It's the little things (by Erica James)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m gradually re-reading the novels by Erica James which I’ve acquired over the past twenty-four years, as well as looking forward to her new ones. The one I have just finished is ‘It’s the little things’, which was published in 2008. I first read it in December 2010 and in the intervening fourteen years had entirely forgotten the storyline and the people. Well, almost…

The main characters in this book are three (fictional) survivors of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand. This was a tragedy which educated most of the world about what to look for when a tsunami is about to happen. The action of the book takes place a couple of years later, but there are some descriptions and flashbacks of what these folk experienced. 

As we learn, early in the book, two couples went on holiday together. Sally and Chloë had been close friends for a long time. Sally was married to Dan, Chloë was with Paul, and hoped he was going to propose. One morning, Dan and Chloë were in the hotel gym when the room was engulfed with water. They all escaped, and Dan managed to rescue a small girl, but he was unable to save her younger brother. Even two years later, he has regular nightmares. And Paul broke up with Chloë shortly after the disaster, which left her broken-hearted. 

Chloë is a doctor, working as GP in a busy practice. She prides herself on a personal touch, rather than keeping rigidly to time. She would love a baby, and is envious of patients who are pregnant. But she hasn’t had any serious relationships since Paul. Sally works as a high-powered lawyer, and Dan stays at home to look after their son Marcus who was conceived right after the tsunami. Sally is not at all maternal, while Dan loves being with Marcus, seeing his milestones. He is also happy to do the shopping, cooking and tidying. 

At a local gym, Chloë meets a good-looking man called Seth, and they gradually become friendly. It’s clear that Seth has something he isn’t telling Chloë, and she suspects all kinds of issues - that he is secretly married, perhaps - but she doesn’t guess what the secret is. That’s the one part of the book that I suddenly remembered although I had forgotten the actual characters. Possibly because, the first time I read it, it seemed like such an odd thing to be secretive about.

Chloë and Seth have a very good rapport. But when she eventually learns his secret she’s shocked and also rather prejudiced, which is what he was afraid of. He’s a thoroughly likeable person. Indeed, in this book the three most sympathetic characters, in my opinion, are all male. Both Seth and Dan are kind, sensitive, warm and generous. The third is Marcus, who is a total delight. But Erica James has quite a talent for creating lovable, believable small children. 

However I found Chloë rather rigid in her views. We eventually learn why she is so negative and afraid of being judged. But she has a hard, unforgiving side, and I found it hard to like her. Sally is even worse. I can’t empathise at all with someone who doesn’t much like being around her own son. But even worse, she is jealous of her husband’s abilities with him. Then at work she starts taking a huge risk, doing something so damaging to her reputation and marriage that I had no sympathy at all with her. 

Still, the writing is good, even though there’s rather too much discussion of sex for my tastes. Some of it is important for the plot, but not all.  And there are some interesting conversations about relevant principles and beliefs. But for many it seems too casual, and sometimes an apparently unstoppable force, rather than being a deliberate choice in a trusting, loving relationship. 

The novel is character-based, and there are quite a few minor characters. I liked some of them very much (such as Chloë’s parents, and Rosie, the mother of Marcus’s best friend). Others are less sympathetic. I couldn’t quite believe in the ghastliness of some of Chloë’s patients and also one or two of Sally’s clients. But that doesn’t matter much. They move the story forwards and provide a backdrop for the most significant people. 

There’s quite a ‘religious’ thread running through, too. As a Christian I quite appreciated the way that the church was portrayed as a positive force for good (on the whole). Some of the negative comments made were so biased and ill-informed that they made me think less of the characters concerned. I assume that was deliberately done. There’s nothing pushy, and fundamentalists would probably see all the discussions and Christians in the book as feeble, maybe even heretical. But I found this thread quite thought-provoking, and liked the way it brings issues of faith into secular fiction. 

Essentially, it’s a book about compassion and forgiveness. It’s also about friendship and love, with some important contemporary issues that come up briefly. It’s also a typical ‘women’s fiction’ novel about misunderstandings and romance. But set in the context of believable situations which the author brings to life well, with plenty of other things going on. It doesn’t drag anywhere. 

It’s not a short book - over 400 pages in paperback - but once I’d started, I found it difficult to put down. I hadn’t remembered any of the plot itself, and didn’t know what the outcome would be for anybody. On the whole I thought the ending was positive, while not quite tidying up all the ends. 

Recommended, on the whole, if you like women’s fiction with a bit of depth. It’s not my favourite Erica James novel, but I’ll probably read it again in another decade or so.

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews