About 'On an Isle Called Rotoroa'

The Sound of Broken Voices is the title of a trilogy of memoirs which I am currently writing.

They are the voices of youth and innocence. They are the voices of love and violence. They are the voices of madness. They are the voices of ghosts. They are the voices of reason... and the voice of reasons. These are stories of my life.

Religion. Alcoholism. Sexual abuse. Drug Culture. Mental illness. This book writes about these issues in a non-judgemental way in order to give relativity to readers who identify with these issues, and also to give insight to those who have no experience of them.

The first book of my trilogy is titled On an Isle called Rotoroa.  I will be discussing this book in detail on this blog. This book begins when I am twenty two years old. It is set on Rotoroa Island, a Salvation Army-run Rehabiltiation Centre for alcoholics and drug addicts. My experience of rehab is told, while other earlier stories are woven through.
In this location, I make my own examinations and judgements – The Salvation Army and Rotoroa Island have their own stories to tell. 

While the title of the book suggests that the book is about a stint in rehab (and it is, partly) the rehab narrative is used as a vehicle to relay the stories of my childhood and adolescence.  There are embedded narratives in the main body of the work, prompted by triggers.

‘The truth will set you free’ is an oft-used slogan on Rotoroa Island.  But on my first day, the Program Manager takes me aside and insists that I don’t disclose my homosexuality to anyone while I am on the island.  In a place where we are expexted to confront our demons I find myself having to edit my life from the start.  This is the beginning of many lies that are told during this book, in order to protect the truth.

 But the truth has a way of rearing its ugly head, and all is revealed in this gripping memoir.