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Debris
Andre blames himself for his mother's death-and believes his father does too. After months of difficulty, Andre flees his family home to live with his aunt where he meets troubled-teen, Erin McEvoy. Erin's mother disappeared a year ago and she is certain that her abusive father is to blame. But when Andre starts to investigate nothing is as it seems. Erin's story doesn't match up to hte facts he's uncovered, and Andre begins to understand he is not hte only one with a secret.
In this coming of age novel, love and loyalty are tested and we find that there are monsters and heroes hiding in the unlikeliest of places.
In this coming of age novel, love and loyalty are tested and we find that there are monsters and heroes hiding in the unlikeliest of places.
158 pages, Paperback
Published April 13, 2018
3 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
L.M. Brown
7 books19 followersL.M Brown is the author of novels Debris and Hinterland, and the linked short story collections Treading The Uneven Road and Were We Awake. Her award winning stories have been published in over a dozen magazines.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 2, 2020
In this true coming of age novel, love and loyalty are put to the test time and time again. A truly complex plot and relatable characters come together in one huge emotional roller coaster. You follow the journey of two children, Andre and Erin, unique in their circumstances but on equal ground when it comes to their experience of tradegy and loss.
While this wasnt for me a quick or easy read I am appreciative of what Brown sought to convey through these teens. The turmoil that these two young people indured within the pages of Debris are nothing short of heartwrenching. My only true issue is that the many story lines were often hard to follow. Because of this there was a few times where I wasnt sure what was happening or where it was headed but not necessarily in a "good" way. That aside I still think the story is a powerful one of love, loss and redemption. I think with some tightning of the plot that Debris would easily have been an exemplary novel.
I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Booksirens in exchange for an honest review.
January 8, 2020
That you to Book Sirens for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book. All opinions are my own.
I seem to be in the minority of people who did not like Debris. No book that is under 200 pages should have taken me 3 days to read. I honestly can't say I enjoyed any of it. While I feel the author had a good idea for the plot, but it fell flat. The characters were not fully developed and unlikable. There were many story lines that made very little sense could be deleted. There are times in the book the lead to complete confusion because there was way too many things going on.
A hard pass for me.
I seem to be in the minority of people who did not like Debris. No book that is under 200 pages should have taken me 3 days to read. I honestly can't say I enjoyed any of it. While I feel the author had a good idea for the plot, but it fell flat. The characters were not fully developed and unlikable. There were many story lines that made very little sense could be deleted. There are times in the book the lead to complete confusion because there was way too many things going on.
A hard pass for me.
December 18, 2018
Delving into the psyche of teens who have experienced loss, Debris is a great coming of age story. The characters are real, flawed, and relatable. L.M. Brown brings raw emotion to the surface as each character deals with his/her own demons, and reality itself.
July 26, 2021
Andre is troubled by the death of his mother and finds himself acting out because of it; after an incident at school, he is sent to live with his aunt as his father doesn’t know how... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...
April 22, 2018
I loved this book and can’t wait to read more from this author!!!
April 17, 2018
Intriguing and emotional
The story starts out a little slow, but once the reader gets into it, you have the understanding that it needed to flow that way. The reader needs to connect with the characters, and see where it leads especially after a pivotal moment of tragedy and despair. It's one of those stories you don't want to put down, as you follow the journey of the characters, especially Andre. The story is well-written and put together, cascading out emotions of both sadness and triumph, along with internal strife and guilt.
The story starts out a little slow, but once the reader gets into it, you have the understanding that it needed to flow that way. The reader needs to connect with the characters, and see where it leads especially after a pivotal moment of tragedy and despair. It's one of those stories you don't want to put down, as you follow the journey of the characters, especially Andre. The story is well-written and put together, cascading out emotions of both sadness and triumph, along with internal strife and guilt.
March 5, 2020
A complex, suspenseful plot with tension so thick that it felt palpable. Wonderful characters with depth and substance. I was immediately drawn in and held captive from beginning to end.
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
May 19, 2020
Thank you to the Publisher and BookSirens for giving me this ARC to read and review.
Andre Nolan is a 14 year old boy, who some years earlier was in the car with his mother when she was involved in a car accident cutting her life short. In the years following Andre was acting out in school, clearly suffering mentally from his mother’s death. His father Eugene sends him to live with his sister, Andre’s Aunt Michelle. Falling into the wrong crowd, Andre unveils a secret that has been buried, revealing the truth behind a missing mother.
This book was excruciating. The writing, the wording and grammar, all extremely poor. The characters were less than appealing. There were unanswered questions throughout the book, details were written about once and then never again, all very confusing and hard to follow and to be honest just painful to read. First, after Andre’s mother’s death, and his acting out, instead of his father giving him proper care medically, he sends him off to live with his aunt, never wanting him to come home. Throughout the book, Andre mentions the accident is his fault based on him holding a pair of “spectacles”, which is mentioned a couple times but the reason was never revealed as to how this was the reason his mother died. Andre then mentions that he see’s his mother several times, but the last couple time he mentions smelling lavender and he knows she’s there. This little detail was never mentioned in his prior siting’s. Andre makes a friend, Ronan ,who seems to be a good friend but then, he makes friends with Colin, Manny and Erin, but later in the book Colin turns out to be a bully and wants to hurt Andre? For no reason that was disclosed. Colin and Erin apparently have sex so Colin won’t hurt Andre? Ronan’s mother ended up keeping the secret as to why Erin’s mother left, instead of just telling her? The ending was anticlimactic as well. Nothing about this book made sense, how was Andre’s mothers siting’s relevant? How did Erin’s mother missing turn out to be Andre’s problem? Why did Ronan’s mother keep the secret instead of just telling Erin why her mother is missing? How did Andre repeatedly finding Colin and Erin having sex to protect Andre make any sense?
Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I have read much better “suspense” novels, that make much more sense, with a better story line, better plot that can keep you much more engaged. Hard Pass from me.
Andre Nolan is a 14 year old boy, who some years earlier was in the car with his mother when she was involved in a car accident cutting her life short. In the years following Andre was acting out in school, clearly suffering mentally from his mother’s death. His father Eugene sends him to live with his sister, Andre’s Aunt Michelle. Falling into the wrong crowd, Andre unveils a secret that has been buried, revealing the truth behind a missing mother.
This book was excruciating. The writing, the wording and grammar, all extremely poor. The characters were less than appealing. There were unanswered questions throughout the book, details were written about once and then never again, all very confusing and hard to follow and to be honest just painful to read. First, after Andre’s mother’s death, and his acting out, instead of his father giving him proper care medically, he sends him off to live with his aunt, never wanting him to come home. Throughout the book, Andre mentions the accident is his fault based on him holding a pair of “spectacles”, which is mentioned a couple times but the reason was never revealed as to how this was the reason his mother died. Andre then mentions that he see’s his mother several times, but the last couple time he mentions smelling lavender and he knows she’s there. This little detail was never mentioned in his prior siting’s. Andre makes a friend, Ronan ,who seems to be a good friend but then, he makes friends with Colin, Manny and Erin, but later in the book Colin turns out to be a bully and wants to hurt Andre? For no reason that was disclosed. Colin and Erin apparently have sex so Colin won’t hurt Andre? Ronan’s mother ended up keeping the secret as to why Erin’s mother left, instead of just telling her? The ending was anticlimactic as well. Nothing about this book made sense, how was Andre’s mothers siting’s relevant? How did Erin’s mother missing turn out to be Andre’s problem? Why did Ronan’s mother keep the secret instead of just telling Erin why her mother is missing? How did Andre repeatedly finding Colin and Erin having sex to protect Andre make any sense?
Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I have read much better “suspense” novels, that make much more sense, with a better story line, better plot that can keep you much more engaged. Hard Pass from me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2020
Everywhere is a tragedy of some type in this novel.
I enjoyed the relationship between Erin and her dad. It was so flawed but yet there was some love or respect present amid the alcohol. Also, the relationship between Erin and Andre. I felt like it was such a mature friendship that happened so fast and out of necessity.
From the very beginning I had a very hard time trying to wrap my head around this book and where it was going. With it being so short, I feel that the contents happened so fast that the reader couldn’t really grasp what just happened before something else did. I also don’t understand why the story was started off with so much emphasis on Andre and the death of his mother Usao, then it went into Erin and the disappearance did her mother, Marie. I don’t think those two lines fit other than why Andre and Erin met in the first place.
I feel like the Andre we got with Erin was so sweet and determined to help and provide. Then we got the Andre with his family which was cold and distant and just didn’t care. I feel like he was too complex for such a short story that wasn’t driven in character development.
It took me almost an entire month to complete this book because it was just so hard to understand and get into.
2/5 stars.
**I received a copy of this novel for free, and am leaving a review voluntarily.**
I enjoyed the relationship between Erin and her dad. It was so flawed but yet there was some love or respect present amid the alcohol. Also, the relationship between Erin and Andre. I felt like it was such a mature friendship that happened so fast and out of necessity.
From the very beginning I had a very hard time trying to wrap my head around this book and where it was going. With it being so short, I feel that the contents happened so fast that the reader couldn’t really grasp what just happened before something else did. I also don’t understand why the story was started off with so much emphasis on Andre and the death of his mother Usao, then it went into Erin and the disappearance did her mother, Marie. I don’t think those two lines fit other than why Andre and Erin met in the first place.
I feel like the Andre we got with Erin was so sweet and determined to help and provide. Then we got the Andre with his family which was cold and distant and just didn’t care. I feel like he was too complex for such a short story that wasn’t driven in character development.
It took me almost an entire month to complete this book because it was just so hard to understand and get into.
2/5 stars.
**I received a copy of this novel for free, and am leaving a review voluntarily.**
April 26, 2018
I’ve read a number of Brown’s short stories, and am always intrigued by her characters—she shows us just a little less than we think we need to know, and so much of the fun is watching her characters unravel, solidify, and transcend. Her debut book is no different. Andre, a young boy caught in a terrifying circumstance, has to figure out his way forward, and does so alongside Erin, an unexpected helpmate. Surrounded by adults with their own stories to tell, Andre and Erin fumble toward some truth, and emerge anew, for better or worse. Characterization aside, Brown’s prose is pointed, yet allows itself to indulge in the rich surroundings of the greater Dublin community, and I particularly enjoyed the sort of sustained anticipation achieved in the book's 154 pages, making it a very satisfying read.
December 19, 2019
Debris is a well written, engrossing novel. The depiction of each and every character is excellent, their emotions and relationships beautifully described. The reader is drawn into the story and lives the events along with the characters. Debris is a touching, sometimes heart-wrenching novel about a range of tragic events and the effect these events have on the various characters. However, I felt that there always seemed to be a glimmer of promise and hope for happier times in the future. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to L. M. Brown and BookSirens for the ARC.
April 16, 2018
Intriguing and emotional
The story starts out a little slow, but once the reader gets into it, you have the understanding that it needed to flow that way. The reader needs to connect with the characters, and see where it leads especially after a pivotal moment of tragedy and despair. It's one of those stories you don't want to put down, as you follow the journey of the characters, especially Andre. The story is well-written and put together, cascading out emotions of both sadness and triumph, along with internal strife and guilt.
The story starts out a little slow, but once the reader gets into it, you have the understanding that it needed to flow that way. The reader needs to connect with the characters, and see where it leads especially after a pivotal moment of tragedy and despair. It's one of those stories you don't want to put down, as you follow the journey of the characters, especially Andre. The story is well-written and put together, cascading out emotions of both sadness and triumph, along with internal strife and guilt.
April 18, 2018
The scene is set, Andre's life will be forever marked by that day. He now finds himself on a new path, in an entirely different neighbourhood to his own. When he meets Erin, he identifies with her pain, which leads him to getting involved in particularly edgy and dangerous situations because of his affection for her. This is a gripping tale of two emotionally hurt and lost teenagers, set in Ireland in the 1980's. The characters are very well defined throughout the book, which makes this page turner a very enjoyable read.
December 24, 2019
I did not enjoy this book at all unfortunately. It just simply was not for me. The synopsis reply excited me and was one of the reasons that I chose it but it didn’t live up to it.
There were many unnecessary scenes and empty plot holes everywhere. I was proper confused majority of the time. There was just too much going on. I’m really disappointed in how the story turned out because I was really excited to be chosen to read it.
There were many unnecessary scenes and empty plot holes everywhere. I was proper confused majority of the time. There was just too much going on. I’m really disappointed in how the story turned out because I was really excited to be chosen to read it.
July 4, 2020
when I first read the blurb I liked story plot and setting.
But the story starts out slow and there were many side stories which were leading nowhere. The characters were underdeveloped.
Thank you Booksirens for my free copy for an honest review.
But the story starts out slow and there were many side stories which were leading nowhere. The characters were underdeveloped.
Thank you Booksirens for my free copy for an honest review.
November 28, 2020
Thank you to the publisher and BookSirens for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in April 2018.
"Debris" by L.M. Brown was a disappointing read.
The premise is very interesting, but the book just doesn't deliver on it.
The story is all muddled up, and not in a mysterious, suspenseful way, but in an unplanned, poorly-thought-out way. There are a lot of subplots that don't go anywhere and the main plot feels underdeveloped, as though you're reading a first draft, rather than a reader-friendly, publication-worthy novel.
The characters are completely flat and can sometimes get ridiculous, starting with the names. There's a woman who's supposed to be Spanish and her name is Usao, which is not a name in Spanish or in any other language that I know of, but it just happens to be a common enough surname in Kenya. Is this a joke? Am I reading sci-fi? Why does a character have a made-up name that doesn't exist as a first name in any language? Is it only because the author was too lazy to properly research Spanish names and would rather choose a random exotic-sounding non-existent word? Also, her children are named Ines and Andre, none of which is a Spanish name. Ines is Italian (its Spanish versions are Inés and Inéz) and Andre could be a misspelling of French or Portuguese first name André (but it's definitely not Spanish, because the Spanish version of the name is Andrés). And to make matters worse, when these supposedly bilingual children speak, the Spanish they come up with is horribly misspelled, such as "Donde esta Mama?" instead of "Donde está Mamá?" I'm sorry, English-speaking monolingual author, but "esta" and "está" are two completely different words in Spanish: one is either a pronoun or an adjective and the other is a verb; they're NOT interchangeable. Why did somebody who knows absolutely nothing about Spanish choose to write Spanish characters and phrases into her novel without even bothering to do a little bit of research?
Actually, I take that back. Even the English grammar in this book is full of mistakes, so I guess the author was just being consistent when she chose to also butcher the Spanish language.
As for the writing style, there are way too many repetitions, adjectives and adverbs. It feels like this book was never seen by an editor. The point of view keeps shifting from one character to the next several times in each scene without any apparent reason, the narration keeps switching back and forth between the third-person and omniscient narrator, making the reading feel like a tiresome chore rather than an enjoyment.
The punctuation is constantly misused, to the point I had to go back and re-read sentences more than once.
This could have been a really good story, but it needed so much more work. It's unpolished.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
"Debris" by L.M. Brown was a disappointing read.
The premise is very interesting, but the book just doesn't deliver on it.
The story is all muddled up, and not in a mysterious, suspenseful way, but in an unplanned, poorly-thought-out way. There are a lot of subplots that don't go anywhere and the main plot feels underdeveloped, as though you're reading a first draft, rather than a reader-friendly, publication-worthy novel.
The characters are completely flat and can sometimes get ridiculous, starting with the names. There's a woman who's supposed to be Spanish and her name is Usao, which is not a name in Spanish or in any other language that I know of, but it just happens to be a common enough surname in Kenya. Is this a joke? Am I reading sci-fi? Why does a character have a made-up name that doesn't exist as a first name in any language? Is it only because the author was too lazy to properly research Spanish names and would rather choose a random exotic-sounding non-existent word? Also, her children are named Ines and Andre, none of which is a Spanish name. Ines is Italian (its Spanish versions are Inés and Inéz) and Andre could be a misspelling of French or Portuguese first name André (but it's definitely not Spanish, because the Spanish version of the name is Andrés). And to make matters worse, when these supposedly bilingual children speak, the Spanish they come up with is horribly misspelled, such as "Donde esta Mama?" instead of "Donde está Mamá?" I'm sorry, English-speaking monolingual author, but "esta" and "está" are two completely different words in Spanish: one is either a pronoun or an adjective and the other is a verb; they're NOT interchangeable. Why did somebody who knows absolutely nothing about Spanish choose to write Spanish characters and phrases into her novel without even bothering to do a little bit of research?
Actually, I take that back. Even the English grammar in this book is full of mistakes, so I guess the author was just being consistent when she chose to also butcher the Spanish language.
As for the writing style, there are way too many repetitions, adjectives and adverbs. It feels like this book was never seen by an editor. The point of view keeps shifting from one character to the next several times in each scene without any apparent reason, the narration keeps switching back and forth between the third-person and omniscient narrator, making the reading feel like a tiresome chore rather than an enjoyment.
The punctuation is constantly misused, to the point I had to go back and re-read sentences more than once.
This could have been a really good story, but it needed so much more work. It's unpolished.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 13, 2021
Wow! A excruciating painful read. The author did her job. She drew you into the thick, deep tension, raw emotions of the psyche of the teens. Wow! An emotional rollercoaster ride! A well written book, engrossing, flawed, mental, coming of age, love and loyalty put to the test, complex plot, peppered with a few unnessary nasty words, book. I finished it, even though, I didn't want to, but I was hooked. I needed to know how it ended.
Wow! You may want to read it for yourself.
I received an ARC free from BookSirens and this is my voluntary honest review.
Wow! You may want to read it for yourself.
I received an ARC free from BookSirens and this is my voluntary honest review.
April 24, 2018
Debris is a strong first novel from a strong writer. I was moving across the country and planning a wedding when I read it, and I still couldn't put it down. The main character, Andre, loses his mother early on and goes to live with his aunt. He befriends her neighbor, Erin, and they investigate the disappearance of Erin's mother. Brown doles out information in a steady drip. It's shocking. It's poignant. Most of all, this book is a hell of a lot of fun.
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August 3, 2021This novel was a great read. I really enjoyed this work. The story line is solid and the characters well developed. This novel is a on the edge of your seat page turner. The story centers around two young people who have suffered losses. The plot is centered in Ireland and the author has taken great effort to help the reader understand the culture and the history of the setting. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily..
December 12, 2019
A book about secrets, death and redemption. This story was hard to put down because it was filled with tension and suspense. You have to keep reading as each secret is exposed to find out what really happened. I received this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
March 29, 2021
I found this story lacking, reading it I felt like it was two separate stories mashed together. It’s starts off with such emphasis about the relationships with Andre’s mother and then the feeling of her ghost, but that doesn’t really amount to much? I also struggled with the significance of him holding the glasses and why that made it his fault – there was a throw away comment later which I guess is meant to explain it, but it seems haphazardly thrown in. We then move onto the Erin side of the story which again was just full of plot holes and just a bit confusing. To finish it off the ending was very lacklustre, so this isn’t a book I’d recommend.
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving an honest review
*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from BookSirens and am voluntarily leaving an honest review
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews