#Domevember #BookshelfSpotlight ‘Yellow Room’ by Shelan Rodger

About the book…

Haunted by a tragic childhood accident, Chala’s whole life has been moulded by guilt and secrets. After the death of the stepfather she adored, Chala is thrown into turmoil once again. Volunteering in Kenya seems to offer an escape, and a way of re-evaluating her adult relationships, although violence and hardship simmer alongside its richness and beauty. The secrets of the Yellow Room are still with her and she can’t run away forever…

Published by Dome Press in paperback and ebook formats, ‘Yellow Room’ is a wonderful and stunning piece of contemporary fiction. If you click on the link above, you’ll be taken to an extract to make your own mind up for yourself…

What happened-or what is remembered to have happened-in the yellow room goes on to inform and shape the course of Chala’s life. The room that she and her sister shared as a child is recalled in shades of yellow, the colour of hope, the hue of the sun and also synonymous with cowardice.

Is Chala-also known as Che-as a grownup, a coward for marrying a cold,indifferent man-Paul-or is she hopeful of change improving both their lives?

Whichever you decide, as a reader it is hard not to empathise with Che as Paul berated her for not having behaved as appropriately supportive as she should at his art exhibition. You are left with the impression that he brought her there as a reflection on himself, the artist and muse in one place whilst he,as a person,cannot differentiate shades and tone in people’s behaviour.

He repeatedly tells Che not to talk about feelings and emotions-clearly any he has are saved for the canvas-whilst Che appears,to me anyway,as if she is relieved he doesn’t want to talk about such things as so many are locked away inside. As long as Paul maintains his distance,Che’s control over her secrets can be blamed on him.

When the final tether to her childhood dies, this sets Che free to not only behave more honestly but also to start akncowledging what has happened to her. Travelling to Kenya allows her to again focus on the needs of other people this time street children.

However,this is where her parents died and no matter how she tries, Che finally has to accept the part of the past which has shaped her thus far need not have the power to define her future.

The neat allegory of the political unrest and personal turmoil not only informs the reader about the state of affairs in this country about which I, personally, had no idea about,it opens up the narrow and claustrophobic room in which Che lives and has never really left.

Stunning,powerful and deeply emotional,Shelan’s use of language and tone takes us on a journey into ourselves where we examine the price we pay for keeping secrets.

An ode to the damage we do in our need to protect ourselves,and survive trauma,this is another highly recommended Shelan Rodger read from me.

I am so very much looking forward to what she writes next!

About the author…

Shelan’s life is a patchwork of different cultures. Born in Nigeria, she grew up among the Tiwi, an aboriginal community in Australia, and moved to England at the age of eleven.