Out of the Tower

A Detective Story of the Emotions

By: Alison Gray

Narrated by: Jennifer Gill

Jemima Forbes is seven years old when a mysterious event occurs and her father and uncle disappear from her life one night. She spends her growing years obsessing about this, and when she is old enough, she leaves home to find out what happened.

©2014 Alison M Gray (P)2018 Alison M Gray

A haunting story of family dysfunction and drama..

Out of the Tower is a haunting story of family drama and dysfunction told through the eyes of Gemima Forbes. This book was listed under the detective fiction genre, but it should definitely not be included there. The majority of the book takes place in Gemima's life from the time she is 16 years old until her mid-twenties. I had to keep reminding myself that so many of her actions and thoughts are based on the fact that she was essentially a teenager during the entire book. Due to many familial factors, including her mother being emotionally distant, her father abandoning the family when she was seven, and her beloved uncle leaving without explanation the same night, Gemma is very immature, self-focused and irrational in her thought processes and dealings with the people in her life. Everything in her world revolves around her uncle, the only person she felt ever loved her, and his disappearance from her life keeps Gemma from developing mature relationships with friends, lovers, and family.

Throughout the book, the author, Alison Gray, keeps hinting at this horrible event that lead to Gemma being abandoned by her father and uncle on the same night, but we never understand exactly what happened until the very end of the book. That intrigue as well as the author's excellent prose kept me listening, even though parts of the book were incredibly sad and frustrating. The ending brought so much of Gemma's circumstances and personality into perspective, and I was ultimately left with a feeling that Gemma would be alright and make a place for herself in the world.

Jennifer Gill does a great job with the narration. The book takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, and Gill's accent fit perfectly both with the setting and with Gemma's youth. The narration sets the varying tones throughout the book, helping me to feel Gemma's growth both in age and in maturity. Overall, even though misplaced in the detective section, this was a satisfying listen.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

A Twist at the End

Interesting way to present the story. I found it a bit confusing at first but I was curious enough to continue listening. I love the narrator, awesome voice to listen to. I couldn't completely figure out the story as I went along. Every time I thought I had something figured out it didn't turn out the way that I had assumed it would. That it wasn't a usual storyline presented in the regular way is what I like about this book. Surprise ending that I was not expecting.

Emotional roller coaster!

Allison Grayl weaves a tale of emotional dysfunction with a twist at the end. Characters are well-developed.

Jennifer Gill does a great job narrating. Excellent diction.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Coming of Age

Our somewhat gormless heroine goes from 7 to 20 or so within the course of the novel. Listening to her background and watching her mother consistently neglect her, one understands a lot of the dynamics of the situation, as she comes to terms with who and what she is, but oh, my, there are several "don't go into the haunted house" moments when you wish you could shake Jemma or box her ears! I am not sufficiently familiar with the Glaswegian accent to know whether narrator Jennifer Gill nailed it; she certainly captured the mood beautifully.

Not what I expected

Out of the Tower is not a true detective listen. It’s more coming to age and dealing with a dysfunctional family. I wasn’t certain I liked the main character in the book, but definitely did not care for her mother. The author wrote some great twists in the story and Jemma did find answers in the end. The Narrator did a good performance with adding the right emotions. I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. I would listen to more books by the author and narrator. Without giving away spoilers, the ending was very fitting.