One Shot
by Tanya Landman
Publisher – Barrington Stoke
Release Date – 15th March 2019
Buy – Amazon | Book Depository

A powerful and deeply moving coming-of-age drama, inspired by the life of infamous sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
After the death of her beloved father, Maggie and her family are thrown into a life of destitution. With little income and no way to live off their poor land, Maggie tries to provide for her family the way her father always had – with his hunting rifle and whatever animals the forest would provide. But when her mother is confronted with her “unladylike” behaviour, Maggie is thrown into a life of unthinkable cruelty and abuse. With no one to care for her and only the hope of escape, all Maggie can do is survive.

A profoundly intimate and masterful re-imagining of one woman’s fight for survival in the harsh landscape of 19th century America.

After enjoying Passing for White last year I jumped at the chance to read another from Tanya. Tanya just has a way of putting such a powerful and thought-provoking plot line in such a short story.

In just over 100 pages we find Maggie, a girl who finds herself trying to help provide for her family. In this time and society this is classed as ‘unladylike’. A lady should be looking out for the babies and nursing them, not going in the middle of a forest, shooting a rabbit for food, even though it would stop the hunger in her family. When her father dies, her mum disowns Maggie as she is unnatural, a strange girl, a daughter that has no place in her home, no matter that Maggie is doing it for her family. So she goes into care, she faces a life of cruelty, abuse and false promises and runs away. It’s only when she comes of legal age that Maggie can finally be the person she wants to be…

Maggie is such a strong, courageous character that my heart just went out too. Her relationship with her father is something so special to the heart that it’s literally torn from her. That leaves several marks, but her determination never falters. She see’s so much more than what’s on the outside and I love her for it. Maggie is the embodiment of the strongest most inspiring female character I’ve read in a long time and it’s makes me want to know so much more about the life of Annie Oakley. Tanya has created a story of survival, staying true to yourself and fighting for what you believe in. It’s about proving a society so set in its way and changing one life can set to save many more in the future.

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Barrington Stoke for sending me a proof in exchange for an honest review.