BOOK REVIEW: EXCUSE ME, MY BRAINS HAVE STEPPED OUT by Pandora Poikilos

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be giving away a $10 Amazon gift certificate to one randomly drawn commenter at the end of the tour.

Anya Michaels is having the time of her life. She has the man of her dreams by her side. She has graduated at the top of her class. She has the job others were lining up for. Between late night drinks at her favourite bar and fancy dinners at the most expensive restaurants, she has a string of adoring friends. Everything changes when she hears the dreaded words, "You are sick."

Being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder, her world starts to fall apart, one piece at a time. Now dumped, her four year relationship is nothing but a memory filled with pictures, thoughts and a very broken heart. Her job becomes an even further challenge as she tries to hide her condition. Her friends suddenly have more important things to do, what is a party without a party girl? Perfect could not crumble any faster.

Soon, caught between situations, people and pieces of life that she never dreamed of planning for herself, Anya begins to wonder if her brain condition is all that bad. As she absorbs the changes in her life and realization sets in, she begins to wonder if she is the only one saying: Excuse Me, My Brains Have Stepped Out.

(20% of royalties will be donated to the National Organisation of Rare Disorders)

This book is not quite what I expected based on the book cover and blurb. Instead of a linear story of Anya and the life she leads before and after her diagnosis, Anya's thoughts come to us in a series of letters to her absent father. It's not made clear until the end what has happened to her father. Nor is it clear what the sequence of events was. The individual chapter-essays are interesting and the messages in them are good; as a novel, however, it lacked cohesiveness.

Anya's letters talk about different facets of her life--the betrayal of friends, sexual abuse as a child, destruction of a relationship--but the tone of the book is not depressing or completely dark. There are even elements of humor in it.

This was not an easy book to read--in many ways, it's a disturbing book. It can be read straight through, or the chapters can be read at random. What it can't be is read lightly.

International best-selling author, Pandora Poikilos has been writing for more than 10 years for various media which include newspapers, radio, television and various websites.

Find Pandora online at

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Blog http://peacefrompieces.blogspot.com/
Website http://moonstarluxury.com/