Apologies. There is no Word tip today. I’ve been too busy with my new book. Next week…
Cultivating a Fuji is only two days old and already there are several reviews. That’s because of the blog tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources – a very worthy resource.
What pleases me most about all the reviews so far is that the reviewers understood what I was trying to do with this novel… well, almost.
Here’s a table of the reviews so far:
| Website | Date | Quotes |
| The Bookwormery | 15th May | [I] found it to be a moving description of social anxiety and just how traumatic a simple meeting can be for sufferers….yes there’s humour, but I found this to be a sad, poignant and thought provoking tale. |
| FNM | 15th May | This is a book that is guaranteed to stay with you long after you read it, it is a book that really makes you think with a few surprises along the way. |
| Jan’s Book Buzz | 15th May | Drori tells a story that can only come from a place of empathy and recognition. It says: “I know you. I see you. I hear you. I understand you.” |
| Cheryl M-M’s Book Blog | 15th May | I think the way Drori went about this was thought provoking. It’s a stage with Martin smack bang in the middle with a spotlight on him. |
| In de Boekenkast | 16th May | Cultivating a Fuji is a very touching story about how hard it can be to fit in the crowd. Martin’s character is well-developed and even the minor personalities have their own past and problems in this wonderful story. |
One of them has a question I’d like to ponder over.
This review and this review (because it’s on WordPress and Blogger) says, “Drori approaches the topic of social anxiety from the perspective of an outsider, someone living without anxiety, which is an interesting way to go about it.”
Martin does have a voice. It’s true that the novel begins with the views of those around him, but Martin’s thoughts and feelings are there, too.
Cheryl goes on to say, “I wonder if the author decided to approach it this way in an attempt to get more readers or people to relate, and in doing so have a better understanding of social anxiety and how our actions can have an impact on the lives of others.”
I did have something like that in mind. I wanted readers who had met someone like Martin to recognise what they might have thought about him before trying to understand how Martin feels.
But Martin’s point of view comes out strongly, and suggestions that he doesn’t have feelings are raised and refuted by characters in the novel and shown to be false by Martin himself.
Miriam Drori, Author 