4 out of 4 stars
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Like Beth, the lead character, and nearly every other character in An Obstinate Vanity by Keddie Hughes, this is a book that's full of depth and surprises. From the cover and description, this was clearly going to be a romance novel, but it's so much more! There's romance, sure, but's that's just the tip of the iceberg here. There's a first time for everything; while I've never given a review score immediately in a review, this has become one of my favorite books and that definitely makes it worth a 4 out of 4 star rating in my book.
Beth is coming back from a week off due to a nasty flu, but the day before she comes back she wakes up with half of her face paralyzed, diagnosed as Bell's Palsy. It's typically temporary, and things look hopeful, but in the meantime random strangers have no issue openly looking at her like she's a monster because of it. Beth is a tough, powerful woman (at least on the outside), so she doesn't hesitate to return to work anyway. Her public position has recently been made even more public, however, with a newspaper article declaring she's paid even more than the Prime Minister. She's the chief executive of The Agency, and she's juggling some very delicate and important tasks - she's trying to convince Rubikon to open a big research and development plant there in Scotland that would bring all sorts of jobs along with it. At the same time, she's trying to help Scotland's future with the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, a competition that works to find the most feasible new business idea and then gives them £25,000 and backs them with marketing and business planning. If she can't pull off something awesome on both fronts, her reputation may be ruined forever.
Dougie is a laid-back oyster farmer with a son named Benjy (that spelling is awesome, by the way!). Benjy is one of the six finalists for the competition, wanting to commercially grow kelp, something Dougie isn't exactly fond of since kelp is smelly and gross compared to the elegant, refined oysters he sells. It isn't until after Benjy gives his presentation and wins the competition that Beth discovers he's the son of Dougie, someone she dated over 20 years ago, and now there's the concern over how that will look if it becomes public as well.
The book alternates between Beth and Dougie, and both are great characters. Beth is a fantastic female role model - she's tough, she gets things done and she's driven not by greed or power but to try to make Scotland a better place. Deep down though she's hurt by people's comments and stares, she's sensitive and human, and she worries that her Bell's Palsy isn't one of the temporary cases. Her brother is a mess, her fellow higher-ups with The Agency can be jerks (although they too can be surprising and complex) and a homeless girl named Nine that she takes in seems to have a lot of surprises, although she's hilarious and edgy and the friendship the two share is one of the best parts of the book. On the other side, Dougie is a peaceful guy, he's happy with keeping things the same and doesn't feel the need to fix what isn't broken. Oyster farming isn't easy at all, though, and Dougie faces his own issues with the farm, with his son's business ventures and with the sketchy Mr. Takashama who has all sorts of plans for Benjy's business.
Beth and Dougie have a complex relationship as well. Throughout the story we're shown memories from both points of view that show just how deep and serious things were, but when it came down to it Beth knew that Dougie's lack of motivation would be an anchor for her and she needed to find herself. It's one of many pieces of the book that's both deep and realistic, and it leads to an absolutely hilarious, awful reunion between the two.
It's these realistic, humorous, genuine relationships and interactions, endless difficulties to overcome and solid endings that make the book so wonderful, and I'd definitely recommend it to everyone with the caveat that there's a bit of bad language used and barely-graphic sex scenes. The numerous challenges faced keep the book going nonstop and the well-developed characters will stick around well after the book ends. The closest I found to a flaw in the book was that the book could have used a touch of editing, I counted around a dozen grammatical errors.
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An Obstinate Vanity
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