I really enjoyed Clare Chambers’ Small Pleasures, although there were a few things I didn’t love. I liked this book even better. Once again, Chambers sets her story around a female protagonist who is a little older, a working woman, and struggling with family and relationship issues. This book is set in the mid-1960’s though it also goes back in time about 20 years. Helen is an art therapy instructor at a residential hospital for the mentally ill. The hospital isn’t a barbaric institution; rather, it treats patients with a blend of conservative and less traditional approaches, involving both medications and therapies.
The hospital is contacted about an unusual case: neighbors reported an elderly woman having an altercation in her home with a younger man, her nephew William. The neighbors had no idea he was living there, and it turned out William had been a recluse in the house for over a decade. When found he was nearly naked and had a three foot long beard. In her afterword, Chambers explains that this part of the story is based on actual events.
Because William loves art, Helen begins working with him and quickly sees progress, so she begins investigating the threads of his life so she can figure out how to help him. One of the themes throughout this book is the slippery boundaries between medical professionals and their patients. The characters in this book mean well but their involvement also has potential for harm.
Helen has been having an affair with Gil, a doctor on the staff, who turns out to be married to a distant cousin of hers. She’s also getting to know her teenage niece, who is suffering from some mental health issues of her own. I liked the way this book addressed mental health without assuming everyone in the 60’s was uninformed or a charlatan. At the same time it’s clear there’s a muddy line between mental illness and typical human development or reaction to trauma. While I imagine this hospital may have been unusual in the 60s, Chambers has clearly done research on psychological developments of the time.
Chambers explores William’s story in reverse time, which is an interesting technique. As a narrator, he provides small clues to his situation while the reader learns a little more with each chapter. His story is a fascinating one and I didn’t want to put his chapters down. Helen is a bit more frustrating but sympathetic. Her infatuation with a charismatic doctor is understandable, as is her growing unease with the situation.
I like the way Chambers writes, and the way she focuses on struggling, complex characters. I enjoyed this book even more than Small Pleasures; it has some dark aspects but also themes of hope and recovery. I also loved the attention to nature and animals, as suggested by the title and cover. All in all, this book was just what I needed right now. If there were some situations that felt a little too easily resolved, I can live with that.
Note: I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher Mariner Books. This book is published on November 12, 2024.