“Family Ties is a collection of three short stories exploring love and familial love. How far will the characters go with that love in protecting and helping each other?
“The easy to carry book is clean in its setting and digestible when on the move or curled up at home in a comfy chair. As it was, I was on a long train journey and had brought my copy along to read on the way.
“Flipping to the introduction, the short description of each “Father-To-Child”, “Mother-To-Child” and “The Kindred” left me with more questions than answers – which I guess is a good thing as you need to read on to understand more.
“Filled with images at the start of each story, as this genre of author seems to do regularly now, I turned to chapter one and started reading. Paulette’s Nigerian roots are immediately noticeable as is the good education, grasp of words and skill in telling a story. A potent blend.
“Father-To-Child is a about a relationship where the father teaches his daughter. The beautiful and much adored girl has no interest in reading or education, only mischief, knowing she is protected by her four older, hardworking and intelligent brothers.
“Throughout reading about Chiamaka’s exploits, her father’s wish for her to be educated and not so lazy rings out loud and clear. Displaying tough love, her father instils house hold chores and home learning on her, with an outcome no-one expected.
“Mother-To-Child follows the story of King peter and his two wives with six children, three each. The prose explores the relationship and mothering styles of the two dissimilar women. It looks at how the children turn out differently based upon this relationship, and how the progress in school, at church and in their manners.
“Finally The Kindred follows a couple’s wedding day, and the trials of being a family. Death, careers, children, relationship ups and downs, and loyalty where loyalty is due. It takes some unexpected twists and turns and is an enjoyable read.
“Much of Paulette’s own voice come through the stories and as a child she is said to have enjoyed dancing, cooking and reading. She now loves learning and has applied a great deal of thought to the characters in the stories.
‘Well worth reading, so do grab a copy from Amazon soon.”