plenty of 'missing person' novels out there, either following a police investigation or the unraveling of dramatic family secrets, but this is neither thriller nor high drama; following events from Nathan's perspective it manages to be both gentler and more devastating. It's a powerful book, heart-wrenching in its ending, but full of the love that binds family together.

Maryom's Review - 5 stars
Publisher - Cherry Red 
Genre - adult fiction

Frank Derrick's Holiday of a Lifetime by J B Morrison

review by Maryom

Frank Derrick is about to be whisked away from cold damp Fullwind on Sea and his life of charity shop trawling and free bus-rides to the 'big Sainsburys', heading off to sunny California. He may be 82 but he's never been one to act his age so when his daughter Beth phones to tell him two pieces of bad news, he decides he must go and see her - after all what are fathers for if not to help out in a sticky patch? The main problem is Beth lives at least a 12 hour flight away. Then there's the minor issue of how to fund the trip; Frank doesn't exactly have money to spare - more like unpaid debts - but where there's a will there's a way to find the cash. So Frank buys a 'new' set of suitcases from the charity shop, gets out his best Hawaiian shirts and heads west. Arriving in California, he discovers granddaughter Laura has laid on an itinerary not only to show him all the sights, but for a family reunion to bring happiness back to her mum's life.

  Frank's holiday is like a dream come true - he visits all the famous locations he knows from movies and TV, sees the homes of Hollywood stars, walks in their footsteps, and is as over-joyed as a child - but the greatest happiness comes from being with his family again. At the same time, the book is tinged with sadness for even the best of holidays has to come to an end, and what will Frank do then?

 I loved  The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, age 81 , and this second instalment of Frank's adventures is easily as funny as the first. Filled with wry humour, heart-warming without being schmaltzy, JB Morrison's tales of eighty-something Frank are a delight.

Like Extra Ordinary Life, this is a story about seizing opportunities, embracing new things, and not letting age be a reason to slow down and opt out. I hope there are many more adventures still to come for Frank.

Maryom's Review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Pan Books
Genre - adult fiction, humour

The Extra Ordinary Life of Frank Derrick, age 81 by JB Morrison

review by Maryom

Frank Derrick has just turned 81 - but his only birthday surprise was being run over by a milk float. Now, with a broken arm and fractured foot, he's not looking forward to the next few weeks cooped up in his flat with only Bill his cat for company. He didn't get out much before - a trip to the charity shop to pick up some 'bargains' or to the care home where his friend, former punk rocker Smelly John, lives. Now Frank's to take things easy (as if any easier were possible), and to make sure he does, his daughter has arranged a 'carer' for him. Frank's dreading the arrival of a strict no-nonsense matronly type, so young, cheerful Kelly Christmas is a bit of a surprise. In a Mary Poppins sort of way, Kelly doesn't confine herself to housework but sets out to widen Frank's horizons with trips to the beach and the 'big' supermarket. Frank is enchanted but Kelly has only been hired for a few weeks - how will he manage without her?

Rather like The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules or The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , this is a novel that challenges the way we 'youngsters' see those older than us; they're not all 'old dears' ready to settle for a life of slippers and vegetating in front of daytime TV - some of them at least are still wanting to live things up a little! Frank's life hasn't been special in any way, other than being his life, and now he finds himself lumped in with all the other old folk; all expected to think alike and share the same tastes in music or TV. To say he finds the prospect dreary is an understatement! Kelly's influence turns him around and re-awakens his interest in the world beyond his flat and the charity shop; there are still adventures to be had (maybe on a small scale, but adventures nonetheless), new things to discover (couscous and tattoos) and still some dreams to fulfil.
It's a gently humorous tale which I really enjoyed; it has its sad, moving moments but the overall feeling is upbeat and positive  - and maybe Frank could teach us all something about not giving up on our hopes and dreams?

Maryom's Review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Pan Books
Genre - adult fiction, humour