Clare Chambers (1) (1966–)

I am not often a historical fiction fan, but I was a fan of this one. Working along two timelines Chambers presents William, a boy whose life is put into a sort of suspended animation when his well-intentioned but batty nervous guardian aunts react, well, battily and nervously, to an event and disappear him. This occurs immediately after WWII. For nearly 20 years William is locked inside a crumbling house, devoid of interaction with anyone other than the aforementioned batty nervous elderly show more aunts where food, light, and heat are strictly limited and he is treated as a child. In the second timeline, we meet Helen, an art therapist at a progressive psychiatric hospital with secrets of her own. When William comes to stay at the hospital their lives converge. I don't want to get into specifics, but we learn a good deal about the ways in which women's lives were constrained in both time frames and the way psychiatric care was provided. We learn a lot too about how those things can lead us to look for saviors, and how often we mistake hubris for authority and stability. Chambers allows us to see humanity even in the shadiest characters, and those who do the most damage. The book does tie things up conveniently and in ways that soothe the reader. Sometimes that doesn't work for me, but either she does it particularly well or I am just in a moment where I will take all the soothing I can get. Maybe both. In any event, I think it is a beautiful book that manages to inform and entertain and pulls off being hopeful without being hokey. show less

Shy Creatures is an absolute gem of a book best read super slowly to savour every beautifully written word.
The narrative shifts seamlessly forwards, from the weekend in 1964 when William Tapping is admitted to Westbury Park, a psychiatric hospital in Croydon where Helen Hansford has recently started work as an art therapist, and backwards in reverse chronology to 1938 when William’s world’s turned upside down.
I liked the countdown to ground zero chapters, William’s story, the best. I show more found the highly evocative descriptions of the disintegrating family home, the quirks and foibles of its inhabitants, rationing, Boswell the cat, the massacred chickens and William’s fairground adventure incredibly moving. Subtle details take on monumental meaning – a silver badger napkin holder, moth-eaten undergarments snagged on tree branches, a headily scented rose bush, a special fountain pen.
The characters, relationships, situations and slow burn revelations are extremely credible; the perception of mental health and its treatment in the revolutionary Sixties really interesting. Green Shield stamp books and Brooke Bond tea cards brought back lovely memories and there’s a lot to smile about, too.
Like the gentle lapping of waves with a surprisingly brutal undertow, Shy Creatures is a rollercoaster ride. Loved it. show less

I've read several of Clare Chambers' previous books and loved them. I've been hoping for a new book for some years and at last here it is! Small Pleasures is an absolute triumph.

It's 1957. Jean Swinney is a reporter on the North Kent Echo. She's led a life of disappointment and stultifying routine, being the daughter required to stay with her mother and look after her. One day a letter is received at the newspaper from Gretchen Tilbury, claiming that her daughter was the product of a virgin show more birth. Jean meets the family and finds herself being drawn into their lives, seeing in them all the relationships she could have had.

"She had spent a lifetime on the sidelines, observing, noting, learning; the little details that other people missed were not lost on her."

This is a beautifully written book. Chambers' prose is exquisite, so observant and full of wry humour about the minutiae of life. It's the sort of book where I wanted to continually stop and mark passages that stood out. The characters are so well-drawn. I found Jean to be a frustrated, yet sympathetic character, and I particularly liked Howard, Gretchen's husband, a kind and thoughtful man.

This isn't a book I was able to rush. I wanted to take my time and savour not only the story and the characterisations, but also the sheer quality of the writing and the way that the author writes about everyday events with beauty and perception. She takes us from stifling suburbia to smoggy London with ease, transporting the reader there as surely as if they were living through it themselves.

A comparison has been made with the writing of Kate Atkinson and I think this is very accurate, but Chambers has a style all of her own which I delighted in. The ending left me with mixed feelings and if you read it you'll see why, but I haven't got a bad word to say about this wonderful read. It's an absolute delight. show less

Oh I loved this book so much!! It is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.
Helen is an art therapist in a mental institute. She is having a torrid affair with a doctor there, and all is going relatively well until a new patient comes along. His name is William and he has been a recluse for nearly 20 years.
As their stories unfold, you are taken on a memorable journey that ends in the most satisfying way.
Beautiful story told magnificently. A fave.