Jeff Beamish: October 2020

Wednesday 21 October 2020

Read My Essay, How Fact and Fiction Belong Together

"Like anyone who spends his days working as a journalist and his nights as a fiction writer, I sometimes wonder which of these diametrically opposed professions, if either, I’m better suited for. More often, though, I wonder whether it’s possible to be one without being the other."

So begins my essay in Litbreak Magazine that examines the authors and books that had the greatest influence on my writing career and that explores the role certain news stories played in writing my first novel.

Click here to read the full essay.

REVIEWS

In his debut novel, Sneaker Wave, Vancouver journalist Jeff Beamish peels back layers of teenage chaos to show the tragedy that ensues when young people make terrible decisions. Beamish handles his material effectively and sensitively. And I imagine, realistically, as befits his profession.

The Vancouver Sun

Click here for the full review

Bravo on this debut! Sneaker Wave was one of those books that I could not put down once I started, and shhhhh, please don’t tell anyone, but I spent one afternoon with my door closed to my office at work and finished reading this story. It has everything you could possibly ask for in a rollicking great read: both in the characters that are achingly flawed and rendered to perfection, and in the haunting storyline that tells of the consequences one action caused to alter so many lives for so many years and in such tragic ways. Sneaker Wave was a powerful and stunning read. Just loved it. 4.5 stars.

Literary Hoarders

Click here for the full review

They’re called sneaker waves because they appear without warning, running high up onto the beach with sometimes deadly force; they are an apt metaphor for the unpredictable ways in which the lives of the characters in this novel are affected by their choices. Are they credible characters? Mostly, yes. Are they likeable? Not so much. But maybe that’s part of what makes this story work, along with its tightly drawn plot.

West Coast Editor

Click here for the full review

In Sneaker Wave, Jeff Beamish does a fabulous job of captivating the readers. I honestly could not put down the book, so I ended up almost finishing it the day I started! Many times throughout this book I cried and felt my heart ripped out of my chest. However, there were also moments of love and happiness where I couldn’t stop smiling. I can’t recommend this book enough. Sneaker Wave shows how tragedy can shape someone’s life, and how mistakes can haunt you for the rest of your life.

A Goodreads reader

Click here for the full review

I just got back from Hawaii, where we stayed in one of the most beautiful places on the Big Island, yet I spent hours with my face buried in Sneaker Wave. Every time I tried to put it down at the end of a chapter, I couldn’t because you ended the chapter in a way that always made me need to start the next one. Your writing was so vivid and so gentle, and sympathetic to the main characters. You tantalizingly revealed their complexities throughout the story.

An email from a reader

Literary Hoarders review of Sneaker Wave

Literary Hoarders gave Sneaker Wave a 4.5-star rating (which on their scale translates into 'Damn near perfection'). The review calls Sneaker Wave a "fantastic and gripping story" and a "powerful and stunning read." It adds, "It has everything you could possibly ask for in a rollicking great read: both in the characters that are achingly flawed and rendered to perfection, and in the haunting storyline that tells the consequences one action caused to alter so many lives for so many years in such tragic ways."

You can check out the full review here.

Jeff Beamish

Wednesday 21 October 2020

Read My Essay, How Fact and Fiction Belong Together

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