Title – Inside Out
Author – Jack Kearney
Genre – Contemporary Fiction
Length –    204 Pages
Publication – June 2015
My Rating – 4/5 Stars

Synopsis

As an actor, Danny Belson has played many criminal types, but as the prisoner transport bus pulls out of the LA county jail, the realization of his conviction overwhelms him. The irony is that only six months ago he taught an acting workshop at the same institution he is now going to be incarcerated in. Danny had been chosen to take part in California’s answer to New Jersey’s highly acclaimed “Scared Straight” by actually working with the inmates of the Medium Security Federal Prison in Lompoc. In his short stay, Danny made some interesting friends as well as unforgiving enemies. Utilizing a groundbreaking format, Follow Danny as he goes from a care free beach volleyball loving, pool shooting, actor, who’s only worry is knowing when his next audition will come, to a convicted murderer. Written using flashbacks, with no chapters, learn what a struggling actor goes through, and how, after his incarceration, Danny’s life is turned INSIDE OUT.

Review

Inside Out is a rather interesting book. It reads easily with no chapters just page breaks which is something I’ve not come across before but it worked well.

The plot I enjoyed a lot, Danny’s life has been turned upside down due to a wrongful conviction and we get a first-hand account of how things came to be as Danny looks back at the recent events in his life

What I really enjoyed about the book was how quickly the author managed to change the energy of a scene.. one minute you think things are going ok for Danny and then bam..(For obvious reasons I won’t tell you what happens.. I don’t want to take anything away). There’s even a couple scenes in jail when I had my hand over my mouth thinking..Oh My God

For me personally the relationships that developed with his fellow inmates happened a little too fast, yes he’s met them before but would they really want to be his friend that quickly..and trust him so much? I’m not sure.. but it didn’t take anything away from the story.. just moved it on at a fast pace at times.

The thing that struck me the most was how easy the author found it to make me feel like a was reading a script rather than a book.. his own personal experiences gave his writing something different to what I’ve read before..it really did feel like I could imagine this playing out on a TV screen .

The major plus for me was the development of the lead character Danny and how he changed during his time in prison. I’ve no experience myself but I can imagine for some it would be one of the most life changing experiences ever and you get to see this through Danny

While the story is slow to get to the good stuff it’s perfectly set up for a reader who likes a bit of suspense. With this one you are left waiting and waiting to find out how things will play out in prison while you learn about how Danny ended up there in the first place

Dramatic is the word I’d use to best describe this book..the few light-hearted moments mixed with some hard scenes makes this a decent fast paced read indeed

Definitely worth a read that’s for sure

My thanks go to the author for the chance to read/review their work.

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