A review by esw
Small Pleasures, by Clare Chambers

emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This is a lovely read for anyone in S.E London. Being familiar with the areas the characters visit really adds another layer to the enjoyment. It was the first I've felt so in tune with the characters in a book just on locality.

As for the plot, it's okay. Predictable in areas, but it shines best on Chamber's depiction of the titular Small Pleasures. While the characters may not be incredibly complex in areas, it makes up for it by them being genuinely sweet. It's a novel dealing in the sweetness of intimacy and learning to love.

Now for the ending.
Spoiler The ending can make or break the book, and frankly it broke it for me in a 4 hour binge. It's both predictable and sudden and overall really unsatisfying when so many expectations have been built. In short, Jean can't catch a W. I feel the ending might have been stronger if it ended happier, even if the events of the ending still happened or were slightly altered. In addition, the truth of Gretchen's pregnancy felt easy to predict. I don't exactly know how it could have been done without feeling so obvious, but it was expected and didn't throw me through many loops. I did enjoy the reveal of Gretchen being a lesbian.


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