Delighted that ‘Towards the Vanishing Point’ by Jan Turk Petrie – entered for the 2020 BookLife Prize – has achieved a very high overall score of 9.25 / 10.
(The BookLife Prize is an annual international prize run by Publishers Weekly to find the best in independently published fiction.)
Assessment:
Plot: Petrie crafts a rich, suspenseful historical story that centers on the lives of two female friends. The author deftly explores the impact of emotional and physical abuse and the impact of war.
Prose: Towards the Vanishing Point features an even, polished, and descriptive prose style with dialogue, phrasings, and references that aptly capture the era.
Originality: The novel’s focus on the subtleties of an enduring female friendship is an evergreen concept. Petrie offers a compelling blend of genre elements, successfully staging a story of relationships and abusive power dynamics in a vividly realized setting.
Character/Execution: Readers will come to deeply know the primary characters, as they grow from children to adults. The story’s sinister yet nuanced antagonist injects chilling conflict and complexity into the well-researched, emotionally resonant narrative.
Score:
• Plot/Idea: 9
• Originality: 9
• Prose: 9
• Character/Execution: 10
• Overall: 9.25
Pintail Press 