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Little Prisons
When you can't get out, let kindness in.
In a non-descript building in a gentrifying corner of London, Penny is doing daily battle with her mind. She is convinced that the world beyond her door is too dangerous for her, though her heart knows it isn't. Penny's neighbour, Carla, an American expat and single mother of two teens, has lived in a coercive relationship for many years, too worn down by her controlling husband to escape her situation. Mable, Penny's upstairs neighbour, an elderly Jamaican pensioner and devout Jehovah's Witness, has sacrificed everything for her faith, including her relationship with her family. And Woman, the housekeeper and nanny on the second floor, has been trafficked. When she is not cleaning and cooking, she works in the laundrette the landlord owns on the ground floor, a hidden slave in full view of the public.
Through grocery deliveries, glimpses through windows, and overheard conversations in the stairwell, the women come to know each other. Their small acts of compassion help them each find a way to mend the broken paths in their lives.
In a non-descript building in a gentrifying corner of London, Penny is doing daily battle with her mind. She is convinced that the world beyond her door is too dangerous for her, though her heart knows it isn't. Penny's neighbour, Carla, an American expat and single mother of two teens, has lived in a coercive relationship for many years, too worn down by her controlling husband to escape her situation. Mable, Penny's upstairs neighbour, an elderly Jamaican pensioner and devout Jehovah's Witness, has sacrificed everything for her faith, including her relationship with her family. And Woman, the housekeeper and nanny on the second floor, has been trafficked. When she is not cleaning and cooking, she works in the laundrette the landlord owns on the ground floor, a hidden slave in full view of the public.
Through grocery deliveries, glimpses through windows, and overheard conversations in the stairwell, the women come to know each other. Their small acts of compassion help them each find a way to mend the broken paths in their lives.
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 23, 2022
About the author
Ilona Bannister
3 books335 followersIlona Bannister is the author of three books. Her debut novel, When I Ran Away, was long-listed for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize in 2021.
Ilona's third book, Five, will be published in May 2026.
Born and raised on Staten Island, Ilona will always be a New Yorker at heart, but she has lived and worked in the UK for almost 20 years with her husband and sons.
Ilona's third book, Five, will be published in May 2026.
Born and raised on Staten Island, Ilona will always be a New Yorker at heart, but she has lived and worked in the UK for almost 20 years with her husband and sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
September 23, 2022
Absolutely nobody explores the rawness and vulnerability of motherhood like Ilona Bannister. Nobody.
After loving her debut, WHEN I RAN AWAY, I knew I had to get my hands on her latest LITTLE PRISONS. That proved to be tricky as this was a UK only release and Ilona graciously sent me a copy.
The story follows four women residing in an apartment building who each find themselves imprisoned by various captors, seen and unseen. We jump right into the story when the tenants are strangers and take heart as their past and present unfolds. The women are faced with domestic abuse, dogmatic religous practicies, human trafficking, and postpartum/mental illness. As someone who has experienced postpartum anxiety, Ilona handles these sensitive topics with great care.
Brilliantly structured, the novel highlights the resilience of women and the importance of community connection. I love the way the lives of the women ultimately intersect. I was reminded that we truly never know what “prisons” people are living with and how much a simple act of kindness or sacrifice can change the game.
It’s important to note that the story follows these women before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Be aware that many trigger warnings apply here, so please message me with specific questions. While there are heavy themes, the story is not devoid of hope and the ending left me with watery eyes and full body chills.
RATING: 5/5
Grab yourself a copy through Book Depository, Amazon UK, or the UK-based Blackwells Books.
After loving her debut, WHEN I RAN AWAY, I knew I had to get my hands on her latest LITTLE PRISONS. That proved to be tricky as this was a UK only release and Ilona graciously sent me a copy.
The story follows four women residing in an apartment building who each find themselves imprisoned by various captors, seen and unseen. We jump right into the story when the tenants are strangers and take heart as their past and present unfolds. The women are faced with domestic abuse, dogmatic religous practicies, human trafficking, and postpartum/mental illness. As someone who has experienced postpartum anxiety, Ilona handles these sensitive topics with great care.
Brilliantly structured, the novel highlights the resilience of women and the importance of community connection. I love the way the lives of the women ultimately intersect. I was reminded that we truly never know what “prisons” people are living with and how much a simple act of kindness or sacrifice can change the game.
It’s important to note that the story follows these women before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. Be aware that many trigger warnings apply here, so please message me with specific questions. While there are heavy themes, the story is not devoid of hope and the ending left me with watery eyes and full body chills.
RATING: 5/5
Grab yourself a copy through Book Depository, Amazon UK, or the UK-based Blackwells Books.
October 3, 2022
Rating: 5 stars
Author of When I Ran Away
Triggers: Domestic abuse, human trafficking, immigration and mental illness.
Available now in the U.K. Please consider ordering online – Book Depository ships worldwide!
I recently had lunch with a friend and she made a statement that really resonated with me – ‘Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could all try to understand one another’. Just imagine all the hostility and violence that would stop and the light that would shine through.
Great empathy is something I think most of us aspire to. To not jump to the first conclusion when someone cuts you off while driving or the person who lays on the horn when you don’t immediately go when the light changes. How often do we stop and think about why someone is the way they are or how they even got to be in their circumstances. How quick are we to judge?
Little Prisons heartbreakingly explores the often, cruel world in which we live in. The “tiny prisons” so many people live in, alone and scared. How, when we pay attention, we can connect and extend kindness to those in great need of it.
By the time I turned the last page, I felt a tremendous urge to gather these women in my arms and hold them tight.
Please do yourself a favor and read Ilona Bannister’s stories. She touches on so many important issues with sensitivity and awareness and I cannot recommend them enough.
An enormous THANK YOU to Ilona for sending me a finished copy from across the pond.
Author of When I Ran Away
Triggers: Domestic abuse, human trafficking, immigration and mental illness.
Available now in the U.K. Please consider ordering online – Book Depository ships worldwide!
I recently had lunch with a friend and she made a statement that really resonated with me – ‘Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could all try to understand one another’. Just imagine all the hostility and violence that would stop and the light that would shine through.
Great empathy is something I think most of us aspire to. To not jump to the first conclusion when someone cuts you off while driving or the person who lays on the horn when you don’t immediately go when the light changes. How often do we stop and think about why someone is the way they are or how they even got to be in their circumstances. How quick are we to judge?
Little Prisons heartbreakingly explores the often, cruel world in which we live in. The “tiny prisons” so many people live in, alone and scared. How, when we pay attention, we can connect and extend kindness to those in great need of it.
By the time I turned the last page, I felt a tremendous urge to gather these women in my arms and hold them tight.
Please do yourself a favor and read Ilona Bannister’s stories. She touches on so many important issues with sensitivity and awareness and I cannot recommend them enough.
An enormous THANK YOU to Ilona for sending me a finished copy from across the pond.
November 4, 2022
Did this just become a fave of the year?! Def a contender for top 10.
November 8, 2022
If, like me, you’re a fan of Ilona Bannister’s debut, 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘙𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘺, you’re going to want to get your hands on her latest book, 𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗦. For those of you living in the U.S. that’s going to be a bit of a challenge. The book was released in the UK in June, but as of now it seems it has not been picked up by a U.S. publisher. This is absolutely confounding to me because 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 is an excellent book from a proven author. I got my copy at a reasonable price from @bookdepositry and other UK booksellers are also willing to ship here. Now for the story!
It takes place over the course of a year beginning in January 2020 and follows four women all living in the same London apartment building. There is Penny, a very intelligent agoraphobic, with many other mental health issues. Carla is an American with an expired visa. She’s a single mom to two teens whose husband (living with another woman) refuses to divorce Carla and takes pleasure in tormenting her. Mable, a lonely older woman, is fully devoted to Jehovah. She spends her days and her money Witnessing for him. Finally, there is Woman, who moved from her Home Country to work for the family who now enslaves her.
In different ways each woman is in her own prison, none really seeing the bars around the others. Their lives move forward on parallel paths only occasionally touching. Even then, they barely interact as each woman is absorbed in her own private battles. As their worlds shrink, a pandemic hits with surprising consequences for these four.
“Penny feels, for the first time, like she belongs in the world she is living in. When catastrophe struck and the world around her panicked and scrambled to react and drew inwards, closing its doors, shuttering its windows, covering all of its faces, she was relieved. Everyone finally joined her, learned the secret she had known all along.”
Another great book by Ilona Bannister. Am I right, publishers? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
It takes place over the course of a year beginning in January 2020 and follows four women all living in the same London apartment building. There is Penny, a very intelligent agoraphobic, with many other mental health issues. Carla is an American with an expired visa. She’s a single mom to two teens whose husband (living with another woman) refuses to divorce Carla and takes pleasure in tormenting her. Mable, a lonely older woman, is fully devoted to Jehovah. She spends her days and her money Witnessing for him. Finally, there is Woman, who moved from her Home Country to work for the family who now enslaves her.
In different ways each woman is in her own prison, none really seeing the bars around the others. Their lives move forward on parallel paths only occasionally touching. Even then, they barely interact as each woman is absorbed in her own private battles. As their worlds shrink, a pandemic hits with surprising consequences for these four.
“Penny feels, for the first time, like she belongs in the world she is living in. When catastrophe struck and the world around her panicked and scrambled to react and drew inwards, closing its doors, shuttering its windows, covering all of its faces, she was relieved. Everyone finally joined her, learned the secret she had known all along.”
Another great book by Ilona Bannister. Am I right, publishers? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
July 4, 2022
Definition of sufferance: capacity to endure pain, hardship, etc.; endurance. Archaic. suffering; misery.
Do you know what it is like to suffer? These women do. Penny due to an incident with her daughter which has led to mental anguish and agoraphobia, Carla is being coerced, due to her illegal status, by the father of her children. Although he has a new family he just won’t let go. Woman has been trafficked and is being used as a modern day slave in full view of not only the residents but a local policeman. Then there is devout Jehovaha’s witness Mabel who knows and sees all but seems too busy spreading the word rather than practicing what she is preaching. But then she also knows what it means to suffer.
This is a very heavy book, it weighs on the soul as each character shares their torturous lives. Not all of them seem likeable at the start but once you come to understand them you long to show them an escape route. This story exposes the weakness in our society, the turning of a blind eye to the vulnerable.
The lethargy of PC Grant all too familiar in an overworked and underfunded police force.
Does this sound too much? Imagine living it! But then there is that little ray of hope. It could take the form of a raisin found on the floor from spilt muesli or from watching your child play at the park opposite when you cannot leave your flat.
That is what this book is ultimately about, hope. When most would give up these women keep going when all the odds of survival are stacked against them. Opening your eyes to what is going on around you and those small acts of kindness that can mean the whole world to someone whose world has become very small.
Do you know what it is like to suffer? These women do. Penny due to an incident with her daughter which has led to mental anguish and agoraphobia, Carla is being coerced, due to her illegal status, by the father of her children. Although he has a new family he just won’t let go. Woman has been trafficked and is being used as a modern day slave in full view of not only the residents but a local policeman. Then there is devout Jehovaha’s witness Mabel who knows and sees all but seems too busy spreading the word rather than practicing what she is preaching. But then she also knows what it means to suffer.
This is a very heavy book, it weighs on the soul as each character shares their torturous lives. Not all of them seem likeable at the start but once you come to understand them you long to show them an escape route. This story exposes the weakness in our society, the turning of a blind eye to the vulnerable.
The lethargy of PC Grant all too familiar in an overworked and underfunded police force.
Does this sound too much? Imagine living it! But then there is that little ray of hope. It could take the form of a raisin found on the floor from spilt muesli or from watching your child play at the park opposite when you cannot leave your flat.
That is what this book is ultimately about, hope. When most would give up these women keep going when all the odds of survival are stacked against them. Opening your eyes to what is going on around you and those small acts of kindness that can mean the whole world to someone whose world has become very small.
January 2, 2023
If you love thoughtful and well written character driven stories, then this could be for you. It's worth ordering from the UK and I think it's criminal that it wasn't published in the US!
For more book talk, check out the podcast I cohost- Book Talk, etc. New episodes every Tuesday! https://www.booktalketc.com
For more book talk, check out the podcast I cohost- Book Talk, etc. New episodes every Tuesday! https://www.booktalketc.com
June 12, 2022
There was a time before and there will be a time after. I cannot imagine it, Mother, but there will be a time after this one.Four women who seemingly have nothing in common all live in the new building on Bedford Road.
Penny in 1B remembers a time when leaving her home didn’t feel impossible. Penny has agoraphobia.
In 1A, on the other side of Penny’s wall, Carla is doing her best to raise fourteen year old Mary Rose and twelve year old Daniel while experiencing coercive control.
Frequently knocking on both of their doors is the building’s resident Jehovah’s Witness, Mable from 3B.
Then there’s Woman, who resides with the building’s owner and his family in 2A-2B. Woman hasn’t had an identity since she left Home Country. The promise of Better Life was a lie. Woman has been trafficked and is now a slave.
Told from the perspectives of the four central women and a few others whose lives intercept one or more of them, this story primarily takes place over the course of a year, beginning in January 2020. Written during lockdown, Little Prisons explores the lives of these four women both before and during lockdown, and how acts of kindness, some that don’t cost much and some that cost much more, change their lives.
Some really difficult life experiences are explored in this book and at times I really felt the weight of that. The perseverance and courage of the women gave me hope though and I quickly became invested in their lives.
Initially I had trouble believing that the four women dealing with all of these monumental problems were all living in a building that only had space for nine residences. Then I stepped back and thought about it. I realised that you don’t know what you don’t know and that’s the point.
We rarely know what’s happening behind the closed doors of people’s lives. People experiencing what the women in this book are are silenced, their traumas invisible.
I loved that these strangers, who just so happen to live in the same building, became important to one another. Sure, they don’t necessarily like one another initially and, let’s face it, have no reason to place their trust in anyone, but gradually they let themselves be seen. That’s so powerful.
There was a little ugly cry that took me unawares but my takeaway from this book is hope. I love found family stories and find strength in reading about people who have every reason to give up but keep getting out of bed every day and trying again.
While I understood that this wasn’t their story, a part of me really wants to know more about the man in 1C, the young couple in 3A and the three girls in 3C. What were their stories and how much of what was happening in their building were they aware of?
Content warnings include
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Two Roads, an imprint of John Murray Press, for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
November 18, 2022
The end of 2022 is quickly approaching, so I’ve been looking back at all of the wonderful books I’ve read this year, and slowly compiling my top ten list. Spoiler alert - Little Prisons by Ilona Bannister just might be on it. I read the author’s debut, When I Ran Away last year and was completely blown away. (That one didn’t quite make my top ten, but did make my honorable mentions list!) Either way, Bannister’s writing is outstanding. She tackles the subject of motherhood so incredibly well. She absolutely nails it, I tell you! In Little Prisons, we meet four very different women all living in the same apartment complex in London. The novel flips from one POV to another, so the reader quickly learns about each woman’s situation - past and present. Let’s just say that life isn’t sunshine, glitter, roses, and rainbows for these women. Not at all. It’s complicated, difficult, stressful, and sad. This is a heavy read, friends. It’s emotional. It’s heartbreaking. But my gosh, you guys…THESE CHARACTERS! They will consume you. The more you learn about them, the more you need to know. The majority of my reading is done right before bedtime, so I couldn’t stop thinking about them as I tried to fall asleep. I stayed up way too late a few nights in a row because I just couldn’t put this book down. These women and their stories will tear you apart. 5/5 phenomenal stars for Little Prisons!
November 30, 2022
What an amazing story of 4 different women living in the same apartment building, each in their own little prison.
Bannister does such an amazing job at character development in this book. Each woman is distinct in her personality and her prison. There is Mable, a Jehovah's witness who is lonely and obsessed with her "job" of bringing the Word to others; Carla, an exhausted mother of two, who is manipulated and abused by her estranged husband (who has a new family to think about); Woman who is a domicile "slave" - who was obviously trafficked and threats upon her family in "old country" are what keep her from escaping; and Penny who's debilitating agoraphobia is just one aspect of her mental health challenges.
I didn't read much about this one before going in - as I usually like to do. I'm glad I didn't know where the story might be heading - the characters took me along in their lives and I enjoyed every distraught, powerless, demeaning and yet hopeful minute. This is a heavy story for sure - but the amount of emotion you have invested in these characters is indicative of the impact these women's stories will have on your heart. The ways in which they finally intersected was well thought out.
I had to slow myself down while reading - I wanted to see what was going to happen next - but I didn't want to miss one word of the beautiful prose Bannister was serving up. I loved this book and highly recommend to readers who love character-driven, emotional and impactful stories.
Bannister does such an amazing job at character development in this book. Each woman is distinct in her personality and her prison. There is Mable, a Jehovah's witness who is lonely and obsessed with her "job" of bringing the Word to others; Carla, an exhausted mother of two, who is manipulated and abused by her estranged husband (who has a new family to think about); Woman who is a domicile "slave" - who was obviously trafficked and threats upon her family in "old country" are what keep her from escaping; and Penny who's debilitating agoraphobia is just one aspect of her mental health challenges.
I didn't read much about this one before going in - as I usually like to do. I'm glad I didn't know where the story might be heading - the characters took me along in their lives and I enjoyed every distraught, powerless, demeaning and yet hopeful minute. This is a heavy story for sure - but the amount of emotion you have invested in these characters is indicative of the impact these women's stories will have on your heart. The ways in which they finally intersected was well thought out.
I had to slow myself down while reading - I wanted to see what was going to happen next - but I didn't want to miss one word of the beautiful prose Bannister was serving up. I loved this book and highly recommend to readers who love character-driven, emotional and impactful stories.
March 2, 2023
Magnificent. Unique. Brilliant. Eye opening. Thought provoking. Heart warming. Heart breaking.
All the applause for these characters and this story line. I have never read a book like this as the author is masterful in her ideas and in her writing. Highly recommend! Best of 2023⭐️
All the applause for these characters and this story line. I have never read a book like this as the author is masterful in her ideas and in her writing. Highly recommend! Best of 2023⭐️
March 25, 2025
Dit was echt geweldig maar wel intens
June 6, 2022
She’s done it again! Illona’s first novel, When I Ran Away, show straight to the top of my favourite books last year. So when she asked if I wanted a proof copy of her second novel I practically bit her arm off! And it is PERFECTION!
Trigger warnings for domestic abuse, sex trafficking, racism, child neglect, descriptions of mental illness.
Little Prisons tells the stories of four different women living in the same block of flats in London. All living incredibly different lives, coming from incredibly different backgrounds, and experiencing incredibly different struggles. However, without them knowing it, their lives are linked. Not just through their homes, but through very similar feelings of isolation, loneliness, and loss.
I absolutely adored every single one of the four women in this book, Ilona wrote them all with such an incredible realism and relatability - despite most of them having incredibly different experiences to me.
The exploration of immigration - legal and illegal - and the abuses that often go along with it, from individuals and the state is incredible and so eye-opening. The things we think we know all about but in reality there are so many deeper and darker layers to it.
I absolutely urge you to preorder this book now (it’s released on the 23rd June). I guarantee it’s going to be huge! Because it is absolute perfection.
#20SecondBookReview
Trigger warnings for domestic abuse, sex trafficking, racism, child neglect, descriptions of mental illness.
Little Prisons tells the stories of four different women living in the same block of flats in London. All living incredibly different lives, coming from incredibly different backgrounds, and experiencing incredibly different struggles. However, without them knowing it, their lives are linked. Not just through their homes, but through very similar feelings of isolation, loneliness, and loss.
I absolutely adored every single one of the four women in this book, Ilona wrote them all with such an incredible realism and relatability - despite most of them having incredibly different experiences to me.
The exploration of immigration - legal and illegal - and the abuses that often go along with it, from individuals and the state is incredible and so eye-opening. The things we think we know all about but in reality there are so many deeper and darker layers to it.
I absolutely urge you to preorder this book now (it’s released on the 23rd June). I guarantee it’s going to be huge! Because it is absolute perfection.
#20SecondBookReview
December 6, 2022
I was hooked from the beginning! I slowed down my reading, just so I could savor and be a part of these four womens lives longer. Lives that are NOT easy, lives that each have their own trials and struggles...much like yours and mine. The lives that others don't easily see. Or what they do see, they don't understand what's going on behind the scenes and come to quick judgement.
We follow four womens lives that all live in the same building, that has thin walls...therefore they hear what goes on behind those walls. One struggles with anxiety and debilitating mental illness, one is in the middle of a controlled and nasty separation with teenage children, one is a lonely Jehovah Witness, and one is a trafficked woman who hopes to maybe one day return back to her daughter.
The emotion is real. Ilona does such an amazing job at making the reader feel like a 5th tenant in the building. I wished I could step in and help each women with what they desperately needed and much of that was simply a friend and helper at times!
My takeaway is to be a little gentler in my judgement of the women in my sphere and circle. I am going to take this holiday season to try and reach out to and do a little more than I normally would, perhaps to an uncomfortable position, just to help a woman who looks like she needs. Needs kindness. Needs love. Needs acceptance.
We follow four womens lives that all live in the same building, that has thin walls...therefore they hear what goes on behind those walls. One struggles with anxiety and debilitating mental illness, one is in the middle of a controlled and nasty separation with teenage children, one is a lonely Jehovah Witness, and one is a trafficked woman who hopes to maybe one day return back to her daughter.
The emotion is real. Ilona does such an amazing job at making the reader feel like a 5th tenant in the building. I wished I could step in and help each women with what they desperately needed and much of that was simply a friend and helper at times!
My takeaway is to be a little gentler in my judgement of the women in my sphere and circle. I am going to take this holiday season to try and reach out to and do a little more than I normally would, perhaps to an uncomfortable position, just to help a woman who looks like she needs. Needs kindness. Needs love. Needs acceptance.
January 8, 2024
I picked this book up in Waterstones because it had a cat on the cover - I will check out any book that has a cat on the cover, and it has often led me to buy some extremely moving reads.
This book was no exception, and might possibly be one of my favourite books ever. I have never felt so much emotion reading before, and by the end it overwhelmed me so much that all I could do was cry for a good 10 minutes after finishing it. I think every woman should read this
This book was no exception, and might possibly be one of my favourite books ever. I have never felt so much emotion reading before, and by the end it overwhelmed me so much that all I could do was cry for a good 10 minutes after finishing it. I think every woman should read this
October 1, 2023
My favourite book of the year. So beautifully written in how the characters are described so intimately and even the smallest details link between each woman narrating her experiences, either on her own or with the other women. Also deeply personal on an individual and collective level. Loved.
November 14, 2022
4.5 I went into this book "blind" on a recommendation. Took me by surprise and kept me turning pages! The story takes place in an apartment building in the UK before and during the Covid-19 "lockdowns". Penny suffers from agoraphobia trapping herself in her apartment (prison #1). Carla is trapped by a controlling husband who has left her and their two teens with little money and an expired work visa, in fear of being found out (prison #2). Mable, a Jamaican immigrant, whose husband passed away and she lost her job and her three children, clings to a faith she allows to control her thoughts and daily routine (prison #3). "Woman", from an unnamed poor country, leaves her mother and child to find a "Better Life" to make money for them but is instead trapped in a horrible situation of being trafficked as a slave, abused and nearly starving (prison #4). Some very sad stories but also some sweetness that comes through as we read about these women. I desperately hoped for a happily every after ending but got a realistic ending that left me satisfied. This book is not available in the US, but was easy to purchase from Blackwell's.
January 17, 2026
What an underrated gem of a book. It's so personal, so touching, so shocking at times. It is highly character driven, with four women telling their story in real time, leading up to the 2020 pandemic in a downtrodden apartment building in London. They are increbly different, but thrust into similar situations. I just adore books where seemingly random people find themselves stuck together.
I loved the structure of this book as well. The pacing is rather fast, which works for a mainly character-driven book. We switch between the four women's (and sometimes even other characters') POV very quickly, and flashbacks occasionally provide more context on their lives.
I'm so happy I picked this book of the shelf of a second hand store. I was less happy when it turned out the last ten pages or so were missing. And then I was very happy again that my newly ordered copy arrived within a week ;) What an adventure this book was. What a wonderful reading experience.
I loved the structure of this book as well. The pacing is rather fast, which works for a mainly character-driven book. We switch between the four women's (and sometimes even other characters') POV very quickly, and flashbacks occasionally provide more context on their lives.
I'm so happy I picked this book of the shelf of a second hand store. I was less happy when it turned out the last ten pages or so were missing. And then I was very happy again that my newly ordered copy arrived within a week ;) What an adventure this book was. What a wonderful reading experience.
December 24, 2025
I think these characters will stay with me for a long time. I wanted more for them in the end, and there were a few plot points that were glossed over and not fully fleshed out.
February 13, 2023
This was one off my library pile and is told through each of the different characters who all live in the same block of flats with thin walls. Each character has their own problems, and there are some hard-hitting subjects to contend with in this story, including control, slaves, religion, and anxiety about leaving their home. It's is a story of hope, coming together and all wraps up beautifully at the end. This book is unique as the author actually gives us four different endings to choose from, and you pick the one you want it to end on. I love that. Highly recommend. A well-deserved four stars from me.
December 14, 2025
I really couldn't get into this at first but then the plots started weaving together and I started to love it. Very powerful storyline about human trafficking.
June 29, 2022
An absolutely stunning, devastating, beautiful book. Ilona Bannister creates the most in depth, complex characters I have ever come across. I loved getting to know these four women.
What an absolute masterpiece of hard-hitting themes and current issues interwoven into each character's story. Domestic violence, trafficking, modern slavery, mental illness, agoraphobia. The list goes on and Bannister touches on each impeccably. I couldn't get enough of her writing, these characters.
Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK! It will be one that stays with you for a long time, especially after reading the author's note. All the stars and a top book of 2022 in my opinion.
What an absolute masterpiece of hard-hitting themes and current issues interwoven into each character's story. Domestic violence, trafficking, modern slavery, mental illness, agoraphobia. The list goes on and Bannister touches on each impeccably. I couldn't get enough of her writing, these characters.
Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK! It will be one that stays with you for a long time, especially after reading the author's note. All the stars and a top book of 2022 in my opinion.
June 29, 2022
"Mable said they are going to lock us all in. Prisoners in our homes. But that is why I must learn to get out. When I lock myself in, that is one thing. When someone else holds the keys, well, that occupies a different rank on the hierarchy of fear".
Have you ever looked up at the windows in a flat block and wondered about the people who live their lives behind that glass?
Little Prisons is set in one of these such tower blocks, and explores how people can live on top of each other in such a small space and know nothing about each other. The story is mainly based around 4 female characters - Penny, Mable, Carla and Woman - and the POV switches between each of them, while also including those who come in and out of their lives as bit parts.
The main element of the story is based over quite a short space of time, although flashbacks give the reader a clearer insight into these four characters and how they came to be essentially alone amongst a load of other people.
It explores so many important issues - mental health, domestic violence, human trafficking - in a sensitive and caring way. I felt completely and utterly emotionally invested in each of the characters, and Susannah the cat (and I'm a dog person!). The feeling of the encroaching lockdowns took me right back to Feb / Mar 2020, reading the news and feeling the crisis coming ever closer, and feeling claustrophobic at the thought. The book brought to the surface what that really meant for a lot of people who lived alone, and the utter terror at having all control over your own living space taken from you. It showed how easy it is for people to fall from the system and become invisible, even with so many people around, as everyone lives their own busy lives with their own problems and becomes blinded to wider society around them.
Heart felt, touching, sensitive. I loved this book.
Have you ever looked up at the windows in a flat block and wondered about the people who live their lives behind that glass?
Little Prisons is set in one of these such tower blocks, and explores how people can live on top of each other in such a small space and know nothing about each other. The story is mainly based around 4 female characters - Penny, Mable, Carla and Woman - and the POV switches between each of them, while also including those who come in and out of their lives as bit parts.
The main element of the story is based over quite a short space of time, although flashbacks give the reader a clearer insight into these four characters and how they came to be essentially alone amongst a load of other people.
It explores so many important issues - mental health, domestic violence, human trafficking - in a sensitive and caring way. I felt completely and utterly emotionally invested in each of the characters, and Susannah the cat (and I'm a dog person!). The feeling of the encroaching lockdowns took me right back to Feb / Mar 2020, reading the news and feeling the crisis coming ever closer, and feeling claustrophobic at the thought. The book brought to the surface what that really meant for a lot of people who lived alone, and the utter terror at having all control over your own living space taken from you. It showed how easy it is for people to fall from the system and become invisible, even with so many people around, as everyone lives their own busy lives with their own problems and becomes blinded to wider society around them.
Heart felt, touching, sensitive. I loved this book.
June 27, 2022
Whilst the blurb caught my eye, I will say that it did take me a little while to get into this one - but when it did, I was hooked. This one takes you to some dark places, so check out the content warning at the end for more information.
Little Prisons is literally what it says on the tin - you follow some central characters: Penny, Carla, Mabel and Woman as you learn all about their current lives and backstories - how they all live in their own little prisons. And it’s not an easy or comfortable read. This is heartbreaking and brutal.
For me, I felt that the blurb pitched this differently to the story it actually is. And whilst I did enjoy that story, I was expecting more of a community between our central characters. But Bannister is able to give each of her main characters a unique voice, bringing into LP the real dregs of society.
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⚠️Content warning/potential spoilers: there’s reference to domestic abuse, mental health, rape/sexual assault, coercive control and trafficking. ⚠️
Little Prisons is literally what it says on the tin - you follow some central characters: Penny, Carla, Mabel and Woman as you learn all about their current lives and backstories - how they all live in their own little prisons. And it’s not an easy or comfortable read. This is heartbreaking and brutal.
For me, I felt that the blurb pitched this differently to the story it actually is. And whilst I did enjoy that story, I was expecting more of a community between our central characters. But Bannister is able to give each of her main characters a unique voice, bringing into LP the real dregs of society.
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⚠️Content warning/potential spoilers: there’s reference to domestic abuse, mental health, rape/sexual assault, coercive control and trafficking. ⚠️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2025
Bedford Road, London. A non descriptive building where people reside alongside one another, strangers living out their lives.
There is Carla, an exhausted stay at home mother, trapped by her controlling ex husband. Mable, an elderly devout Jehovah’s Witness who strives to spread the good word. Penny, an agoraphobic trapped inside her apartment following a mental health breakdown. And finally there is Woman, the nanny, housekeeper and trafficked slave, working every hour to save money for her family from the Home Country.
These women’s lives are difficult and troubled, in individual ways. Yet within the walls of their prison they learn to look out for each other, supporting one another and forming tentative friendships.
What a wonderful book. So evocative and rich in detail. I felt like I was within the walls of that building myself. This isn’t a light hearted read; these stories are bleak and often heartbreaking, but the solidarity and sisterhood of women feels like such a positive force here. Beautifully written and hugely absorbing, this is definitely a story to get lost in.
There is Carla, an exhausted stay at home mother, trapped by her controlling ex husband. Mable, an elderly devout Jehovah’s Witness who strives to spread the good word. Penny, an agoraphobic trapped inside her apartment following a mental health breakdown. And finally there is Woman, the nanny, housekeeper and trafficked slave, working every hour to save money for her family from the Home Country.
These women’s lives are difficult and troubled, in individual ways. Yet within the walls of their prison they learn to look out for each other, supporting one another and forming tentative friendships.
What a wonderful book. So evocative and rich in detail. I felt like I was within the walls of that building myself. This isn’t a light hearted read; these stories are bleak and often heartbreaking, but the solidarity and sisterhood of women feels like such a positive force here. Beautifully written and hugely absorbing, this is definitely a story to get lost in.
November 21, 2022
My review is going to sound like an Alanis Morissette song.
This book is…
…Heavy but hopeful
…Charming yet angst-ridden
…Heartbreaking but uplifting
…Sad but optimistic
…Hard to read but compulsively readable
…A testament to women’s vulnerability, but also their strength and resilience
At its core, it’s a heartfelt story following the lives of four women who live in the same apartment complex. Each is trapped, but they find ways to connect and help each other.
A simple but complex gem, LITTLE PRISONS is worth the extra mouse clicks to purchase (it’s only available in the UK, but @bookdepository is inexpensive, user-friendly, and offers free shipping!).
I was fortunate to participate in an author chat courtesy of @kellyhook.readsbooks and @beachesbooksnbubbles. Ilona was incredibly charming and generous with her time and talent.
TW: Mental Illness, Domestic Abuse, Human Trafficking, Child Neglect
This book is…
…Heavy but hopeful
…Charming yet angst-ridden
…Heartbreaking but uplifting
…Sad but optimistic
…Hard to read but compulsively readable
…A testament to women’s vulnerability, but also their strength and resilience
At its core, it’s a heartfelt story following the lives of four women who live in the same apartment complex. Each is trapped, but they find ways to connect and help each other.
A simple but complex gem, LITTLE PRISONS is worth the extra mouse clicks to purchase (it’s only available in the UK, but @bookdepository is inexpensive, user-friendly, and offers free shipping!).
I was fortunate to participate in an author chat courtesy of @kellyhook.readsbooks and @beachesbooksnbubbles. Ilona was incredibly charming and generous with her time and talent.
TW: Mental Illness, Domestic Abuse, Human Trafficking, Child Neglect
February 24, 2024
i really wish i could of enjoyed this more but it just didn’t quite click with me. i love the idea of the story & building the narrative through 4 main characters who all navigate plot events in their own unique way (and seeing the relationships that forms between them all due to this) but unfortunately for me it wasn’t executed quite right. this book feels absurdly fast paced (annoyingly most of the time around key moments) which really softened some of its supposed impact. it’s not a bad read, it’s still a good book that i could find value in but it had the potential to be so much more!
January 29, 2023
One of the most uniquely written books I’ve ever read. Bannister does such an excellent job weaving the lives of these women together. Each one living with their own “little prisons.” The story deals with some pretty heavy topics, so just be warned going in. I’m always blown away at how authors can craft these stories. If you read this, be sure not to miss the author’s note. She shares some of her personal journey and how it helped her write this amazing book.
July 30, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book about 4 women who reside in a London apartment building during the early months of 2020 (remember? 🦠😷). Alternating between each woman’s POV, their lives intersect as the author explores immigration, mental illness, and human trafficking. These characters will stay with me for a while.
May 17, 2023
Favourite so far this year!!!
August 15, 2023
So good! Recommend 🔟
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