Real Life is Elsewhere

This fine novel reads like literary fiction but refuses to wear a definitive genre label. It's poignant, significantly thought-provoking, and littered with usage of the F-word which has almost disappeared from twenty-first century literature.
The author doesn't favour living characters in his narrative but populates his book with ghosts, both significant and insignificant. He kicks over the ashes of the iconic vagrant poet Arthur Rimbaud, and Robert Johnson, who is sometimes described as the first ever rock star. Both men achieved early deaths, and thus, as often happens in such cases, insured fame in posthumous longevity.
The author's visit to Charleville in the narrative allows him to recapture some sense of self and seek previously unfulfilled possibilities. Idle speculation becomes a quest for vindication or atonement in the arms of Anne Autry, if indeed she exists, watched over by his dead mother.
A sparkling rarity of outstanding and unique literary professionalism.

This was really well done, it had everything that I was hoping for from the description. The characters felt like they were meant to be in this universe. I enjoyed the use of writer and glad it worked well in this story. Mark Stewart-Jones has a great writing style and was able to create characters and a story that is realistic.