A Risk Worth Taking (by Robin Pilcher)

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I’m glad I decided to re-read my books by Robin Pilcher; I recalled that he wrote slightly harder-hitting novels than his late mother, but that he shared her gift for characterisation, creating three-dimensional, sympathetic people. I’ve just finished ‘A Risk Worth Taking’, which I last read in 2005; it was the Robin Pilcher’s third published novel.

The book is primarily about a man called Dan Porter, and we meet him struggling to wake up after throwing his alarm clock on the floor. It’s a good image, one which I expect most readers can identify with. Before he can get to his clock, it’s picked up by his elegant, rather frosty wife Jackie who is about to head off to work.

It’s clear that the couple are going through a difficult patch. Dan is currently unemployed despite having previously had a high-powered London job. So Jackie, who manages a clothing company, is the only earner in the family. She’s rather lost sympathy for her husband who seems unwilling to look too hard for another job, hoping something might turn up.

Dan and Jackie have three teenagers: Josh, who dropped out of university and is in a low-paying local job, is the oldest. Jackie rather despises his lack of ambition. Millie and Nina are Josh’s sisters, and I had a hard time telling them apart; they squabble somewhat, but are quite close too. Since Dan lost his job they’ve moved from a private school to a state one, and are not having a great time there; relationships through the whole family are rather strained.

It’s clear from the start that the family is drifting apart, and sure enough Jackie is enjoying the attentions of a younger man at her office, who works hard, pays her compliments, and is clearly rather attracted to her. She’s lost respect for Dan, and Jackie’s the kind of person who needs to respect the man she loves.

I didn’t much like Jackie; perhaps I wasn’t supposed to. However Dan is a likeable person, if a bit self-absorbed, but during the course of the book - much of which takes place in Scotland - he learns a lot about himself, and starts to develop more of a sense of responsibility. Josh matures a lot too, as he finds work that suits him, and a girl who rather appreciates him…

There’s another couple who play a significant part in the story: Katie, who runs another clothing company, in Scotland, and her husband Patrick who owns a company importing and selling prawns. Patrick has multiple sclerosis, and while he’s still very involved in his company, his mobility is limited and he’s becoming increasingly frustrated with his gradual deterioration.

As with the other books by this author, I found some of the business discussion a bit long-winded and skimmed most of that; I didn’t have the slightest interest in the workings of a prawn factory. But there’s still plenty of human interaction, with a pompous, insecure politician playing the role of ‘bad guy’ in a couple of places, trying to damage Patrick and his company after a previous disagreement.

I found it very readable; after nearly two decades I had entirely forgotten the storyline, and was shocked when Katie - whom I had liked very much - suddenly behaved completely out of character (in my understanding) and persuaded Dan to do something he knew was wrong. And that was where the book started to go a bit awry… I felt the ending was abrupt, as if the author got bored of it and tried to tie up too many ends in one go. We don’t learn what the future is going to hold; perhaps that was deliberate, but I’d have liked some kind of epilogue.

Overall I did enjoy the book, and would recommend it, so long as you don't mind an open, inconclusive and somewhat unsatisfactory ending.

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews