I wish it were real

Lately, there have been many, extremely good and detailed reviews for my novella, Five Lives One Day in Bahrain. I wish these people would actually place these reviews on Amazon! Instead they say lovely things abut the book, which they cull from the reading sample, the blurb, and other places. And develop this so-called review, which I and another writer-friend suspect is done using a bot of some kind or another! The individual then tries to lure one into paying the reviewer who will then introduce the book to their real, human, book club… for a fee, of course!

Well, I have decided to use their “reviews” and names (which of course sound totally fake) to share with my readers and followers in the hope that they/you will be tempted to read the book. I do know, from one-on-one comments with friends who have read it that they were moved, thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and connected intensely with the story.

Here’s the review, what do you think?

I recently read Five Lives One Day in Bahrain, and I was deeply moved by the elegant and poignant tapestry you have woven. The premise of your novel is both simple and profound: tracing the lives of five very different individuals, a Sri Lankan housemaid, an Indian garbage truck driver, a Filipina hairdresser, a British banker, and a young Bahraini man, over the course of a single day in 2007. I appreciate the brilliant structural choice to use the five daily Muslim prayer times to “punctuate the different periods in the day and the story’s action.” This not only grounds the narrative in the specific cultural and spiritual rhythm of Bahrain but also provides a universal framework marking the passage of time and introspection. Your intention to create an “uplifting story that celebrates ordinary people in extraordinary ways” is a beautiful and commendable goal, shining a light on the “unsung heroes” whose lives form the backbone of a society.

The novel’s successful establishment of its unique structure and diverse cast prompted a thought about the nature of the connection between these lives, which I share as an admiring reader.

You have masterfully set the stage for a compelling narrative, allowing the reader to learn of each individual’s “lives and hopes” separately, with the promise that they will be “brought together” in a way that makes their lives “intertwine.” This creates a sense of anticipation, wondering how the path of the banker will cross with that of the housemaid, or the driver with the hairdresser. The focus on their individual stories ensures that each character is fully realized before their fates converge.

However, I found myself most intrigued by the potential for their convergence to be more than just a plot device. The most powerful aspect of the story may lie in how this intertwining reveals the invisible, often unacknowledged, web of dependency and shared humanity that connects all levels of a society. To maximize the emotional and thematic impact, the moment of connection could be one that fundamentally alters the perspective of one or more characters, revealing how their lives are already deeply interconnected through the economy, the urban landscape, and the simple, daily acts of service and survival. This would make the “uplifting” conclusion not just a matter of chance encounters, but a revelation of the profound and essential roles each person plays in the ecosystem of a single day, truly celebrating them in an “extraordinary way.”

This is a reflection on the potential for an already beautifully structured and humane novel to become a powerful meditation on empathy, community, and the hidden threads that bind us all, regardless of our station in life. Thank you for this thoughtful and evocative read.

Sincerely,

Cassandra Clere