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Broken
Today is Emily Zylaz’s birthday. This is the day that she has chosen to kill herself. After struggling for many years to cope with the roller-coaster of mental illness, a devastating failed marriage, and a soul-destroying career that is going nowhere, she’s giving up. Feeling like the only solution to all of her problems is to take her own life, Emily plans to hang herself at midnight. She believes no one will care that she’s dead, that she won’t be missed, and that everyone will be better off without her and her fickle moods. As we journey alongside Emily, counting down the hours on her last day alive, we explore the twisted labyrinth of her troubled mind and learn why she so desperately wants to die.
186 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2015
6 people want to read
About the author
Roni Askey-Doran
11 books7 followersTasmanian born Roni Askey-Doran has spent her life seeking adventure, happiness and inner peace. A gypsy at heart, Roni has a wonderful sense of humor which shines through in all her work. Filled with passion, powered by her desire to tell her stories using vivid lexiconic imagery, Roni loves to share her experiences.
Roni has traveled through 46 countries over the past three and a half decades. Despite her nomadic lifestyle, she is an accomplished chef, a talented wordsmith, an avid gardener, and her wandering feet dance to more than one beat.
Roni currently resides in a bamboo shack on a remote beach in South America with five cats, two opossums, a non-venomous Granadilla snake, some tree frogs, a large green iguana and several species of tropical birds and butterflies. A large huntsman spider named Horacio lives in her bathroom. She’s addicted to bananas, loves to cook fresh seafood with coconuts, is passionate about her tropical garden, and makes her own chocolate.
If you are interested in supporting Roni as an author and artist, see her profile on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/booksbyroni
Roni has traveled through 46 countries over the past three and a half decades. Despite her nomadic lifestyle, she is an accomplished chef, a talented wordsmith, an avid gardener, and her wandering feet dance to more than one beat.
Roni currently resides in a bamboo shack on a remote beach in South America with five cats, two opossums, a non-venomous Granadilla snake, some tree frogs, a large green iguana and several species of tropical birds and butterflies. A large huntsman spider named Horacio lives in her bathroom. She’s addicted to bananas, loves to cook fresh seafood with coconuts, is passionate about her tropical garden, and makes her own chocolate.
If you are interested in supporting Roni as an author and artist, see her profile on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/booksbyroni
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 11, 2015
**As a full disclosure, I was given free copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts ... honestly, now that I've read it, if I'd not recently depleted my Amazon credit balance, I would be PURCHASING a copy of it just to give it the legitimate rating it deserves!
This is a gripping, emotional tale of one woman's journey of self-discovery. I was skeptical at the beginning, not knowing how the author was going to offer an entire book about a single day's worth of thoughts and actions of the main character, Emily, who has decided to end her life on this particular day. To my delight, my original ambivalence about the pages being filled with depressing, suicidal musings, was unfounded.Though some of it is a bit redundant, the author adds another important element to the story with each chapter. Each day is like a mental journal entry until the story finally unfolds in the most surprising, amazing way that I never saw coming!
The writing is engaging and precise. The most impressive thing is the way the author weaves occasional, brief flashbacks into Emily's current thoughts without needing to devote an entire chapter or section to these memories. It's easy to follow and breaks up the current events in an enchanting way that adds helpful backstory on the characters. The one thing that kind of threw me was the way the author waited until the very end to describe Emily's appearance in detail. I can see why, but for the majority of the time, I had to conjure her up in my own mind. And she did not match the image I had created.
Though this book is fiction, one doesn't have to have any experience with suicide or mental illness to connect with this story. Anyone who has ever experienced loss, death, or even despair could be enlightened by it. The truth of the matter is, we are all broken in some way or another.
I will definitely be reading more from this author!
This is a gripping, emotional tale of one woman's journey of self-discovery. I was skeptical at the beginning, not knowing how the author was going to offer an entire book about a single day's worth of thoughts and actions of the main character, Emily, who has decided to end her life on this particular day. To my delight, my original ambivalence about the pages being filled with depressing, suicidal musings, was unfounded.Though some of it is a bit redundant, the author adds another important element to the story with each chapter. Each day is like a mental journal entry until the story finally unfolds in the most surprising, amazing way that I never saw coming!
The writing is engaging and precise. The most impressive thing is the way the author weaves occasional, brief flashbacks into Emily's current thoughts without needing to devote an entire chapter or section to these memories. It's easy to follow and breaks up the current events in an enchanting way that adds helpful backstory on the characters. The one thing that kind of threw me was the way the author waited until the very end to describe Emily's appearance in detail. I can see why, but for the majority of the time, I had to conjure her up in my own mind. And she did not match the image I had created.
Though this book is fiction, one doesn't have to have any experience with suicide or mental illness to connect with this story. Anyone who has ever experienced loss, death, or even despair could be enlightened by it. The truth of the matter is, we are all broken in some way or another.
I will definitely be reading more from this author!
April 16, 2015
Rhoda D'Ettore Reviews - I was given this ebook in exchange for a fair and honest review
"It's a good day to die."
The above is the first sentence in Broken, a Contemporary Women's Fiction / Suspense / Drama, written by Roni Askey-Doran. This is exactly my kind of book. Although I rarely read first person, especially written in present tense, this book drew me in from the very beginning. How could it not? The first line makes you wonder upon reading it.
The story opens as Emily explains to the reader her plan to hang herself at midnight, on her birthday. We follow her day on an hourly basis, as she weaves us a tale of social anxiety, bullies, sexual harassment, abuse (verbal, emotional, physical, sexual) and more. There are flashbacks throughout the story giving us an in depth look into the forces that drove this woman to teeter on the brink of suicide. As the hours pass, characters are introduced that begin to give her a glimmer of hope. The hop of not feeling no so alone. Will she reject that hope? As the night moves along, secrets and twists unfold that shocked even me. But it's still not over as the crescendo of suspense forced me to finish this read in two sittings. What will Emily do? Will she give up on life or flirt with the prospects given to her throughout the day? There is only one way to find out. Buy the book.
The writing: As I stated, this is written in a first person, present tense. Ironically, this is my least favorite point of view, yet I was drawn to the character and the story. In the beginning of the story, the build up is all in Emily's head. Therefore there is no real action, no dialogue. Is seemed like a conversation you would hear from your best friend or a diary entry. As the chapters flew by, the characters and action became much better defined and developed. The emotions poured off the screen as the narration became better along the way. What I fear is that some authors and editors who shout "show, don't tell" will miss their opportunity to take a look into the true to life consequences of our choices, upbringing, and lack of understanding of others. The beginning is full of more storytelling, however, the author and character both seem to emerge from a cocoon. This leaves us an intense, gripping book touching on tough subjects while it hacks away at stigmas placed on the mentally ill.
"It's a good day to die."
The above is the first sentence in Broken, a Contemporary Women's Fiction / Suspense / Drama, written by Roni Askey-Doran. This is exactly my kind of book. Although I rarely read first person, especially written in present tense, this book drew me in from the very beginning. How could it not? The first line makes you wonder upon reading it.
The story opens as Emily explains to the reader her plan to hang herself at midnight, on her birthday. We follow her day on an hourly basis, as she weaves us a tale of social anxiety, bullies, sexual harassment, abuse (verbal, emotional, physical, sexual) and more. There are flashbacks throughout the story giving us an in depth look into the forces that drove this woman to teeter on the brink of suicide. As the hours pass, characters are introduced that begin to give her a glimmer of hope. The hop of not feeling no so alone. Will she reject that hope? As the night moves along, secrets and twists unfold that shocked even me. But it's still not over as the crescendo of suspense forced me to finish this read in two sittings. What will Emily do? Will she give up on life or flirt with the prospects given to her throughout the day? There is only one way to find out. Buy the book.
The writing: As I stated, this is written in a first person, present tense. Ironically, this is my least favorite point of view, yet I was drawn to the character and the story. In the beginning of the story, the build up is all in Emily's head. Therefore there is no real action, no dialogue. Is seemed like a conversation you would hear from your best friend or a diary entry. As the chapters flew by, the characters and action became much better defined and developed. The emotions poured off the screen as the narration became better along the way. What I fear is that some authors and editors who shout "show, don't tell" will miss their opportunity to take a look into the true to life consequences of our choices, upbringing, and lack of understanding of others. The beginning is full of more storytelling, however, the author and character both seem to emerge from a cocoon. This leaves us an intense, gripping book touching on tough subjects while it hacks away at stigmas placed on the mentally ill.
April 3, 2015
I received a copy of this book in return for my honest review.
It’s Emily’s birthday, and she has decided, that it’s also the day she’s going to end her life!
She’s taken one knock too many, from what she remembers as a dysfunctional upbringing, to her disastrous, abusive marriage, the loss of her baby, and her uninspiring job, she just can’t take anymore and is of the opinion that nobody will miss her, so there’s really no point in carrying on.
As we accompany Emily on her last day in existence, we meet the various people who contribute to the unusual life she leads.
Each chapter constitutes an hour in Emily’s day, and it is this clever format that contributes to the reader not being able to put this book down! You just can’t wait to see what happens next as the day progresses. And even though we are following Emily through her day on an hourly basis, the author has also managed to ingeniously weave flashbacks and memories into the time frame, so that we’re able to get an in-depth look into what has led Emily to this day. We gain much insight into what makes her tick, and why she is the way she is.
This book incorporates important lessons: that first impressions don’t necessarily count; that many things are not as they first appear to be; that most people go through some sort of trauma at some point in their lives; that everyone reacts differently to the obstacles placed in their paths; that there might actually be some people out there who are genuinely nice people!
It’s Emily’s birthday, and she has decided, that it’s also the day she’s going to end her life!
She’s taken one knock too many, from what she remembers as a dysfunctional upbringing, to her disastrous, abusive marriage, the loss of her baby, and her uninspiring job, she just can’t take anymore and is of the opinion that nobody will miss her, so there’s really no point in carrying on.
As we accompany Emily on her last day in existence, we meet the various people who contribute to the unusual life she leads.
Each chapter constitutes an hour in Emily’s day, and it is this clever format that contributes to the reader not being able to put this book down! You just can’t wait to see what happens next as the day progresses. And even though we are following Emily through her day on an hourly basis, the author has also managed to ingeniously weave flashbacks and memories into the time frame, so that we’re able to get an in-depth look into what has led Emily to this day. We gain much insight into what makes her tick, and why she is the way she is.
This book incorporates important lessons: that first impressions don’t necessarily count; that many things are not as they first appear to be; that most people go through some sort of trauma at some point in their lives; that everyone reacts differently to the obstacles placed in their paths; that there might actually be some people out there who are genuinely nice people!
April 19, 2015
Roni-Askey-Doran grabbed my attention from the very first sentence in “Broken”. I had to find out what would drive Emily Zylaz to decide to commit suicide on her birthday. As I followed Emily through her day and learned more about her journey to this pivotal day I began to understand how she came to that point in her life. After a childhood where she felt abandoned by a father she never knew, unloved by her mother and sister, sexually assaulted by an uncle, raped, and abused and beaten by her ex-husband, Emily has led a life of pain. Feeling hopeless and insignificant she believes no one will even miss her when she is gone.
On a day when she loses her job she also makes new friends although she doesn’t see them as such initially. As every step she takes toward her well thought out plan to hang herself is foiled by unknowing participants I wanted to cheer. Surely this woman would begin to see she had every reason to live.
With a surprising and thrilling conclusion that left me breathless “Broken” flew to the top of my must read books to recommend. Beautifully written, the language is colorful and engaging drawing the reader into the story. I couldn’t put it down, desperate to learn if Emily would succeed or fail. This is a touching story of fear and loneliness, love and secrets, and the glimmer of serendipity that can change a life in a flash. I highly and joyfully recommend “Broken”.
On a day when she loses her job she also makes new friends although she doesn’t see them as such initially. As every step she takes toward her well thought out plan to hang herself is foiled by unknowing participants I wanted to cheer. Surely this woman would begin to see she had every reason to live.
With a surprising and thrilling conclusion that left me breathless “Broken” flew to the top of my must read books to recommend. Beautifully written, the language is colorful and engaging drawing the reader into the story. I couldn’t put it down, desperate to learn if Emily would succeed or fail. This is a touching story of fear and loneliness, love and secrets, and the glimmer of serendipity that can change a life in a flash. I highly and joyfully recommend “Broken”.
April 26, 2015
Broken is infused with an absolutely authentic voice that gives the hidden thoughts of the abused and emotionally ill a chance to speak for themselves. A must read.
October 31, 2017
I read this in a day as you just can’t put it down once you start. This was written with a lot of emotion so you can almost feel her pain. Loved the twist at the end and at one point I really thought she would get her wish and die. The way she was saved was a brilliant idea. Will look out for more of this talented authors work.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews