When Aalia Lanius submitted her entry to The Book Life Prize, she was more nervous than confident, but she did it anyway. The manuscript submitted was her recently published debut novel, Tough Love. A biographical fiction based on real events in her life and like many writers, she felt she was a good writer, but she worried if she would be laughed right out of the literary world she was just barely sticking her toe into.

In interviews, Lanius has shared about professors that loved her papers and one in contrast that accused her of plagiarism, allegedly because she didn’t realize Lanius could write as well as she did as an undergrad student. The professor apologized after it was confirmed that it was not a plagiarized paper, but this story does nothing to make Aalia feel more confident, but all she could do was hope that whoever reviews it, even if they don’t love it; they get it.

BookLife is a website from Publishers Weekly dedicated to indie authors and their competition came with a critic’s review, of which the critic gave Tough Love a 7 out of 10. This review not only elates Lanius, but gives her a boost of reassurance as she works on her sophomore novel, set to be released in January 2019. To some, a 7 out of 10 isn’t that fantastic, but for a first time author who at one time slept on the street as a teenager and managed to overcome issues like attempted suicide, cancer, divorce, and write a book while dealing with an autoimmune diseases with no cure, a 7 out of 10 says to her that she is in fact; an author!

“To me being an author means that I wrote something that someone else understood, related to and felt some of the emotions that I desired them to have when reading my book. I’m aware that on the surface, it’s not that original of a story; good woman, jerk husband, divorce, etc., etc.,” referring to the 6 out of 10 for plot, “but the critic considered the book intensely readable because it is raw and real. I got a 9 out of 10 on character development and that is probably the hardest, so I’m most proud of that part! I have so many readers that tell me how they felt I had written their lives,” says Lanius. “I know that so many people will relate to the main character and it’s my hope they sense her strong spirit through it all.”

When asked if she is disappointed if she didn’t win, “I can’t lie, I didn’t expect to win, but I was expecting to come away from it validated, even on just some small level, and I am. Hey, I’m a new author and this was my first of many! I’m not going anywhere, so stay tuned!”

You can see the full review below or here.

Plot/Idea: 6 out of 10
Originality: 6 out of 10
Prose: 7 out of 10
Character/Execution: 9 out of 10
Overall: 7.00 out of 10
Assessment:

Plot: The circumstances of a tumultuous divorce and personal crises make this book intensely readable. Protagonist Aleyna’s path to regaining control of her life is gratifying, though the book’s tone shifts from tense and engaging to more freely inspirational as the novel progresses.

Prose: Neither the details of the story nor the protagonist’s epiphany are purely original, yet her quest to survive and ultimately become empowered, shows her individuality.

Originality: Lanius writes in a clear, confessional prose style, giving voice to Aleyna’s struggles through illness, violence, and emotional turmoil.

Character Development: Aleyna is a sharply rendered character, and readers are provided an intimate view into her painful circumstances. She is not blameless; however, it is through the revelation of her guilt—not her admission of it—that she becomes truly relatable for readers.

Date Submitted: June 03, 2018

The critic gave the plot a 6, but Lanius largely understands that

Check out the Review