Kelso Simon’s first book, A Monster’s Tale, reaches into the dark mind of a desperate man and follows his journey from a lovable, dependable man into a monster. The characters are vibrant and believable, and I am sure that most can relate to the everyday struggles of trying to do the right thing whilst watching those with no morals have a better life, or seemingly so.
I was interested to read a book based in my hometown and I am sure that a few of the characters are people that I have encountered over time. I felt that I knew Brett and it was easy for me to identify with him. As I followed his story, I found myself wishing a better life for him but at the same time wanting him to succeed in his quest to right all the wrongs that he had suffered over the years.
The book looks at the unjust justice system that we still live in today, with fathers being prevented from seeing their children and no legal aid available for them to challenge the courts. The feeling of helplessness, depression and frustration for the society that we live in made it a gritty, realistic page turner.
I had the opportunity to talk with Kelso Simon about his first book, why he chose to write it and why he had based it in his hometown.
“I originally began to write my story as a form of therapy as at the time was suffering from depression. I found that writing and expressing some of my frustrations through writing a story gave me an output and it really did help whilst I was going through a tough time. The parental custody system in Britain when couples split is also something that has caused me frustration in the past and I feel this needs to be looked at in a more balanced way, and that is why the book features these issues quite heavily in the first half of the story.
I also wanted to reflect on how in 21st century society people’s self-worth seems to be more and more based on their level of status and how much they are earning and how this concept can impact people’s mental health.
I set the book in Leicester as it’s my hometown and many of the places featured in the book such as “The Empire pub” that are now no longer there were a big part of my life in my early 20’s. So, it was a form of nostalgia so to speak.”
I would highly recommend The Monster’s Tale as an overview of issues in today’s society and I feel compelled to empower Kelso Simon to continue his writing and tell it how it is for today’s working class hero’s. You can buy the book through The Book Guild or Amazon.
