Reviews & Reels

Book Reviews

“All stories are individual and you can never generalise. In Edges of Me I think you handled the issue with such compassion and you didn’t avoid packing some punches along the way, which resonates so much."

Anyway, I couldn't put your book down and I gasped in places.Please write another.”

From a mother of someone living with BPD

I sat on a sun lounger today in the Canaries and devoured Edges of Me until the sun disappeared! I loved it.. my heart broke for both Jenny and Claire at points, I found myself grinning at the highs and desperate at their lows.

I think the other character pov's were hugely important to show the turbulent impact loving/knowing someone with BPD can have, be it diagnosed or undiagnosed.

I found Claire particularly a tricky read for obvious reasons, and it's made me extremely reflective. Ultimately, I was routing for her because at the end of the day, we all just want to be loved. Some of us just can't regulate how we navigate that..

As soon as I worked out the initial twist I audibly gasped, kicking myself for not working it out sooner, but I never expected the final outcome.

From someone living with BPD

"I was absorbed by the characters, your insight into EUPD was spot on.

The ups and downs, the emotional meltdowns and secrecy…

I also was touched by your understanding of loss and grief.

"Words unspoken, Lives on hold."

From a GP about

Edges of Me

Extracts from other readers of Edges of Me:

"The author has got the balance of dark and humour just right."

"I liked the placement of the story on a timeline with the references to contemporary events."

"The short chapters, which always makes the narrative move along and the unexpected twist in the last chapter. It was a triumph!"

"I loved all the fun then unsettling dressing up. And the threads of the plot all coming together."

"The main thing is that it really got me thinking about people I know, or have known, who may be living with a personality disorder and how they might be better supported."

"Enlightening and heart-warming, do buy or download."

"A book that ‘makes one think’.

Theatre Reviews

“Humour, pathos, shock, pain are provoked as you watch the drama unfold. [...] Yet despite the serious nature of the subject matter, it doesn’t lecture. I laughed, was close to tears, and at times also deeply uncomfortable.”

“A play about alcohol that doesn’t lecture.”

Alison Graham, 5* The Oxford Times about

‘DRY’

“Happy Even After is urgent, direct and powerful: its unflinching portrayal of domestic abuse will raise questions and open eyes. Looking around at the audience, many (including myself) had hands clutching their mouths, all completely emotionally invested in the harrowing events taking place. What was perhaps most striking was the nuance and complexity of the piece.”

Daily Info about

‘Happy Even After’

“Warm and witty, but with a marked piquancy, the play clearly benefits from the writer’s experience as a nurse working in a psychiatric hospital, before her career change to theatre.”

“This is a compelling play, excellently acted and tautly directed”

Christopher Gray, The Oxford Times about ‘Connie’s Colander’

Just wanted to say again how powerful your play was last night. The message came out loud and clear the clear exposition of the situation in which Domestic abuse can arise and how to recognise the symptoms.
All in all the evening was very informative, moving and thoroughly worthwhile.
Thank you for creating the experience. Keep writing. We need more play-writes like you tackling important subjects

head-on.

Sue Wilson, BBC Radio Producer about 'Happy Even After'

Gaye has worked closely with the inter-agency training pool for Buckingham Safeguarding Children Board for the past ten years. Gaye has the ability to convey powerful messages to professionals through her portrayal of challenging family circumstances and situations. Follow up evaluations have shown that it is the messages from scenarios created and played by Gaye that have the most impact on professional practice following the training"

Ann Lexton

Bucks Safeguarding Children Partnership

“The sensitivity in Enticknap and Poole’s interpretation of such a well-observed script touches many memories of my own mother’s dementia. Even down to the cooking together and tasting the cake mix. It’s painful and funny to watch, and ultimately the recognition is reassuring, even comforting. The rest of the audience clearly make their own connections."