Man Down by James Goodhand Blog Tour

 I do love an interesting premise, especially one that doesn't necessarily give away what a book could hold within its pages.

This was definitely the case with Man Down from author James Goodhand.

Will Parks needs to man up.

A man stands. A man fights. A man bleeds.

These are the first lessons you learn in a town where girls are objects, words are weak and fists do the talking.

Will's more at home in the classroom than the gym, and the most important woman in his life is his gran. So how can a boy who's always backed away from a fight become the hero who saves the day?

Because a disaster is coming. One that Will can prevent. But only if he learns the most important lesson of all: sometimes to step up, you have to man down.

Utterly original.

This is the story of Will. 

A son, a brother, a grandson even. But beyond that, he is a young man trying to navigate his socially awkward self through some tough times.

The underlying subject of this tale is toxic masculinity.

And it is done so well.

It poses the question to the reader, can you even be a hero if no one actually knows about it?

Powerful.

Emotional.

Compelling.

This is a novel that for me, was completely unexpected.

I really enjoyed how the author explored everything. Dark at times, it was refreshing to read things from a male perspective. The peer pressure, the idea that you can't do the right thing for fear of being humiliated.

It sat on the edge of being both a YA and an adult novel with its subject matter.

Man Down is a thoughtful story.

I can't say that I've really read anything like it before. It's described as being ideal for fans of The End of the F***ing World and I think that is a good comparison as they are both quite unique in their delivery.

For me, it gets a massive thumbs up.

Check out the hashtag #mandown to follow the rest of the ultimate blog tour.