The Donor [Paperback]

The premise of this story fascinated me, so I just had to read it. It sounded a bit Picoult-esque actually, which made it all the more intriguing. I've read a few good family drama books lately and I was curious to see how this one would compare.

The book focuses on single father Will, who has raised his twin daughers Kay and Georgie ever since his wife walked out on them when the girls were babies. Will doesn't have many prospects but he has devoted himself to his children all his life and its when the girls get a bit older and they *both* suffer kidney failure that he may have a heartbreaking decision to make... if he can save one of his daughters, then which one should he choose?

There are many aspects to this novel that I enjoyed and that made it such a compelling read. Firstly, there is a good backstory given as to the nature of the relationship between Will and his wife leading up to the birth of the twins, so their story is fully retold and you learn what has occurred in the past and what caused the fracture of their relationship. Sometimes these kind of recaps can read as a bit trite or be dull and overlong, but it worked well here. The story itself is also told from different characters perspectives- including Georgie's, which makes a lot of sense and allows the reader to understand more about the twins relationship with their dad which isn't always easy, as well as the effects of their illness.

Another factor that I thought fitted was that there was a good emphasis in the different personalities of the twin's right from the outset of the novel. Georgie starts off as a generally horrible human being and as being really awful to her father. I didn't like her very much if I'm honest, but at least she wasn't a wishy washy character. None of the characters in this book can be described as two-dimensional, which is a good thing. In my opinion, the book was filled with completely dysfunctional characters, all of whom are damaged in their own way- not nicey-nicey ones, which makes it more human and real. Grim situations are featured, from kidney dialysis in a hospital to Strangeways Prison. There's a mention of drugs and abuse and its really gripping in places. However, I did think some of the sex scenes between the various characters were a little bit much and were only put into this book for effect- they just didn't seem overly necessary- at least not all of them!

The book is quite blunt in places, sad in other parts and in others I was actually left visibly wincing at the situation the family had been placed in and the tough choices they needed to make. The author has managed to really show tension and turmoil in a very successful way. I really felt for Will who grew stronger and more determined as the story progressed. The story is also funny in other chapters though (which sounds a bit strange to say given its heavy subject matter), particularly with the addition of `genius' private detective Preston. He is the light comic relief that this novel needed and he is probably my favourite character out of all of them- with his many layers and odd quirks. He keeps this novel from being too bleak.

My only real complaint is that the twins own relationship isn't really expanded upon very much and that they weren't portrayed as being particularly close like you would probably expect, particularly given what they have been through together. You also seem to get to know Georgie quite well, but not Kay. It's also a bit of a stereotypical cliché to say that one twin was depicted as nice and the other as a little bit nasty, but they were. These are my only real gripes about this novel and they are only minor ones yet didn't detract from the storyline itself in any particular way and I still found it a brilliant read with a really good twist that I didn't see coming.

Ultimately this is the story of desperation, sacrifice and a father's unyielding love for his daughters. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it as a book to get absorbed in, particularly if you like stories with a bit of real, emotive drama.

I've read a few of Helen's books but this is without a doubt my favourite. She did a reading at my local library which I found really interesting, This is unusual as they normally bore the arse off me. She has a background in Criminal Social Work and gave us a really honest and open insight into her background and how it moulds her work. I loved the fact that she obviously had a passage in mind and didn't let a middle class elderly audience nudge her off course carrying on with the racey bits/swearing etc. At the q&a post reading (over cheese and wine as you would expect) I asked the first question and tried to make it as challenging as possible (in a good way as I suspected that was what she liked), I was right, she handled it with ease, even seemed to enjoy it.

Sophie's Choice by William Styron is a fav of mine so i was intrigued by the theme. Styron was a guy who didn't shirk from his responsibilities to make fiction 'real' (the finger rape on the dark train). I get fed up with readers complaining about sex, swearing etc. It happens in the real world and I for one am glad we have writers like Styron (and Helen) who don't patronise me and give it to me minus the sugar coating.

I'm a proud Glaswegian and when i read/watch any fiction set in my home town if I'm honest I probably look for errors relating to the sense of place, dialect etc, i could find none with this book everything Glasgow related is 100% accurate.

As with most of us I like to root for the underdog and Will (the father) was an absolute pleasure to go on the journey with. I really felt him change as the story developed and although I started off feeling sorry for him by the end I was proud of him. Not just Will, all the characters are so vivid I got a real sense of each of them.

Plot development is a masterclass. I like twists and turns and trying to second guess writers but I had no clue what was going to happen next and a few times was just blown away. The biggest twist totally caught me off guard and I had to go for a cup of tea to get my head round it. In fairness I was the last person in the cinema who realised that Bruce Willis was a ghost in Sixth Sense.

Speaking of which Helen (although I doubt you read these).. This is has got film written all over it ;)

Nowadays I find myself giving up on novels as often as I finish them. Formulaic plots, two dimensional characters... I just can't be bothered ploughing through them any more. Which is why it's such a genuine delight when I find a novel like The Donor. Without giving too much away, this is the story of a father - an ordinary man with ordinary flaws - who faces a terrible dilemma. His twin daughters are suffering from a terrible disease and need kidney transplants. He is, of course, desperate to help them both. But he only has one kidney spare; so which daughter should he save? Let me say right away that this isn't misery lit - it's a dark, often hilarious, occasionally shocking book which had me reading late into the night. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone who, like me, loves reading well-written, intelligent, compelling novels. Top marks!