I wanted to share a new book with you called The Broken by C.M. North (Author). I received a copy of the book from Voracious Readers and the Author in exchange for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage off the items you purchase.
The Broken s dark book to read, with characters struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts but I really loved all of the music it mentioned The Author was raw about the situations that young people are facing and at time I found the story was confusing.
The story jumps from 17 year old Malcolm to middle aged Malcolm- lots of darkness. Malcom is arguing with his therapist about maybe having sex with his seventeen year old male guitar student. In the first chapter, it does get sad but I get it and in the story David said its things musicians are usually accused of, is total bull crap.’
For me personally I found this book a little depressing at times but other times there author gave us really sweet moments including when the teens had their first sexual encounter. Then we find moments of reality like when Drew came out to his parents. Making this a book most parents should share with there children.
In the story there are two groups of people in their early teens in different decades from the 90s and the 2000 to the 2010s. Malcolm and his band were starting out back in the day and Drew wanting to start a band now. The story chronicles the struggles of Malcolm and his friends as they form a band and try to make it big, as well as their downward spiral that starts with being accused of causing a teenager to shoot his friend and the friend’s father.
This story also chronicles the struggles of Drew, a gay, teenager who, ironically, finds a music teacher who happens to be the same Malcolm from The Broken. Be prepare because the Author touches on LGBTQ, suicide, murder, abusive parents, and drug use and overdose along with homosexuality and the bigotry associated with that.
Then there is love, romance and so much more that kept me reading until the end even though things happening in the book aren’t things I believe in or even think is right or what I knew growing up but the world is changing and we all need to learn about the things the Author has shared with us
About the book:
In November of 1997, two young men make a suicide pact. That night, one of them dies. On the stereo – the song “Where I Go” by infamous rock band, The Broken.
From the streets of Paterson, NJ, to the heights of fame, The Broken follows the members of this band – Malcolm, Heather, Hayley, Eddie and Johnny – as they struggle to overcome their backgrounds, their identities – and ultimately the cost of fame. From the origins of the band in the early 90s to present day, The Broken asks the question: can you ever truly be free from your past – and from yourself?
Who is responsible when art begets tragedy? Who should suffer, when suffering is in the nature of the music?
Who is ultimately to blame for suicide?
About the author: C.M. North
C.M. North was born in the suburbs of Boston, MA, although he left there when he was two. He spent most of his childhood split between the soaring peaks of the Swiss Alps an the dark industrialism of northern England, and their scenery has left an indelible mark on his psyche and creativity.
He went to school in Sheffield, England, and earned a B.A. in Music Composition from the University of Sheffield. From there he somehow ended up returning to the stories he used to write as a child, and has spent most of the time since 2005 honing the craft of writing (though he says he’s a long way from a master yet).
He became severely depressed in his late teens, and this forms the basis for his first novel, 22 Scars. The story of a teenage girl suffering through catatonic depression in the wake of a tragic upbringing, it reflects many of the feelings and traumas that he lived through himself in those early, dark days.
He currently lives in northern New Jersey with his wife and son, and he firmly believes that without their support he would not be here today.
