Book Review: Wink – Thriller by Eric W. Trant

By Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

Wink   takes place in a rural Gulf Coast town. The main character, Marty Jameson, is an unusual young man with a disturbing home life. Marty’s mother is abusive to Marty as well as other substances provided to her by Marty’s father who is absent most days while wheeling and dealing drugs in neighboring towns. Marty seeks refuge in the attic of his home where he can avoid the hoarding and abusive tantrums of his mother and stay out of sight and smelling range of his older brother who is comatose and wasting away in his bedroom.

Marty is damaged, but somehow not defeated. Surrounded by unthinkable sadness and anger, he is able to escape to the attic to find his own refuge and peace. He is a determined young man who seems to find joy in the most unlikely places. He forgives his mother time and time again even though she is not willing to offer him the same unconditional love and emotional support. His optimism and resilience is incredible and seems to be the driving force behind any goodness in his life.

Right next door in a house very similar to Marty’s lives a family so different in many ways from the Jameson’s. Sadie Marsh’s life is anything but perfect; she is confined to a wheelchair and yet her home is filled with love and light where Marty seems to be surrounded by evil and darkness. Sadie feels for Marty and waits by her own window to see what is going on at the Jameson’s. Sadie’s mother has warned her about that family next door and yet Sadie is drawn to Marty and the goodness she knows lives within him. Sadie is convinced Marty is not the devil her mother makes him out to be, but those huge black-winged creatures she sees at his house have her wondering if her mother was right. When Sadie’s mother admits to seeing them too, they both know Marty is dealing with more darkness than they had imagined.

Marty is drawn to Sadie just as she is to him. He sees the goodness in her home and in his own way longs to experience the love within their walls instead of enduring the torture and hatred of his own family dynamic. Emotionally scarred Marty is torn but determined. The key to his triumph lies in the attic and the stories told to him by his one-eyed uncle. He’s pulled between the darkness and light as the winged creates threaten everything he has ever known.

Trant’s imagery and storytelling is incredibly. The story of Wink left my head spinning and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or just hold my children tight. Trant’s brilliant writing places the reader in the middle of the chaos as the story unfolds. The tension builds and you find yourself unable to put the book down. This is a story of family and triumph but most definitely a ‘keep you at the edge of your seat’ thriller to say the least. 


Paperback: 275 pages

Publisher: WiDo Publishing (April 16, 2013)

ASIN: B00CE4OP1K

Twitter hashtag: #WINK

Wink is available as a print and e- book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

About the Author:

Eric W. Trant is a published author of several short stories and the novels Out of the Great Black Nothing and Wink from WiDo Publishing, out now! See more of Eric's work on his blog: http://diggingwiththeworms.blogspot.com/, order directly from Amazon, or wherever books are sold.

Eric is an advocate for organ donation and lost his 18mo son in May of 2012. Eric and his wife courageously donated their son’s heart, kidneys, and liver. The couple went on to begin  a foundation to support organ donor families. Eric speaks openly about this emotional journey on his blog and the topic of organ donation is very close to his heart.

Find out more about the author by visiting him online:

Author website: www.EricTrant.com

Author blog: http://diggingwiththeworms.blogspot.com/

Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/eric.trant.9