Let’s Play Pretend

by Geraint Ellis

A thematically multi-layered story of jazz life, drug addiction, rehabilitation, a happy marriage, the deep bonding of two males, and coping with ageing … But then there are the three desperately serious things we rarely allow ourselves to talk about or act upon in life … ____World renowned jazz trombonist Jack Threlfall helps his younger colleague (who narrates) kick the drug habit in 60’s Paris, and in so doing is responsible for producing the happiness high-peak of the younger man’s life; his marriage to Stella. We fast-forward about 30 years. The two musicians meet up again. It’s pay-back time. But Jack is now a changed man, so paying back will be difficult … Even so, our narrator can cope quite readily with such issues. He’ll have something up his sleeve no doubt; a made-up solution. For him, life is a game of musical-chairs. It’s a game he excels at, for while others are petrified by the thought of not being able to find a chair to sit on when the music stops, he knows he has his method to fall back on. He’s well prepared to play this game in all those moments of all those years that lie ahead, until one day that is …

56 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2011

Reviews

[J. Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Let's Play Pretend is one of those books that catches you by surprise. When I read the synopsis I thought it sounded interesting, but I wasn't expecting it to grip me the way it did. First of all, what got me instantly hooked was the author's catchy writing style. He writes the way the character thinks, in an artistic, deep and poignant way. I really liked that, the writing was fluid and alive, and it made me feel interested in the world of jazz and connect with the characters even though I know absolutely nothing about jazz (I mean nothing). I also liked the subject matter because it covers things in life we don't necessary like to talk about or think about, but that are nonetheless real - and we can't always pretend that reality is something other than it is, as the author brings to light throughout the story. Be prepared for some tough emotional parts; the ending really got me. I highly recommend this, especially if you enjoy thoughtful, intellectual reads. You will be pleasantly surprised and impressed as I was!