Secure Beneath the Watchful Eyes

And thank you for your kind praise. And also for looking at my book, as I can't imagine it to be the most life-affirming read. I've put The North Korean on my watchlist - it looks like a fascinating premise and I look forward to reading it.

Matthew,
"Secure Beneath the Watchful Eyes" is a book that coaxes out raw emotions. I was practicall;y transfixed going through scene after scene of your unrelenting descriptives of pain, despair and self-disgust and wondered where it was all leading to. Your prose is crystal clear, the phrases well positioned for impact, the dialogue apt add-ons to the first-person narrative.Thank you for the compelling read.

Kenneth Edward Lim
The North Korean

Matthew,
"Secure Beneath the Watchful Eyes" is a book that coaxes out raw emotions. I was practicall;y transfixed going through scene after scene of your unrelenting descriptives of pain, despair and self-disgust and wondered where it was all leading to. Your prose is crystal clear, the phrases well positioned for impact, the dialogue apt add-ons to the first-person narrative.Thank you for the compelling read.

Kenneth Edward Lim
The North Korean

Thanks very much for your comments, and for taking the time to read my book. I had to look up 'Story of O', uncultured swine that I am. Must swat up on my sadomasochistic literature...
I've deliberated long and hard about using italics and there's a good chance that I'll change my mind again, I'm still not convinced it works. Thanks again for your input, it's very much appreciated.

Wow. "Story of O" meets "Fight Club". This is not for the faint of heart, by any means. But it's damn well written, and insightful. I may never leave the house again. I'll certainly never walk past an alley without wondering.

My only real criticism is regarding the use of italics to refer to her. I understand why you did it, but I found it distracting. Especially at the beginning. By the end of the book, I had gotten used to it. (Yes, I read the whole thing, I'm sick that way.)

Wow. "Story of O" meets "Fight Club". This is not for the faint of heart, by any means. But it's damn well written, and insightful. I may never leave the house again. I'll certainly never walk past an alley without wondering.

My only real criticism is regarding the use of italics to refer to her. I understand why you did it, but I found it distracting. Especially at the beginning. By the end of the book, I had gotten used to it. (Yes, I read the whole thing, I'm sick that way.)

What an intriguing pitch!
a zoomer

Hi, thanks again for your comments. I like the Roman emperor analogy and may steal that, if that's okay. I find myself wishing that I had put uploaded more chapters as, in truth, the first 10 chapters just set the scene and introduce characters. The next few chapters tell us more about Chris and show Dale giving in to his curiosity and will hopefully be on Authonomy soon. Thanks once more for taking the time to read my work,

Matt

Community Surveillance Officer Dale is a thirty something member of "The Dad's Army of Police"
Employed to spy on people through 578 seperate cameras dotted around Hounslow.
He brags that he can alert the Metropolitan Police at the touch of a button, he can decide, rather like a Roman Emperor, with a thumbs up, or a thumbs down, which offender deserves to be arrested and who should be left to break the law.
He also enjoys zooming in on female cleavage and catching people fucking in alleys.
Dale can receive a monetary bonus if he reports a crime that leads to a conviction. This comes in handy because his basic salary is crap.
He can also pass on footage of street brawls or sightings of celebrities to the press.
The authors description of the inside of the survielance center convinced me while reading, that he actually monitors people for the government as a living.
He becomes aware of camera 138 set at the entrance to an isolated alley, and in particular, a striking woman who leads a different man into "her" alley at around the same time during his night shift.
The woman always emerges first, followed some minutes later by the man who is always dishevelled and unsteady.
Dale's obsession with what's going on night after night leads him to put in a request to install an extra camera inside the alley.
A fortnight later, camera 579 is up and running.
The night the camera is installed, Dale learns the extent of the woman's sexual power over men.
He's hooked and obsessed.
Chapter 7 introduces Chris, who'se not really developed in the chapters uploaded.
Chris at 25 lives with his dad and sister Sophia. His mother has walked out on the family and his father's life is down the crapper. He's given up on life, Chris despises his father.
Chapter 8 returns to Dale's life, his job, his relationship with his collegues, and the fascination and revulsion of the lives he's constantly watching.
The writing here is particularly strong with the author grabbing the reader with some skill.
Dale is about to embark on a dark journey, one he knows can fuck up his life.
Right up my street this, although not for everybody.
If you have an interest in extreem voyeurism, you'll get a kick out of this, I hope Matt uploads some more chapters.