Local author Laraine Dillon.
REVIEW BY RON NORTON
After a career in journalism spanning more than half a century, much of that time as a newspaper and magazine editor and publisher, I believe that I am qualified to cast an opinion on the merits of literary manuscripts. And within the bounds of that background and experience I must confess that editing Laraine Dillon’s The Easement gave me enormous satisfaction.
First-time authors seldom have the ability to immediately find their niche in the literary world. But Laraine has achieved this with The Easement. That she is able to develop her craft from the opening pages and expand it throughout the story is a remarkable achievement. It is a cleverly written work that held my interest from the moment I glanced through the opening pages to the last paragraph of the final chapter. I can’t recall having become so absorbed in the betrayal of a book’s characters.
Thankfully, I resisted the temptation to flick to the final chapter for the ending. The author has cleverly disguised the completely unexpected ending until the very last sentence. When I finished editing the penultimate chapter I was convinced that Laraine had written herself into a corner because she had satiated all the angles. Not so; there is no anti-climax. The ultimate ‘punch-line’ is brilliantly conceived. So much so, that a sequel is inevitable.
Laraine appropriately describes the genre as “humorous fiction”. The humour is subtle and cleverly interwoven with each character’s indelible imprint on the story.
The Easement is a great story, relevant, totally believable and written with the technique of an established, experienced author.
