O2
by
Nic D'Alessandro
ONE SECOND ONE BREATH ONE CHANCE
Publication date: 22nd June 2023
Series: Dylan Malloy #1
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 260
RRP: $26.00 (paperback on Booktopia)
Source: Courtesy of the author
My review of O2
O2, the first book in the Dylan Malloy series, is a taut medical drama and aviation thriller combination.
Nic D'Alessandro explores the concept of how we cope when life throws us consistent curve balls.
I was pulled straight into the story from the prologue with a life or death situation and Dylan hanging in the balance. The story then goes back to what led to this event.
Dylan has had a troubled upbringing with no real stability. He is often left with his aunt when his mother is working overseas. His aunt's partner is abusive and makes it clear he doesn't want Dylan around. I found him to be an angry young man and I had trouble warming to him. Maybe it was his disease that made him this way, but he was handed plenty of opportunities and it took him well into his 20's to realise this. That aside, Nic's portrayal of Dylan's slow decline in health and his denial that he was seriously ill, and his eventual character growth, was well written.
The in-air flight drama was up there with T.J. Newman's Falling and had me on the edge of my seat. It was a compelling ending to the novel.
O2 is a story of human endurance, overcoming adversity, re-imagining your dreams when life doesn't go as you planned and accepting the things you cannot change.
There are some truly memorable supporting characters in this story who I would love to see again in future novels; pothole the truck driver, Nancy, and Dylan's friend Allie.
I'm hoping Dylan will be less cynical and learn some empathy in future novels.
My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐
About the author
Born and bred on an island state, Nic D'Alessandro is passionate about the wilderness, sea, and sky. He's a writer, photographer, and education consultant who is fascinated by human condition, and anything that floats or flies.
Nic is a keen sailor, and when he is not on the water, he takes to the sky in aircraft whenever he can. He obtained his pilots licence at age seventeen, and later celebrated his forties by building a full-size 737 flight simulator in his garage.
Prior to writing fiction, Nic forged a career as an education leader, manager in the public sector, and specialist in the aviation industry.
Nic lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife, and extended family.
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