Dropping by to share this excerpt from Clare Johnston’s latest book From The Outside.
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When internet millionaire and philanthropist Harry Melville dies in a car crash at the age of forty four, the lives of his wife, Sarah, and twin brother, Ben, are thrown into turmoil.
Harry seemed to have it all; a close-knit family and a happy marriage – along with all the trappings of wealth. Yet as he recalls his past from the afterlife, a story emerges of the unspoken and bitter jealousies between brothers and of an unhappy wife burdened by loneliness and guilt.
When Ben takes over the running of Harry’s charity foundation he begins to find purpose for the first time in years. But the arrival of a talented young artist brings a series of revelations that expose Harry’s complex and dual personality in full. As he learns his part in the suffering of those he left behind, is it too late for Harry to make amends?
A tale of regret and redemption in this world and the next. From the Outside looks at the futile rivalries that can destroy sibling relationships and the lost opportunity for happiness when ego is allowed to reign over emotion.
Amazon | Goodreads
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SITTING ON THE EMBANKMENT I took in the endless expanse of blue sky, the warmth from a sun I couldn’t see melting away the worries that had been lodged in my head all morning. The cars rushed by along the motorway in front of me, but their noise was muted. I could see them but the sound just didn’t register. It was then I noticed the mangled wreck of the silver Audi sitting so hopelessly to my left, smashed and broken like the driver slumped over the inflated airbag at the wheel.
Already, there were people all around the car. A bottle-blonde woman who looked to be in her late forties made a frantic call to the emergency services on her mobile, while others paced next to the driver’s side, pausing now and then to peer in the window. Finally, one of them plucked up the courage to prise open the door, only to stand stock still once he’d completed his daunting task, confronted by the terrible reality of what sat before him. He glanced nervously back at the blonde woman who was still on the phone as if to say: ‘What now?’
‘Check if he’s breathing,’ she said, pointing towards the lifeless victim – in doing so accepting the leadership role she had unwittingly been awarded.
Another pause as the man tried to work out the best way of checking for breath without actually touching the body. He put his hand over the driver’s mouth, then leaned forward to put his ear next to it. A second flash of panic swept over his face. Poor guy. I’d say he was in his thirties, dressed in a non-descript dark suit, with the air of a hassled sales executive on his way to the next meeting when, sod’s law, he just happened to be one of the first to pass the scene of a terrible accident. Good for him too that he actually stopped.
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Clare Johnston is a journalist and content specialist, and a frequent contributor on radio and TV, having appeared on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, The Kaye Adams Programme and comedy satire show Breaking the News on BBC Radio Scotland, along with STV2’s Live at Five. She is a former editorial director of Press Association Scotland and commercial editor and columnist with the Daily Record. She is currently working with the DC Thomson media group and supports businesses with communication and content creation. Clare is based in Edinburgh.
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everywhere-and-nowhere.com 