A Mollusk Among Man by Stephen Coghlan Book Review
- Tabitha Tomala
- Oct 17
- 2 min read
Thank you to Stephen Coghlan for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!
Imagine being merely a brain, fully conscious and aware of who you are, being placed into an empty shell, forced to take on an identity that is not your own. Roca was incarcerated and placed into a shell that worked for the prison system, performing menial tasks until parole. But even parole isn’t freedom. Transferred to a more technologically advanced shell, Roca’s struggle has only begun, but at least on the outside, they have a slim chance at hope.
The foundation of a cruel world is well established as readers watch Roca’s struggle. To be trapped within shells, yet no closer to their true identity, Roca is forced to comply with a system that refuses to acknowledge them or even help. Therapists instead work the system to extend sentences, and society shuns anyone who has a record, no matter the offense.
It is a never ending battle to attain a sense of life, more survival than actually living. Roca’s emotional and painful admission of the past and the life taken from them will devastate readers. Yet no matter how many times Roca is stricken by those around them, they plot and plan to find a way to break free from the system. And while it may not be legal, it is the only option they have.
A Mollusk Among Man is a story of stripped identity and a world that refuses to acknowledge a person's right to being true to their own self. This novella can also be seen as a brutal allegory of what is currently happening in today’s society, and it is heartbreaking.
All or part of this book review may be used in marketing, I only ask that you reference Behind the Pages if you choose to do so.
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