Maybe It’s About Time by Neil Boss
Paperback published by Troubadour 30th August 2022
ISBN 9781803135038
Two people trapped in different worlds. One by wealth and one by poverty. Twenty years working for The Firm has given Marcus Barlow everything he wants but has taken his soul in return. Finding a way to leave has become an obsession. Claire Halford’s life has hit rock bottom when she is caught stealing food from Tesco Express. Left alone by her husband with two small children and an STI, her suicide music is starting to play louder in her head. A chance meeting brings them together. As a mystery virus from China starts to run riot across the country, their worlds collide and they find they have more in common than they knew.
MY REVIEW
( Please buy this excellent page-turning novel as all the royalties will be going to the charity Gingerbread, the single parent support organisation)
Maybe It’s About Time, is the best fiction novel I’ve read in a long time. This book comes highly recommended by me!
This story of Maybe It’s About Time, is set in the early months of 2020. This story takes place during the pandemic lockdown.
This fantastic story keeps the reader interested in this heartbreaking world of Claire who been caught stealing food from Tesco, whose on Universal Credit, that is running out, trying to balance her money feeding herself and her little ones.
I had tears streaming down my face feeling really sorry for Claire. The author has got right into a single parent’s mind struggling with heating bills, food, and for new clothes for children which grow so fast they are always needing new clothes and shoes regularly.
Reading about Claire were my favourite chapters as I could relate to her, as over 32 years ago I was a single parent, and I know what’s it’s like struggling to pay heating bills, buy food and pay for new clothes for my daughters.
The story gives takes a special bond between Marcus and Claire, in an unexpected way.
I had tears streaming down my face as I read the chapters about Claire.
I 100% recommend reading Maybe It’s About Time, by author Neil Boss.
Take my advice this is a very touching story where you will need plenty of tissue ready!
Part of a chapter about Claire.
‘Can we have Haribo, Mummy?’
‘Just wait Kyle, we’ll see.’
‘I’ll get some!’ Said the little boy and started to run.
‘Kyle wait I said!’
The woman grabbed the little boy by his hood and dragged him back to the buggy.
‘ Just do as you’re told,’ she shouted as she shock her by the arm.
The little boy’s lip quivered and he started to cry, tears mixing with the snot. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and wiped his sleeve on Spiderman. The little girl looked up and continued eating raisins. The woman put two bottles of sugar-free Ribena in her bag and moved along the isles to the sweets. They got to the Haribo display and she stopped. She felt bad for shouting at her son. ‘Okay, what do you want then?’ She said, looking down at him.
The little boy’s face lit up and he pointed to a bag of Haribo Milkshakes. She took a bag, opened it and gave him a banana milkshake. He was happy and quiet now. She approached the self -service checkout. They were all busy and she waited until one became available.
‘Please scan your first item,’ said the voice.
She scanned two packets of mince, the machine emitting it’s little boop noise.
‘Please place your items on the shelf.’
She put the packets of mince in one of her bags, and took out the two remaining packets and put them directly in her bag. She repeated this process until her shopping bag was empty.
Two for you, two for me, she thought. Every little helps. The electronic display showed the total of £42.65.
‘Please scan your Tesco Clubcard,’ said the voice. She scanned her Clubcard. Tesco knew a lot about her shopping habits, but not everything.
‘Please select payment type.’
She opened her purse, just over two pounds in loose coins. By the middle of the month, there was little left of her Universal Credit to feed her family. There was only one payment type, her credit card. She had extended her limit three times and would soon be extending it again. She entered her PIN, held her breath, said a prayer and waited.
‘Payment accepted. Would you like a receipt?’ Said the voice.
The machine regurgitated a roll of paper and she stuffed it into one of the plastic bags. Kyle was chewing on another banana milkshake, and he held her arm as they walked to the door. The security guard stood in front of her, arms folded, barring her way to the exit. ‘
‘Excused me. Would you mind if I look in your bags?’
‘Why?’ Is there something you want?’ she said, flippantly.
‘Is this your shopping?’
‘Well, whose do you think it is? Angelina Jolies?’ She could feel her heart starting to race, her breathing becoming heavier.
‘Don’t get smart. Just open your bags. Do you have your receipt?’ said the security guard.
She shrugged her shoulders, opened her arms and gestured for him to take a look.
He unfurled the crumpled receipt and poked around. ‘Mmm it seems you haven’t scanned everything in your bags, have you? In fact, you seem to have forgotten quite a lot.’
‘Have some items not gone through?’ she said. Those machines are quite unreliable, you know?’
‘Come off it. Just admit it, you were nicking. ‘I’ve had my eye on you the whole time. I’m calling the store manager. Don’t move an inch!’
About author Neil Boss
I retired from a career in the corporate world in November 2019 with three objectives. To travel around the world and fly fish in the most exotic locations, to play my electric guitar better than I do and to write a novel that I could be genuinely proud of. The pandemic and lockdown in March 2020 put my first two objectives on hold leaving me no option but to start writing. Two and half years later, ‘Maybe It’s About Time’, my first novel, was published.
As a piece of work, I am incredibly proud of it. It makes me laugh and cry in equal measure. I am even more proud that readers seem to be enjoying it just as much and it is getting great reviews.
Travel and fly fishing has now started again, my guitar playing is improving and a sequel to ‘Maybe It’s About Time’ is planned to start in 2023!
Bookread2day 