All
or Nothing
Reviewed
by: Christine I Speakman
Written
by: Preston L. Allen
Publisher:
Akashic Books www.akashicbooks.com
Genre:
General Fiction
ISBN:
978-1-933354-41-5
Pages:
252
Price:
$14.95 (USA) $18.00 (Canadian) Trade Paperback
4 out of 4 roses
The best fiction book
I have read in years!
Mr. Allen’s “All
or Nothing” is the story of P and his gambling addiction. “All or
Nothing” is an extremely powerful and simply told story. If I hadn’t
needed sleep I would have read this in one sitting.
The character P, we’re
never told anyone’s full name, is an honest man. Honest, in that he knows
he’s a gambler. He knows he is addicted to gambling. He knows he lies to those around him. He doesn’t apologize
for who and what he is. P allows us to see into the mind of a gambler and that
the meaning of money has many interpretations.
I agreed to read “All
or Nothing” because I thought it would be a basic story about a gambler. A
straightforward fiction book.
I was unprepared for
the emotional intensity of Mr. Allen’s writing.
I was unprepared for
the stillness and soft bluntness of Mr. Allen’s writing.
“All or Nothing”
is one hell of a book. Thank you Mr. Allen.