I am excited to be on the tour for this emotive read.
Submitting the plot:
Bright, promising Emma is entangled in a toxic romance with her old professor - and she's losing control.
Cruel, charming Tom is idolized by his students and peers - confident he holds all the cards.
In their small Oxford home, he manipulates and undermines her every thought and act. Soon, he will push her to the limit and she must decide: to remain quiet and submit, or to take her revenge.
Written in verse and charged with passion and anger, The Poet is a portrait of a deeply dysfunctional relationship, exploring coercive control, class and privilege. It is also a page-turning tale of female solidarity and survival.
Bobs and Books honest review:
I have to admit that it did take me a few pages to get used to the form, and then when I got used to it, I recognised how much more impactful it made the words. Some phrases are simply breath taking.
I was a teeny bit cynical initially and thought that maybe all the student/professor stories had finally been done. Turns out, I am very happy to be wrong as this comes at it from not only a different form, but also a very different angle.
This is passion fuelled and very direct. There is no mistaking what is being said, no room for ambiguity. I was completely entranced throughout.
Engaging and edgy.
About the author:
Louisa Reid has lived in Cambridge, London and Zurich, and now lives near Manchester. She graduated with a degree in English from Oxford before training as an English teacher at Cambridge University and she continues to work as a teacher. Louisa is the author of four novels for young adults: Black Heart Blue and Gloves Off were both nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal.
Out now.