The Charmed Life of Alex Moore by Molly Flatt

THE CHARMED LIFE OF ALEX MOORE

by MOLLY FLATT 

There are success stories – and there are true stories

How would you feel if everything in your life suddenly started to go . . . right? Six months ago, Alex Moore was stuck in a dead-end job, feeling her potential quietly slip away. Then, seemingly overnight, she launched her dream start-up and became one of London's fastest rising tech stars. At thirty-one, her life has just begun. But Alex’s transformation isn’t easy for those around her. Her friends are struggling to accept her rapid success, her parents worry she’s burning out and her fiancé is getting cold feet.

Then weird things start to happen. Muggings, stalkers – even a wild claim that she murdered a stranger. But when Alex visits the Orkney Islands to recharge, weird turns into WTF. Because there she discovers the world’s oldest secret – and it’s a secret that Alex’s stratospheric rise has royally messed up.

The blurb on Goodreads ends with the promise that this is a very modern adventure with an unexpected twist and this is absolutely the only way to describe this unique and quirky tale! 

Alex Moore is a fascinating protagonist. At the beginning we are introduced to a character who has overcome adversity and made a success of herself overnight and almost, it would seem, magically. Through Alex, Flatt has created a character who is very much of the moment and who has used modern technology to carve out a successful business and future. This really is a clever concept and a novel that taps into very current ideas about success and the new business ventures available in a digital age. It's a great premise, it's an interesting one and for the first section of the book we are happy to listen to Alex as she navigates her way through this new role she's suddenly finding herself in. The atmosphere of frenetic chaos and whirlwind of the world Alex finds herself in is really well evoked. We watch her juggle her personal life with her professional one - oh, and yes, perhaps judging her a little! I was a little torn between liking her and being irritated by her, not quite knowing if she believed the mantras she repeated to others and claimed to live her life by, or whether she was aware that she seemed to have change significantly and maybe wasn't always treating people with the respect they deserved. However, all soon becomes clear, as indeed things are not as they seem!

This is quite a hard book to discuss without spoiling the fun and the inventiveness of the storyline. At times it's like reading Bridget Jones, or maybe Jasper Fforde, at other times it's like an episode of Lost or Black Mirror! However it is always warm, humorous and ultimately still explores the universal issues which make up any good story. 

You will have to suspend belief a little, you will need to let the author take you on a mysterious and incredible journey but if you can give into this and go along with the flow, it's a rewarding journey. This was certainly not the story I was expecting, nor was it one I might have picked up had I heard much about it but I am glad I did. What Flatt has achieved is a very unique, original and highly imaginative novel with a great characterisation and a very well managed plot which is flawlessly executed despite its complexity and strangeness. 

Currently fiction is seeing a bit of genre blending and perhaps this is a novel which is a good example of what can be achieved with a few bold strokes of the pen, or taps on the keyboard. This is a story for the digital age, but it is also a story with some poignant insights which will never become obsolete. The writing is good, the plot is highly inventive, the main character is well enough crafted for the reader to care and want to follow on this crazy adventure. Flatt is clearly has talent and is one to watch as I would be intrigued to see what she might do next. 

The Charmed Life of Alex Moore is the kind of book you'll want your friends to read because you'll want to chat about it. It will surprise you, entertain you and it's always good to read something which is unexpected and doing something a little different within it's genre.

The Charmed Life of Alex Moore is out on the 3rd May from Pan MacMillan. 

Thanks so much to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for the advance copy of this novel!