The blurb of this book sounded different to many I have read recently and I loved the unique cover so when I was offered a place on this blog tour by Rachel Random Resources I had to accept.
Book Review: Dyed Souls by Gary Santorella
Dyed Souls Book Cover
Title: Dyed Souls
Author: Gary Santorella
Publisher: Matador
Genre: Young Adult, New Adult, General fiction
Release Date: 6th February 2018
Blurb
Described by John Lloyd of The Bookbag as “Catcher in the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Dyed Souls is a gritty coming-of-age literary novel, set in a residential treatment center in 1980’s California.
Charlie Lyle loves science, natural history, and the world of the mind, and it is his refuge and salvation as he copes with his drug-addicted mother and a world of circumstances well-beyond his grasp. More a work of philosophy than psychology, “For the teen it has a galling coming-of-age, redemption quest. For the adult it has that, as well as a literary look at a singular fictional life.”
Purchase Links
Troubadour – https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/contemporary/dyed-souls/
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dyed-Souls-Gary-Santorella/dp/1788038096
US – https://www.amazon.com/Dyed-Souls-Gary-Santorella/dp/1788038096
My Thoughts
From the moment my stomach lurched with Charlie’s and I felt every swerve of the car as he is driven to the residential treatment centre I knew this author had written one of those books that stays with you for a lifetime. I was not wrong. I loved this hard-hitting, gritty sometimes disturbing novel. All the kids have troubled backgrounds, and it does not shy away from the consequences of these. For those who look for trigger warnings this may not be the book for you but the depth of all the characters and use of language is wonderful and gives an eye opening insight into their lives. It was refreshing to read a male perspective of a screwed up childhood and Charlie’s voice leapt off the page giving the emotional connection a book needs. He is intelligent, and he uses his love of Darwin to make sense of his chaotic world as he discovers love for the first time and who he is. Usually I would say “grab a box of tissues” but this novel is too intense for that, I was gripped to the end and I could not help feeling I was a different person after closing the book. It is hard to believe this is a debut fiction novel and look forward to discovering what Gary Santorella writes next.
Would I recommend?
Oh yes. It is one of those books for my forever shelf that just looking at the cover will transport me back to Hawthorne. It is a powerful book that I can see as being seen as a classic in the future and I feel privileged to have it on my shelf.
Author Biography
Gary Santorella
Gary Santorella, Owner, Interactive Consulting is a Lean implementation, organizational development, conflict resolution, and team-building specialist. He has a BA in Behavioural Psychology from Providence College, Providence, RI (1980), a Master’s Degree in Occupational Social Welfare from UC Berkeley (1990), and is a licensed cognitive-behavioural therapist in the State of California. His book: Lean Culture for the Construction Industry: Building Responsible & Committed Project Teams 2nd Edition was published by Productivity Press (a division of Taylor & Francis) in 2017. His first novel, Dyed Souls, was published by Matador Publishing in 2018.
Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/Dyed-Souls-577806782579433/?modal=admin_todo_tour
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38451700-dyed-souls
Dyed Souls has won two awards:
Silver in the 2018 Global eBook Awards – Young Adult Fiction Category
Chill With a Book Readers Award.
Thank you Rachel Gibley and Matador and Gary Santorella for the copy of this novel to read to give an honest, unbiased review.
Love
From Under the Duvet 
2 thoughts on “Blog Tour and Book Review: Dyed Souls by Gary Santorella”