Behind the Smile by Mary Grand.

Lowri is involved in a car accident and her face has become scarred for life. But this is not the only scar that Lowri will carry as she tries to make a new life for herself upon the Isle of Wight.

I really enjoyed reading Behind the Smile and in the back of my head was the song by Fleetwood Mac in 1987 which went “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.” Many characters in this novel told lies and right from the start my empathy was with Lowri as lots of people were stringing her along.

Behind the Smile explored a lot of issues, not just honesty and lies. It explored how people cope with disfigurement, miscarriage, Facebook and gambling. Lowri’s smile had been destroyed because of her facial injuries but this story showed how people can be very different Behind the Smile they present to the world. The inclusion of Facebook in this novel is good. People use Facebook in many different ways and we should all be aware that Facebook posts do not give the full story. Facebook is a channel that can be used in many different ways, some are very subtle. Behind the Smile of your Facebook page, you can influence peoples’ opinions. It can be tempting to play the Facebook game and tease people too. Because there are so many lurkers on Facebook who do not click the “Like” button, you can be sure to get your message across. Facebook can be a very good back channel to work within the workplace. I am amazed at how long our supervisors spend on Facebook checking what our drivers have been posting. 

I like Mary Grand’s writing style and she tells a good story in that lovely way that Welsh women have. There is something very homely I find about her novels, even though Behind the Smile is set in her new patch on the Isle of Wight. Yet again the lead character has a cocker spaniel, just like the author! It’s the old thing, write about what you know, in Mary’s case, Wales, the Isle of Wight and cocker spaniels.

Lowri even had a trip back to Merthyr Tydfil…

...She looked at the departure board, found the platform for Merthyr and began her ascent up the steps. Standing on the platform, she listened to the valleys voices: the harsh consonants, and long soft vowels. ‘What you been buying then?’ said one girl.

‘Oh, been to Primark. You know, for thirty quid I got three skirts and two tops. Lush eh?’

‘You going to that band in The Red House tonight?’

‘Guess so. You?’

‘Yea.’

Lowri smiled, already feeling at home.

...And I thought I was listening to the cleaners in Llantrisant depot.

Behind the Smile is Mary’s 3rd novel and I found it to be a BRILLIANT read. Her quality writing gets the top score of 5 stars from me. The story has a happy ending and the last paragraph will have you crying for Lowri.

Behind the Smile was written in 2018 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.