My review will follow the publisher’s blurb :
“Hello, my name is Esther. I am calling on behalf of Krippler Incorporated, a market research institute. Today we are conducting a survey on feline diabetes. Do you, or any member of your household, own a cat?”
They hang up.
“Hello. My name is Joan. I am calling on behalf of—”
They hang up.
“Hello. My name’s Doreen.”
Jane is a telemarketer. She uses a different name each time, and soon it becomes clear that she is calling the same man again and again. Each call is a new battle between them, with him becoming angrier and more threatening. But Jane isn’t calling him at random; Jane has a purpose; Jane has a past which seems to change each time she tells it. The story is revealed through exchanges like ritual incantations.
A sharp, funny and dark novel about identity and connection.
The blurb was what pulled me toward this read. A telemarketer who uses a different name every time she calls? Even though I expected a light, fun read the experience of Oh Honey was eye opening. The books gets dark quite fast, but even through all the madness, through all the spiraling out of control, Emily Austen had me chuckling throughout.
So here I am reading yet another broken character. I don’t have anything in common with Jane but that didn’t keep me from enjoying Jane’s character or the book. What I loved most about Jane was her chameleon like quality.
Oh Honey points the finger at what happens when things go unchecked. It brings into focus the faults in our country’s rehabilitation process and is a definite reminder that there are too many Janes out there that need help.
Oh Honey is a quick, angry read but the humour offsets the madness brilliantly. Emily Austen’s first novel is certainly an eye opener into mental health issues. She’s definitely a voice that is worth checking out.
Oh Honey by Emily Austen is available now
Published by Holland House Books
ISBN-10: 1910688258
ISBN-13: 978-1910688250
140 pages
An e-galley of Oh Honey was provided by the publisher in exchange for my thoughts and review.