Go Home, Afton by Brent Jones~R&R Book Review

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About the Book_1

Go Home, Afton

Author: Brent Jones

Length: Novella

Genre: ThrillerBook Cover

Series: Afton Morrison, Book 1

Release Date: June 25, 2018

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We all wear masks, and Afton Morrison is no exception.

A small-town librarian with a dark side, Afton, twenty-six, has suppressed violent impulses her entire adult life. Impulses that demand she commit murder.

Blending her urges with reason, Afton stalks a known sexual predator, intending to kill him. But her plan, inspired by true crime and hatched with meticulous care, is interrupted by a mysterious figure from her past. A dangerous man that lurks in the shadows, watching, threatening to turn the huntress into the hunted.

Go Home, Afton is the first of four parts in a new serial thriller by author Brent Jones. Packed with grit and action, The Afton Morrison Series delves into a world of moral ambiguity, delivering audiences an unlikely heroine in the form of a disturbed vigilante murderess.

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Book Review

Wow, what an amazing ‘hit it and quit it’ kind of novella! From the first chapter I was already hooked! Think about it like an unique female version of Dexter Morgan, how can you go wrong? The story had me hooked and I devoured the whole book in one setting. After reading some books that I am way past the due date of being reviewed that were triggering and some that were just blah, this story was a breath of psychopathic fresh air!bitches be crazy I admittedly can relate to Afton in some ways like having more than one version of “myself” not the whole murderous vigilante type of way but hey, different strokes, different folks. As a large amount of my close friends/followers know, I battle Dissociative Identity Disorder and it is a harsh battle. If this is new news you can find my post where I opened up about it at https://touchmyspinebookreviews.com/2018/01/10/fractured-mind-of-a-broken-child/ Like Afton, some very bad things happened to me that should never happen to anyone and have had multiple sides of my selves since the age of 7. Most of the times, I get triggered by books that start out with a character that nobody knows what’s going on with her and I spot it from page 1 but this book had a unique and fantastic approach. Brent Jones depicts mental illness so well and the characterization is quite impressive! I have never been able to read books from someone else with D.I.D perspective but this was truly a fantastic book and makes me feel more of a drive to work on my thriller book that will be based off a true story.  This novella had one helluva story line as well, most of the time when reading a novella you feel like you are missing out on something or it doesn’t give you enough enjoyment because of its length but that was not the case with Go Home, Afton! This story was “Wham Bam, Thank you, ma’am” kind of fun! I would definitely recommend this story to anyone looking for a good read that can be read in a couple sittings and you can’t beat a great read for 99 cents! You can grab a copy if interested with the buttons above! I am so excited about reading the second novel and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Jones comes out with next! I couldn’t give this story more praise or recommend it enough. Easily one of the best books I’ve read this year!

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Thoughts and Quotes

Someone was creeping in the shadows. A man, perhaps, watching me while standing next to a wooden bench at the edge of the street, concealed in part by a decorative lamppost. And all at once, I could feel it. The prying eyes of a fellow voyeur, keen to assess my intentions as much as observe my actions. But as I gave my head a soft shake, the figure disappeared, and I was almost alone again.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 1)

“I hadn’t experienced true autonomy over my consciousness since adolescence. Well, seventeen or so, to be exact. A second Afton emerged that year. A twin sister of sorts, a manifestation of my darkest desires. A relentless cheerleader, in a manner of speaking, who appeared only to me, urging me to obey impulses that most good people can suppress or ignore. I had named her ‘Animus’ Afton, and the time to give in to her was drawing nearer.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 1)

“Kenneth Pritchard had to die, you see—she and I agreed on that much—but it would be me who would have to kill him. He would be my first, and his death had to be just right.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 1)

“There was nothing on my desk but a plastic canister of Lysol wipes. Not a framed photograph, not a placard, not a pen or a pencil, not so much as an artificial fucking ficus. My belongings, sparse as they were—lens cleaner for my glasses, an extra cable to charge my phone—were filed away in a two-drawer cabinet next to my feet. I took a moment, as my single computer monitor flickered on, to savor the beautiful synthetic scent of lemon disinfectant. No, not all librarians were meticulous creatures, but I was, and it felt soothing, reassuring.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 4)

“When I left for college…I swore I’d never come back. But it was that last year before I left, when I was seventeen, that cemented my roots in this town. That gave me a sense of belonging here. The incident, as I had labeled it in my head, in a strictly euphemistic sense. More like scarring, perhaps, or what some might call Stockholm syndrome. Somewhere inside, I harbored this crazy notion that returning to Wakefield might help me find a lost fragment of my soul. Closure, wherever it was buried.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 5)

“…a thin line of red trickled down his throat. Even seated as he was, he towered over me. He looked down his nose through widened gray eyes, waiting to see what I’d do next.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 6)

“Thousands of memories came flooding back through my consciousness at once, each one an image I had fought like hell to forever banish from my psyche. Demons, that had laid in wait, were seething at my core, and came breaking to the surface in flashes of white-hot anger, rushing to my head and neck.” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 11)

“I debated my next move, chastising myself for allowing fear to creep into my consciousness. I hadn’t come this far to turn around and go back…” —Go Home, Afton (Chapter 15)

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About the Author_1

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From bad checks to bathroom graffiti, Brent Jones has always been drawn to writing. He won a national creative writing competition at the age of fourteen, although he can’t recall what the story was about. Seventeen years later, he gave up his career to pursue creative writing full-time.

Jones writes from his home in Fort Erie, Canada. He’s happily married, a bearded cyclist, a mediocre guitarist, and the proud owner of two dogs with a God complex.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Brent Jones

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Excerpt (Chapter 3)

*Note: When copying this excerpt to your blog—please be careful to leave formatting intact, including use of italics, em dashes, and ellipses.

Parents—stay-at-home moms, mostly—brought in their toddlers once a week so I could read them a story. And I use the word toddlers loosely. Kids as old as six or seven sometimes attended during the summer. And the stories we would read were made up of fewer than fifty words, for the most part. A lot of the mothers in Wakefield were too lazy to read to their own children, I guess.

Oh, and crafts, too. After reading a story together, we’d break out glitter and colored pencils and paste and other nonsense, but that wasn’t the real reason a dozen women turned out with their little monsters each week. Storytime was an excuse for the mothers to gather and gossip. It always took a little while to get the children to settle down, sure. I’d press my finger to my lips and wait. Five or ten seconds at most, although I would have been happy to wait longer. Their mothers, on the other hand, were so much worse. Getting them to shut their fucking traps was a whole separate exercise in endurance.

But as much as I disliked children, there was something magical about them. It was their inability to see gray, I think. Their entire worlds existed in black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. You could see it in their faces as a story unfolded, rife with nervous energy at every inconsequential turn.

“And she just doesn’t know”—I read to the room, pointing to each gigantic word—“should she stay, should she go?”

I caught a boy’s expression, who sat just inches from me. The hippopotamus in our story was faced with a dilemma, and this boy was transfixed. His eyes were wide, his hands were cupped over his mouth, and he was vibrating with anticipation to see what the hippo would do next.

I flipped to the last page. “But yes the hippopotamus.”

The boy relaxed a little, making a deliberate show of letting his shoulders drop. A talented drama queen in the making. He was new to storytime and looked to be about five or six years old. He had dark hair, a tan complexion, and a missing front tooth. He’d attended just once before and he’d sat close that day, as well. I’d never really been big on learning children’s names, to be honest, but I knew his was Neil only because he’d come to the library alone both times. It sounds strange, I’m sure, but having a parent use the library as a free babysitting service happens more often than most people would guess.

I continued on, reading the final words of the story. “But not the armadillo.”

Neil was stressed all over again, and his tiny hand shot up. “Miss Afton?”

“Yes, ah, Neil? What is it, little man?”

“How come not the arma-darma?”

“Armadillo.” A woman in baggy gray sweatpants corrected him from the back of the room. She was a few years older than me, had bleach-blonde hair in a ponytail, and her voice resembled a seagull getting crushed by a car.

I shut the book and set it on my lap. “That’s a good question, Neil.” I bit my lower lip, deciding how much to share. “Well, let’s see. Ah, no one likes armadillos, for starters. They’re bullet-proof, if you can believe it, and ugly as sin. They carry leprosy, too, but they don’t bite children too often.”

The woman at the back of the room—Sweatpants, let’s call her—looked horrified. Her stained teeth chattered and she blinked in rapid succession. She placed her palms over her daughter’s ears, a girl around three or four in age.

Neil scratched his head. “What’s a lepra-she?”

“It’s—”

Sweatpants raised her hand to silence me—not that I minded—and looked to a few of the other mothers in the room for support, most of whom were checked out or occupied with their phones. She looked back at me again, then at her daughter. “It’s when good little boys and girls get ice cream.” That wasn’t how I might have defined the word, however. “You want to stop for ice cream on the way home, Jessi?”

It was hard enough getting these little turds to sit still for all fourteen pages of But Not the Hippopotamus. Why on earth would this woman want to stuff her daughter’s face with sugar before lunch? But the girl jumped up and squealed at the mention of sweets, and soon, other kids joined in, as did their mothers.

I peeked down at Neil to see him cradling his head in his hands, masking a look of disappointment by staring at the floor. It appeared he had forgotten all about armadillos and leprosy and storytime, and now sulked, wishing he had a parent present to take him for ice cream like the other children.

The mothers talked amongst themselves, and their toddlers fed on the elevated energy levels. The room was alive with discourse, and I wondered if the local Dairy Queen might consider paying me a small commission. “Well, that’s it for storytime, boys and girls. Thanks for coming.”

Sweatpants spoke up at the back of the room, the self-elected leader of Wakefield’s fattest and frumpiest. “But it’s only quarter past, Afton. Isn’t storytime supposed to be a full hour?”

“Just figured you were all on your way to get a double-scoop of leprosy.”

“Very funny.”

I raised my hands in a gesture of mock uncertainty. “We’ve got crafts we can do.” I pointed to three short tables covered in plastic, adorned with supplies that Kim had set up for us. “Should we get to it?”

“That won’t take long. Couldn’t you read them another story first?”

Couldn’t I read them another story? It’d been her idea to squeeze out one of these little nightmares. Why was I being punished for it? “Not this week, I’m afraid. Sorry.”

But she just wouldn’t give up. “Afton, do you know where Jessi’s daddy is right now?”

My first thought was that her husband was probably fucking her sister at some roadside motel with hourly rates, bed bugs, and a one-star rating on Trip Advisor. I couldn’t say that out loud, of course, and so I fought like hell to keep a smirk off my face. It helped to keep my sights trained on Jessi, who had sat back down, cross-legged in a checkered dress. She was drawing on the floor with one small finger.

Sweatpants answered her own question. “He’s at work, Afton. And he works hard, by the way, and we pay more than our share of taxes in this town. Taxes that pay your salary.”

Oh, the salary card. How I loved it when disgruntled parents brought up my salary, as if any one of them wanted to trade places with me. Yes, her taxes paid me a small fortune. That’s why I rented a one-bedroom apartment in a triplex. And it’s the same reason I drove a seven-year-old Corolla. I was so grateful—indebted, even—to Sweatpants and her husband that I just couldn’t wait to read another story.

“Sure thing.” I grabbed a second book off the pile next to me. “One more story, coming right up.”

Sweatpants smiled. It was a flat, fake smile, of course, the kind where the mouth curls tight but the eyes are dormant. It was about the best I could have hoped for, and it seemed to have a calming effect on the other mothers. They quieted down, eager to return to their various text message conversations.

I pointed my finger to more jumbo text on a colorful page. A story about an overweight and diabetic caterpillar with impulse control issues, who was always so very very fucking hungry. “In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf . . .”

And I couldn’t help but lose myself in thought. I was that little egg on a leaf, glimmering in the moonlight, and about to hatch. Soon after, the morning would come. And my hunger would be satiated at last, because Kenneth Pritchard would be dead.

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Series

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June 25th

Reads & Reels (Review) http://www.readsandreels.com

Book Wonderland (Review) https://bookwonderlandweb.wordpress.com/

Down the Rabbit Hole (Review) http://meggydowntherabbithole.wordpress.com/

Touch My Spine Book Reviews (Review) https://touchmyspinebookreviews.com

June 26th

Book Dragon Girl (Review) http://www.bookdragongirl.com

Jessica Rachow (Review) http://jessicarachow.wordpress.com

Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews (Review) https://sinfullywickedbookreviews.com

The Scribblings (Review) https://thescribblingssite.wordpress.com

June 27th

On the Shelf Reviews (Review) https://ontheshelfreviews.wordpress.com

Tranquil Dreams (Review) http://klling.wordpress.com

June 28th

Dash Fan Book Reviews (Review) https://dashfan81.blogspot.com

J Bronder Book Reviews (Review) http://jbronderbookreviews.wordpress.com/

Just 4 My Books (Review) http://www.just4mybooks.wordpress.com

Life at 17 (Review) https://lifeat17.wordpress.com

June 29th

Kim Knight (Review) http://kimknightauthor.wordpress.com

Misty’s Book Space (Review) http://mistysbookspace.wordpress.com

Port Jerricho (Review)  http://www.aislynndmerricksson.com

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Thanks so much for checking out my review, loves! I am so sorry I haven’t been spamming up your notifications as of late. My mom got married this weekend and I was the maid of honor and had those duties. I also had to stop one of my medications so haven’t been feeling the best but now that the wedding mess is over I can bloggy hop! Woot! I missed your faces and can’t wait to read your posts. Thanks for reading my review of this great book! I have many to catch up on and unfortunatly some reads were not as great. I hope everyone has a fantabulous week! You guys rock!

 

56 Comments on “Go Home, Afton by Brent Jones~R&R Book Review

  1. What an awesome review. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Dani! There’ll be plenty more twists and turns before this series is over. —Brent

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks so much, Brent!!!🤩 Your comment made my day! I was worried I wasn’t able to portray my love for this book enough because of technical difficulties. Even more twists and turns??? I can’t wait to read more!!!😍 Congrats with your new releases. Your writing skills are incredible and loved the characterization!😍📚😁💯

      Liked by 1 person

    • Also as someone who suffered from D.I.D since the age of 7, I really think you did incredible and usually books that involve my disorder trigger me. I am actually going to update my review a little bit and add that stuff to it because that was what was supposed to be initially said as well

      Liked by 1 person

      • Hi Dani,

        I went back and took a look at the changes to your review.

        I appreciate the praise—I really do—but I don’t deserve it. I’m glad that (so far) I haven’t angered or alienated anyone with DID, but I’ll be honest, I never once gave thought to Afton’s mental health when writing the story.

        If my book(s) raise awareness about DID, or start conversations around mental health, I’m all for that. That’s a good thing. But the idea behind creating “Animus” Afton was intended as more of a metaphor than anything else. A sort of supernatural element to the story, even. Afton knows that Animus isn’t real (she admits as much), but it helps her to justify her actions by pretending it’s some other version of herself doing these terrible things.

        Thank you for sharing so personal about yourself. I really appreciate that, and I’m glad that my book didn’t trigger you from page one.

        Best wishes,

        Brent

        Liked by 1 person

        • Gosh, I really don’t honestly know what to say to this comment. Not in a bad way just a bit confused and don’t know if I should change it again because that wasn’t your intentions with the book. I guess, the best way I can explain it is I know my alters aren’t real. I even know after years of psychological babble and 50 million quacks that they are just fragments of my personality that come out and run my body with their free will. To them from everything I read and seen and even experienced at their hands they are real to them and that what’s counts in a way. I have ended up waking up in jail and mental hospital quite a few occasions not knowing what the hell happened. I should have been more explanatory with my review. With DID do you rarely see your alter and know what’s happening all the time. I have no control over them so I know Afton’s character of course is a work of fiction and may not have rhe same thing as DID but try he way she talks to Amnius and the battles she has with herself are very relatable when you have D.I.D. A large amount of the time you are constantly battling a version of yourself that you don’t want to be there for whatever the reason because in reality all my alters are part of me and they just kind of seperated themselves and made themselves their own to survive. With D.I.D. there is always an incident that causes the splitting to happen.

          Liked by 2 people

          • Damn it prematurely hit send! But anyways as much as I know I tell myself they are not real, it never fails that they have a mind of their own and I end up doing or saying things I would never do and it all stems from detaching myself as a child. Afton’s character wasn’t supposed to be poetrayed this way but I couldn’t help but resonate with the battle. With the constant and exhausting amount of time I spend to stay “normal”. I don’t know if I am explaining things right and I’m sorry if I misunderstood her characterization but my rating and such was based on how great the characterization was. You depicted how much one can really have a battle with oneself regardless of illness or whatnot. I am so glad ro have read your novel! I can change the review if uou would like? My email is daniellepirok88@gmail.com

            Liked by 1 person

      • No, please don’t change your review, Dani. I’m so honored that you shared part of your personal struggle with me and your followers. Not to mention, you’ve written such a beautiful review. I’m glad you connected with my story and its characters.

        My comment here was only meant to address the statement, “Brent Jones depicts mental illness so well and the characterization is quite impressive!” I thought I ought to say something, only because I didn’t mean to depict or explore mental illness at all here. My apologies for any confusion.

        I guess that’s the beauty of reading (and writing) fiction, huh? No two people take away the exact same ideas from any given work.

        Best wishes,

        Brent

        Liked by 1 person

        • I’m sorry I was confused by your statement, Brent!😟 You are exactly right that no two people connect to one book the same way!😁 I am so glad that you are such a supportive author and that you connect with your readers.😀 It makes the experience so wonderful to know that you are so involved. Go Home, Afton was amazing!🤩 I really can’t wait to read Part 2! Thanks so much for commenting and your kind words! They mean the world to me and I am sorry I got confused by your last comment. I was having some problems with my other selves that day as well as WordPress! Smh. I hope you have a fantastic day!

          Liked by 1 person

      • Nothing to be sorry for! Glad we got a chance to chat in more detail. Connecting with my readers is one of my favorite things to do in the entire world. Just name the time and place!

        Also, Shannon has ARC copies of book two for all of you wonderful reviewers who participated in this amazing blog tour. I believe she will be sending them out at the end of the week.

        Best wishes,

        —Brent

        Liked by 1 person

    • Thanks so much, Shanannigans!!!😘 This definitely was a hands down 5 star read!😁 I’m so sorry about my tardiness.😥 Everytime I tried to add the last piece of info, WordPress would freeze up and I would have to start over from where it auto saved.😭 Lately, all the glitches and problems have been so troublesome. Ugh. But thanks so much for this opportunity, sweetheart! It really was a fantastic read!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Great review! I’m glad you liked this! I love Brent’s writing. He really knows how to make his characters seem like real people (even when they’re talking to the imaginary phychopathic side of themselves!) 💖👍😍🍻

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hells yeah!!!😁 I loved this book. It was literally the cheese to my macaroni!😍 He is such a talented author and this is the first I have ever read of his so I am giddily excited to read what else he has!🤩 I’m so glad you enjoyed the realistic psychopathy as well! I was worried my reviewed sucked though because everytime I was almost done writing it, WordPress would freeze and make me close out again and sgain!😵 Ugh. Made me so late and all. Sorry now I’m rambling again. Thanks for commenting, Love!😍 I hope you had a fantastic weekend and an even better week!🍻🤩😍

      Liked by 2 people

  3. Great review Dani!! Brent is truly gifted!!! I think, of course, we are all affected differently by a book. But it seems everyone is in agreement that this book ROCKED and that Brent’s writing is SPOT ON!!!! I loved your review, you poured your heart and soul into it! Damn, you’re a writer girl!!!

    Now as for WordPress!! It sucks big time!! I will not work through the app anymore, because I had too much trouble. I work only through my browser and it doesn’t glitch. I usually work on my iPad though, I don’t think that should make a difference with the browser. But who knows!!!

    Just keep writing!!

    Liked by 2 people

    • You’re right girl!!!😍 No two people read one book alike! You made my day with your comment. I felt a little insecure posting my true feelings about the story but I always like to tell how a story connects to me on a personal level.
      Now WordPress this morning, I tried the mobile app, mobile browswer, silk browser and my laptop Google chrome browser and every time it would close out on me every so often. WP has been giving me so many issues lately, no matter how I slice it or dice it!😒🤯

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  4. Hi Dani,

    I put together something fun this morning, and I thought you and your followers might like to check out.

    It’s an online poll, in which you can vote for who you would choose to play Afton Morrison in a film adaptation of Go Home, Afton.

    You can check it out here, if you’d like to. Voting is free, it only takes a second, there’s no sign-up required, and I narrowed the poll down to four choices just to keep things simple.

    I hope you’re having an awesome day,

    —Brent

    Liked by 1 person

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