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One Step Away-bookcover

By: James Gabrian

One Step Away

Pages: 322 Ratings: 5.0
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John Kenton, a young man caught between limiting parental guidance and an imagination fired by hidden meaning, is killed one evening by a lorry as he cycles home from school along the icy roads of his West Yorkshire village.

Death provides a choice to go with a catcher to his next stage in life in the afterworld or remain ‘between worlds’, closer to his home and his reality. This is a world of denial and conflict, populated by those fearing judgement of their lives on Earth, the Leaves. Before going with the catcher, an ancient link forges a connection between him and one such Leaf, Simon, kindling a quest that he must somehow free him from his own misjudgement.

Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, he learns how the afterworld is structured and organised and meets others like him. This reunites him with his partner, who like him is descended from an apparently extinct and mythical bloodline. She awakens him to their love and journeys together, spanning almost five hundred years.

Past life times and true identity revealed, he and his friends are brought into conflict with the Leaves who hold Simon and torment his family still living on Earth.

James Gabrian is a humanitarian, having worked with the homeless and vulnerable adults for eighteen years. Previously working in sales and marketing for the food industry, he has helped to raise funds for wildlife and habitat conservation charities via product endorsements. Born in Sale near Manchester, he now lives with his partner in Norfolk in the East of England. One Step Away is his first novel.

Customer Reviews
5.0
3 reviews
3 reviews
  • Richard Warburton

    It is interesting to know where to start with a review about this book. Having read it with increasing interest I have gained an alternative understanding of what to understand actually means. As the book alludes, I may well have been here in a previous life that I am not aware of, and therefore, I could question, where is or was the start?

    The journey through the book questions many things. It takes you through a perspective of the author's view of what we as the human race don’t know but potentially suspect and maybe want to believe. Some may even have their own evidence of, and yet haven’t turned the imagined into what one day could become real as the last chapter states.

    Great adventures through rainforests, beautiful islands and mountains with a healthy dose of romance like no other you will have read about; One where souls are connected across time by an ancient and mythical calling. There is a different perspective, that relates to the damage we are doing to this planet and the wider implications of that to all, and perhaps to some, a comfort for all those who have lost someone and hope they are in a better place. It’s an excellent story and is a great piece of fiction where in people can imagine and do anything, propelled by their own choice which is in itself often controlled by a reticence to release and trust in who they are, and therefore their own free will.

    Reflecting on this, (another consequence of reading this book) it seems a bit like where many of us as humans are now really, seeing themselves as stuck and not reaching potential, or working to understand who they really are. This is explored further in the book where there are people actually stuck in realms and even between realms by not really wanting to accept their self-inflicted inertia, and can as will be explored in the final chapters, defend that unwillingness to move on.

    I really enjoyed this book; the author could have taken this from life experiences and applied it to his portrayal of this different perspective, but I would want to believe that maybe he has been here before; I look forward to the next in the series, if there is one and to the film, which would be great.

  • Jessica Smith

    As an avid reader I'm rarely seen without a book in hand, however it's been a long time since a book spoke to me in the way that One Step Away did.

    The words weren't just on the page, I was living and experiencing them and I was caught in that place between not being able to put it down for wanting to read more and yet wanting to stop after every page to really let the words sink in!

    In my view, it takes a very gifted author to write a novel that moves you deeply enough to question your understanding of yourself, others and the world we live in. It doesn't just stop when the final page has been read, it sticks with you, and has influenced my thoughts ever since. It's the kind of book that I can see myself going back to time and time again and gaining more from it each time.

    From therapy to the more than and back again, I think this book will speak to everyone in it's own way!

  • Sam Welford

    Superb one of the best books I have read.
    I couldn't put this down.
    Superb!
    Just buy a copy.

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