17 September 2012

Review: Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out


Happy Monday! Can I say that without being sturck down by lightning? Today, I'm reviewing Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out in conjunction with a Goddess Fish Promo tour. Enjoy!

Blurb:


Anya Michaels is having the time of her life. She has the man of her dreams by her side. She has graduated at the top of her class. She has the job others were lining up for. Between late night drinks at her favourite bar and fancy dinners at the most expensive restaurants, she has a string of adoring friends. Everything changes when she hears the dreaded words, "You are sick."

Being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, her world starts to fall apart, one piece at a time. Now dumped, her four year relationship is nothing but a memory filled with pictures, thoughts and a very broken heart. Her job becomes an even further challenge as she tries to hide her condition. Her friends suddenly have more important things to do, what is a party without a party girl? Perfect could not crumble any faster.

Soon, caught between situations, people and pieces of life that she never dreamed of planning for herself, Anya begins to wonder if her brain condition is all that bad. As she absorbs the changes in her life and realization sets in, she begins to wonder if she is the only one saying: Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out.


(20% of royalties will be donated to the National Organisation of Rare Disorders)

Review:

Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out is the story of a woman who suffers from a rare brain disorder called Benign Intracranial Hypertension. Essentially, this means she doesn't have the means to properly drain cerebral fluid, and thus carries the symptoms of a brain tumor without the actual tumor being present.

The book is written in a first person viewpoint, via letters to Anya's father. In these letters, she explores the world through the viewpoint of someone with a potentially limited lifetime. We see her lament about headaches, the upcoming surgery, and then after, the pain. We see her thoughts on single mothers, on accountants, on frenemies. I think my favorite was the headaches:

"Take, for instance, a banging door. You can open a door. You can close a door. You do not have to bang it."

Absolutely true, Anya. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It is well written, and the words flow from the page with amazing ease. It's a quick read, since it's so absorbing, and I recommend this one.

Excerpt:


I have come to understand that every once in a while in life we all have to do something because we must. It is not about what we want or how we would like it to be, it simply has to be done because it is necessary. Most times this will be a task that surpasses normal and not many people would choose to understand. But, done it must.

I have tried turning it all around, telling myself that ‘it is a small surgery’, ‘it is just a routine procedure’, ‘it is not necessarily a brain surgery’ but when a neurosurgeon sits down and talks about the risks and procedures of being in surgery, there is no other way of calling it, is there?

I Love You. The best relationships in our lives are the best not because they have been the happiest ones. They are that way because they have stayed strong through the worst storms and held hands during the happiest of springs.

These are the relationships between friends who stay when the rest of the world walks out. The family who holds you close and says, ‘it does not matter what others say, this is something we will get through together because there are no limits to how much we love you.’ And when these people say, ‘I Love You’, it is not because they have to, it is not because they could not order you roses from the best florist or because they need to say something to fill a void in conversation, they say it is because it is just that, Love.

No conditions, no smokescreens, just pure transparent, unconditional love given when you need it the most. As the Swedish proverb goes, ‘Love me when I least deserve it, because that is when I really need it.’

About The Author:

International best-selling author, Pandora Poikilos has been writing for more than 10 years for various media which include newspapers, radio, television and various websites.


5 comments:

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

Thank you for hosting Pandora today.

Anonymous said...

It sounds so intense, but I bet it's beautifully done.

vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

Mary Preston said...

We had a lightning storm here last night, so watch out.

I think I will take a lot away from reading this book.

marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Chelsea B. said...

Seems like this book teaches you things along the way, as well as being entertaining. I'm looking forward to it!

justforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

Unknown said...

Thank you for hosting me during my recent book tour. All my best.