Book Review : The Withering by Oliver Phipps

Title: The Withering

Author: Oliver Phipps

Publication Date: 4 July, 2015


Publisher : Gray Door 

Goodreads – Amazon 

Summary: 

Victoria Bartlett is an educated woman from a prominent British family. The year is 1900 and as she travels on an aged steamship to the harsh environment of Egypt, she feels confident and secure in herself. 

Fate however, will not allow Victoria a gentle passage. Ripping the strands of well being from her, it will ultimately cast her essence upon the hard stones of ancient alchemy and desperation. It is in this place that she finds what she perhaps has been seeking all along...; answers.

My Thoughts: 

Hello everyone and welcome back to Katie’s Corner! Today I have a new book by Oliver Phipps. When I got this it, I thought there was a typo in the page count, but no it really is 54 pages long. Everyone may think it’s too short for a book, but to say the truth those 5 chapters were amazing. I would have liked to read more about Victoria, but still it was enough to get to know her.

Meet the protagonist – Victoria; in the first chapter she appears as a real British snob (apologies to everyone British), but her way of speaking and showing both her British accent and her university degree was a bit sickening. But don’t forget it’s 1900-s. it was rare for a woman to be educated at that time. The “fun” starts when Victoria is thrown to an island. I laughed out loud, when I saw how her “intelligence” helped her during the first day. She couldn’t bring herself to function; she did come to her senses soon enough not to die. She was too much of a scaredy-cat, and she was aiming to become a nurse?

I believe I have been repeating myself a lot, but I need to say this again: I love how Phipps builds up tension. My mind goes into overdrive scheming possible outcomes. However, this time I guessed correctly. I remember I was reading this book after my internship in the subway, and I can swear I had this maniacal grin on my face though out the whole book, because my theory was coming to be true. When I came to the end, I nearly shouted “I knew it!”, it was inevitable that Victoria would leave that island sane. What happened to her there? Well, that’s up to you to find out! A small hint: is she really there all-alone? Or…

When I first read the summary I thought it would be similar to “The Tempest Soul”, however, I was not correct. If in Tempest Soul Phipps builds a strong woman into glory and makes her even a stronger character. Here it’s different. We get to see how a storing woman gets to be broken to pieces. Though a question comes to mind: Was Victoria really a strong character from the beginning? That’s up to you to decide.

I believe everyone will enjoy this book. Everyone may see Victoria differently. For me she was a poor soul, who just tried to be above everyone else. The book makes you ask yourself the main question: who we are and where are we going? I hope you’ll take up this great book. It sure will leave a lot of mixed feelings in you after finishing it. Don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Enjoy it to the fullest and stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book or manga! Happy reading!

XOXO

Katie

My Rating: