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Her Tale Was Told In Whispers
![Her Tale Was Told In Whispers by [Mutch Katsonga]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41RGYMJD-8L.jpg)
Her Tale was Told in Whispers by Mutch Katsonga is a haunting coming-of-age story about a young man who becomes fixated on a girl named Marcy who he witnesses being bullied at Knoxridge High School when they are teenagers. He does not join in bullying Marcy, but he doesn’t stand up against the bullies either. Then one day Marcy disappears, and when she reappears briefly, he feels regret for not defending her against the bullies. A short time later, he leaves Knoxridge High after a disturbing incident, and it is many years before he sees Marcy again. When Marcy vanishes from his life yet again, he is determined to find her. But will learning the truth of what really happened all those years ago change everything?
This was an intriguing story that kept my interest from the beginning all the way through to the end. As I read the book, I had many questions that I wanted to find the answers for, which kept me turning the pages. I liked the consistent element of mystery and uncertainty in the story. All the threads started to come together at the end, with the reader learning the true significance of many of the previous events. I liked that there was a surprise twist at the end which I did not expect. This book is a short novella that can be read in a few hours.
While I enjoyed this story, I felt that the flow of the story felt a bit disjointed, going from the time when Marcy was fourteen being bullied in high school, then recalling events from her earlier childhood, and then jumping to when Marcy is twenty-one years old. Also, I wanted more details around who was the narrator, where the story was taking place, and in what time period.
With those minor distractions aside, Her Tale was Told in Whispers is a riveting mystery novel that follows the lives of some very intriguing characters. With a rich atmosphere and easy storytelling, I think this would be a perfect book for fans of young adult literature.
Pages: 103 | ASIN: B085FW88BT
Where Wildfires Glow
![Where Wildfires Glow by [Katsonga, Mutch]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41K5a5gYVXL.jpg)
Discovering a young boy living in the wilderness would be an unexpected shock for anyone, just as it was for a local state trooper, but no one could have predicted the chilling truth that finding the boy would unearth. It’s this unexpected fact that evil thrives in, often striking in situations where we least expect it.
Mutch Katsonga’s latest book, Where Wildfires Glow, unexpectedly made me challenge my own personal view of the good and evil in the world. The introduction poses a series of deep, philosophical questions for the reader that I often found myself reflecting upon as I read the novel. I was skeptical at first as to whether the story would furnish me with the answers to these questions, particularly, considering that I deemed the start of the book to be slow. However, what I did not realize is that Katsonga was just setting up what was to come through his in depth descriptions of the landscape and natural world, and I found myself reliving these romantic descriptions during the climatic end. The child’s two contrasting encounters with the harsh wilderness are beautiful metaphors for the detrimental and damaging effects that abuse can have on a person.
The way in which Katsonga has narrated the story and not given the boy a identity means that as a reader, I struggled to form a connection with the character, regardless of the overwhelming compassion I felt. Whilst I thought that this made the story feel a bit empty at the beginning, I realised that this perfectly reflects the sense of detachment that evil inflicts on its’ victims. The writing is a bit unpolished with slight typos and grammatical errors which probably could have been avoided with thorough proofreading. Unfortunately the obvious mistakes often pulled my attention from the story, which was a shame at crucial moments, but this was definitely not to the point where I lost complete focus or the book was no longer enjoyable. Additionally, as the protagonist of the book is a young child, I felt that some of the words the used are too mature which I felt detracted from the authenticity.
However, the poignant moral behind the story is that evil can make us lose sight of who we are and taints our view of right and wrong. When we allow it into our lives, it will inevitably envelop us; our vision becomes tunnelled and focuses only on the negative. The cycle of abuse is unrelenting and will just keep going, manifesting in each generation, until something breaks it. Katsonga teaches us that evil cannot be fought with evil, and it is only the power of light and the power of good that can break the cycle. I believe that this book will challenge that way that every reader views negativity and the power that it can have on an individual and those around them. It made me more conscious about how my actions can affect others, and has encouraged me to make sure that I always give off a positive energy.
Pages: 160 | ASIN: B07CCJTGDB
The Ghost Years
![The Ghost Years by [Katsonga, Mutch]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/414brfs5dgL.jpg)
The very personal story of The Ghost Years by Mutch Katsonga will give you a first class seat straight to the heart of hell. And you will thank Katsonga for it. This first-person narrative follows the life of a young man caught up in the life of drugs in detail that is rarely found in literature. Katsonga is pulling no punches in showing us the mind of a junkie in this satisfying novel. While sometimes getting very close to it, The Ghost Years is careful not to put its characters into situations just to prove a point. What it does is allow them, and the reader, to grow as people in this hard-hitting and memorable study of the seedy underbelly of society. Several action scenes and a couple of twists and turns keep the story going to its well-earned conclusion.
I felt that many events that the main character had to endure do often seemed to be laid out just to have him fail. The character of Buzz, for example, with his never-ending optimism and somewhat expected twist revelation does come off as a narrative tool more than a real person. But still, somehow it works, and the story is better for having him in it.
Katsonga’s style of writing could be best described as “tell, don’t show”. I felt that exposition was overused to get us into the mind of the main character. Lines and lines of text are expended on questions about life, death and society. Because of this, I felt like the narrative and the view of the world appeared to be spoon-fed to me.
However, the advantage of this style quickly gets the reader up to speed. We are left with a great understanding of the motivation that drives the story line. The logic that his character follows is consistent and that was Katsonga’s goal all along. Some may not approve of the drug use in the story, just as in life, but we can give his character that one thing he was craving his whole life – understanding.
Previously moot and tired questions about the meaning of life get a whole new context when asked with an empty stomach and the craving for a new “hit”. The Ghost Years will have you asking about the reasons that make you get up in the morning – are you doing it because you are told to do so or because you choose to? How far do you have to drift aimlessly before you decide to take a direction for your life?
The Ghost Years by Mutch Katsonga gives us several clear and memorable lessons about the value of choice, life, drugs and society in this crude but honest and hard-hitting book.
Pages: 179 | ASIN: B079KSFGSS
LITERARY TITAN 