Review by sursangeet_2000 -- Small Change by Keddie Hughes
3 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "Small Change" by Keddie Hughes.]
[rbc=4]id303002-125[/rbc]
Jim is carrying his own baggage as he had witnessed the murder of a young boy and had done nothing to help him survive, which results in Jim drinking a bit too much and even visits a therapist, a fact that he hides from his wife, Izzy. Sean Docherty is dealing with tragedy, in the form of his younger brother Connor, who has lost his only son in a football accident.
Meanwhile, Izzy keeps herself busy with attending college to get a degree and volunteering her services for people who are fighting debts and financial chaos. As a result, the distance between them just seems to widen. Not to mention, Jim is entering into business with Glasgow Rangers, a football team who is on the verge of a massive financial collapse, a fact known to Izzy but completely ignored by Jim. How the lives of Izzy, Jim, and Sean intertwine, and how Izzy navigates her marriage, even as she handles her growing attraction for Sean Docherty is the wonderful story of Small Change.
As the main protagonist, Izzy managed to thoroughly capture my attention. From the first chapter, I knew that I was going to like her and was curious about where her life was leading and would she be able to handle her husband and her growing attraction for Sean?
I absolutely enjoyed some scenes that were vividly depicted by the author. For example, there was a scene in which Izzy is returning from a party with her drunk husband. As she waits at a signal, in frustration, she actually considers pushing him out of the car in that drunk state. The author successfully manages to bring out the emotions of a wife who is up to the brim with her husband's antics.
I also enjoyed some of the day to day descriptions that the author provides in the book. There is a scene when Izzy is in college and notices an older looking woman. At that point, surrounded by the youngsters, she feels glad for a minute that she is not the only older looking woman in college. We go through our lives feeling happy at someone else's misery and then feel guilt over that. The author has successfully managed to bring out such human qualities in the book.
To be quite honest, I couldn't really find anything wrong with the book. Though the story is written entirely from Izzy's point of view, Jim has also been given equal importance. We see two different worlds as each chapter ends with a conversation between Jim and his therapist, which gives the readers a glimpse into Jim's world. This was definitely a unique presentation of characters in the book. All the secondary characters such as Izzy's son, her friend from college and even her supervisor at the volunteer center have been given a nice presentation. The author didn’t leave any loose ends to be tied up.
Although I did find a few grammatical errors throughout the book, I couldn't bring myself to cut any stars. From a story point of view, this book has earned all of the stars that anybody can give. A little bit of further editing would just make a very good book even more perfect. I, therefore, am very happy to give this book a four out of four stars. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about family and relationships. The language is pretty decent, but the subject matter is adult relationships. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is recovering from alcoholism as the author has described in detail, the harmful effect that alcohol can take on the person and their relationships.
I would like to end the review with this wonderful quote by the author, "Being at peace with the past is a wonderful thing. To leave nothing in the unsaid." In my opinion, the author has done an amazing job of leaving nothing in the unsaid.
******
Small Change
View: on Bookshelves |
Jim is carrying his own baggage as he had witnessed the murder of a young boy and had done nothing to help him survive, which results in Jim drinking a bit too much and even visits a therapist, a fact that he hides from his wife, Izzy. Sean Docherty is dealing with tragedy, in the form of his younger brother Connor, who has lost his only son in a football accident.
Meanwhile, Izzy keeps herself busy with attending college to get a degree and volunteering her services for people who are fighting debts and financial chaos. As a result, the distance between them just seems to widen. Not to mention, Jim is entering into business with Glasgow Rangers, a football team who is on the verge of a massive financial collapse, a fact known to Izzy but completely ignored by Jim. How the lives of Izzy, Jim, and Sean intertwine, and how Izzy navigates her marriage, even as she handles her growing attraction for Sean Docherty is the wonderful story of Small Change.
As the main protagonist, Izzy managed to thoroughly capture my attention. From the first chapter, I knew that I was going to like her and was curious about where her life was leading and would she be able to handle her husband and her growing attraction for Sean?
I absolutely enjoyed some scenes that were vividly depicted by the author. For example, there was a scene in which Izzy is returning from a party with her drunk husband. As she waits at a signal, in frustration, she actually considers pushing him out of the car in that drunk state. The author successfully manages to bring out the emotions of a wife who is up to the brim with her husband's antics.
I also enjoyed some of the day to day descriptions that the author provides in the book. There is a scene when Izzy is in college and notices an older looking woman. At that point, surrounded by the youngsters, she feels glad for a minute that she is not the only older looking woman in college. We go through our lives feeling happy at someone else's misery and then feel guilt over that. The author has successfully managed to bring out such human qualities in the book.
To be quite honest, I couldn't really find anything wrong with the book. Though the story is written entirely from Izzy's point of view, Jim has also been given equal importance. We see two different worlds as each chapter ends with a conversation between Jim and his therapist, which gives the readers a glimpse into Jim's world. This was definitely a unique presentation of characters in the book. All the secondary characters such as Izzy's son, her friend from college and even her supervisor at the volunteer center have been given a nice presentation. The author didn’t leave any loose ends to be tied up.
Although I did find a few grammatical errors throughout the book, I couldn't bring myself to cut any stars. From a story point of view, this book has earned all of the stars that anybody can give. A little bit of further editing would just make a very good book even more perfect. I, therefore, am very happy to give this book a four out of four stars. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about family and relationships. The language is pretty decent, but the subject matter is adult relationships. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is recovering from alcoholism as the author has described in detail, the harmful effect that alcohol can take on the person and their relationships.
I would like to end the review with this wonderful quote by the author, "Being at peace with the past is a wonderful thing. To leave nothing in the unsaid." In my opinion, the author has done an amazing job of leaving nothing in the unsaid.
******
Small Change
View: on Bookshelves |
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