Meet George, a resident at the Four Seasons care home in a Scottish seaside town.
Meet Carrie, an occupational therapist at the Four Seasons care home.
Join them as they form an unlikely friendship.

Immerse yourself in their story as they discover second chances in life.
Cheer for them as they find laughter in the face of adversity.
Support them as they both finally learn to bury the ghosts of their pasts and learn to live again.

#GeorgeBunceAndTheBlackWaveOfFear @MartinGeraght1 @SpellBoundBks @Zooloo’s Book Tours @zooloo2008 #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour

Most importantly, allow George and Carrie to take you on a journey where you might just end up looking at the world differently.

George Bunce and The Black Wave of Fear is an extraordinary and poignant tale full of hope and humour.

My Review

I’ve read a number of books in the last couple of years where an elderly person is befriended by a much younger man or woman (usually a woman) and their unusual friendship has changed both their lives for the better. This is one such book.

George Bunce And The Black Wave Of Fear is a feel-good story that begins with grumpy 70-year-old George Bunce finding himself in the Four Seasons care home after burning down his flat. He hates it. Everyone around him appears to be old, decrepit or stark raving bonkers. Except George. There’s a man who lies under the bed with his legs sticking out while brandishing a spoon. He thinks he’s fixing a Ford Escort. He used to be a mechanic.

Luigi keeps asking if you ‘wanna one scoop or two’ (no prizes for guessing what he used to do) and there’s a lady whose catchphrase is ‘Calm down dear, it’s only a commercial.’ Who remembers Michael Winner saying that in an advert for Esure almost 20 years ago. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. But there’s a couple of old boys who play chess and watch Countdown – they seem better – and a couple of women who watch Naked Attraction which he thinks is disgusting. I have to say I agree with you there George.

And then there is Carrie. She works there and she’s one of those people who tries to make everyone happy. Well it won’t work on George. He’s happy being miserable. He just wants to be left alone, in silence and have poached eggs on toast for breakfast by himself. And the ruddy home can’t even poach an egg for goodness sake! He argues with everyone, including Carrie, who tries to tell him that the sooner he plays ball, the sooner he can move into an assisted living flat.

Poor George. It’s not really anger, it’s frustration and the ‘black wave of fear’. He’s terrified of change. He just wants his lonely life back. But does he really? And can Carrie and new friend Annabelle help him see a positive life ahead of him?

My only issue with this brilliant, emotional novel is that George in only 70. I’m 69 and most of my friends in my ‘boot camp’ (yes that’s correct) are my age or older. One will be 71 in July, another is 74 and yet another is 76. As well as our two to three times a week fitness class, we often go for a 6km walk. And yes, I can do it in kilometres, not miles.

The only reason I am boring you senseless with this is because I am trying to show you that 70 is the new 60 etc. My friends and I are not old, we are just not as young as we were, but we still love a challenge.

George is old before his time. I know he has his senior moments and he forgets people’s names, but don’t we all, though I never burnt my house down – yet. I think that’s why he is initially so grumpy. He’s been alone too long with just his memories and they are not all good.

Many thanks to @zooloo2008 for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the Author

Martin is a 49-year-old Private Investigator from Glasgow, more Clouseau than Columbo. His debut novel, A Mind Polluted, was published by Crooked Cat Books in 2018. He has had short stories published by The Common Breath, Ellipsis Zine, Speculative Books and others.

Follow him at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martin.geraghty.9083
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martin_geraghty72/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MartinGeraght1

Buy Links
Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Bunce-Black-Wave-Fear-ebook/dp/B09QQRQTR9
Amazon US https://www.amazon.com/George-Bunce-Black-Wave-Fear-ebook/dp/B09QQRQTR9/