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A Small Indiscretion: A Novel
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE • With the emotional complexity of Everything I Never Told You and the psychological suspense of The Girl on the Train, O. Henry Prize winner Jan Ellison delivers a brilliantly paced, beautifully written debut novel about one woman’s reckoning with a youthful mistake.
“Part psychological thriller, part character study . . . I peeled back the pages of this book as fast as I could.”—The Huffington Post
At nineteen, Annie Black trades a bleak future in a washed-out California town for a London winter of drinking and abandon. Twenty years later, she is a San Francisco lighting designer and happily married mother of three who has put her reckless youth behind her. Then a photo from that distant winter in Europe arrives inexplicably in her mailbox, and an old obsession is awakened.
Past and present collide, Annie’s marriage falters, and her son takes a car ride that ends with his life hanging in the balance. Now Annie must confront her own transgressions and fight for her family by untangling the mysteries of the turbulent winter that drew an invisible map of her future. Gripping, insightful, and lyrical, A Small Indiscretion announces the arrival of a major new voice in literary suspense as it unfolds a story of denial, passion, forgiveness—and the redemptive power of love.
“Part psychological thriller, part character study . . . I peeled back the pages of this book as fast as I could.”—The Huffington Post
At nineteen, Annie Black trades a bleak future in a washed-out California town for a London winter of drinking and abandon. Twenty years later, she is a San Francisco lighting designer and happily married mother of three who has put her reckless youth behind her. Then a photo from that distant winter in Europe arrives inexplicably in her mailbox, and an old obsession is awakened.
Past and present collide, Annie’s marriage falters, and her son takes a car ride that ends with his life hanging in the balance. Now Annie must confront her own transgressions and fight for her family by untangling the mysteries of the turbulent winter that drew an invisible map of her future. Gripping, insightful, and lyrical, A Small Indiscretion announces the arrival of a major new voice in literary suspense as it unfolds a story of denial, passion, forgiveness—and the redemptive power of love.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 2015
464 people are currently reading
12377 people want to read
About the author
Jan Ellison
6 books210 followersJan Ellison is the USA Today bestselling author of the debut novel, A Small Indiscretion, which was a San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year. A graduate of Stanford, Jan left college for a year at nineteen to study French in Paris, work in an office in London, and try her hand at writing. Twenty years later, her notebooks from that year became the germ of A Small Indiscretion.
Jan spent two years in Hawaii, Australia and Southeast Asia after college. She worked as a waitress and a typist, trekked solo in the Himalayas, took trains across India, and job-hunted, unsuccessfully, in Hong Kong. Then she returned to Silicon Valley and ran marketing for a financial software startup for five years. After the company went public, Jan left to raise her kids and write.
Jan holds an MFA from San Francisco State University. Her essays about parenting, travel and writing have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Writer’s Digest and elsewhere. Her short fiction has received numerous awards, including the O. Henry Prize for her first published story. Jan grew up in L.A. and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband of twenty years and their four children.
Jan spent two years in Hawaii, Australia and Southeast Asia after college. She worked as a waitress and a typist, trekked solo in the Himalayas, took trains across India, and job-hunted, unsuccessfully, in Hong Kong. Then she returned to Silicon Valley and ran marketing for a financial software startup for five years. After the company went public, Jan left to raise her kids and write.
Jan holds an MFA from San Francisco State University. Her essays about parenting, travel and writing have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Writer’s Digest and elsewhere. Her short fiction has received numerous awards, including the O. Henry Prize for her first published story. Jan grew up in L.A. and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband of twenty years and their four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,125 reviews
March 22, 2017
New Update: 3/22/2017: This book is $1.99 Kindle special today. If you have not read it --Its GREAT! It takes place in S.F. and Paris. Its my experience --that these 'special' Kindle deals --got back up to higher prices again soon. (it happened with "His Bloody Project" > one day it was $1.99 --a few days later it was $14.00+).
I LOVE THIS story!
Update: $1.99 Kindle special today!!!
It's a STEAL!!!!!!
A FAVORITE!
I was fully absorbed in every detail of this novel!
Every minute I was away from this book, I was LONGING to get back!
The storytelling holds your attention with effortless finesse!! As a reader, I was put 'at ease' with the writing style. I was able to 'escaped' into the world that Jan Ellison created.
From the start I had a 'fire-in-my-belly' reading experience: MORE! MORE! MORE!
A question to ponder from this story is: "How do we rationalize lies from those we love"?
Annie Black is the narrator. She is married to Jonathan, a doctor.
Annie & Jonathan met in Ireland 21 years ago --They trekked in Nepal. Traveled in India. They married -moved to San Francisco. They have three children: Robbie, Carla, and Poly.
Annie is the owner of "The Salvage Lights" store in S.F. They sell one of a kind fixtures from local artists -or ones she makes herself. (reuse of discarded metal, wood, etc.)
......."The Transformation of dead stuff to brilliantly lit life"
Emme Greatrey is a young adult who works in Annie's store. Tall, gorgeous body, bohemian/eccentric style of fashion. (Gold fishnet tights, red fur high heeled ankle boots, goose-feather choker, etc.). She can handle the store, is careful with merchandise and money --and is especially good with men. She meets Annie's son, Robbie. Robbie is engaged with his college education -Working at the Berkeley Science Lab, etc.
Concerns for a relationship between Emme & Robbie are valid.
Malcom, Patrick, Louise, Daisy -- are characters from Annie's life 20 years ago from when she was living in Europe. Each of these characters enrich the storytelling.
After Annie receives an old black and white photograph from her past in the mail she cannot stop thinking about her past. She has a 'hatbox' with keepsakes she opens and begins reaching into her memory with a new restless desire for some type of closure.
There is a moment in this novel when Annie & Jonathan are sitting in the car. The radio is on. Natalie Merchant was playing the piano and singing.
Can I just say, the author has 'great-taste' in choosing her musicians! I was in the mood to listen to Natalie Merchant. I took a reading break --and enjoyed some Natalie Merchant music myself!
Great novels do that to us. They move us to listen to music. They re-open our own artistic passions, they open our hearts, and we see own humanity with new brighter eyes.
"A Small Indiscretion" is a GREAT NOVEL!
I LOVE THIS story!
Update: $1.99 Kindle special today!!!
It's a STEAL!!!!!!
A FAVORITE!
I was fully absorbed in every detail of this novel!
Every minute I was away from this book, I was LONGING to get back!
The storytelling holds your attention with effortless finesse!! As a reader, I was put 'at ease' with the writing style. I was able to 'escaped' into the world that Jan Ellison created.
From the start I had a 'fire-in-my-belly' reading experience: MORE! MORE! MORE!
A question to ponder from this story is: "How do we rationalize lies from those we love"?
Annie Black is the narrator. She is married to Jonathan, a doctor.
Annie & Jonathan met in Ireland 21 years ago --They trekked in Nepal. Traveled in India. They married -moved to San Francisco. They have three children: Robbie, Carla, and Poly.
Annie is the owner of "The Salvage Lights" store in S.F. They sell one of a kind fixtures from local artists -or ones she makes herself. (reuse of discarded metal, wood, etc.)
......."The Transformation of dead stuff to brilliantly lit life"
Emme Greatrey is a young adult who works in Annie's store. Tall, gorgeous body, bohemian/eccentric style of fashion. (Gold fishnet tights, red fur high heeled ankle boots, goose-feather choker, etc.). She can handle the store, is careful with merchandise and money --and is especially good with men. She meets Annie's son, Robbie. Robbie is engaged with his college education -Working at the Berkeley Science Lab, etc.
Concerns for a relationship between Emme & Robbie are valid.
Malcom, Patrick, Louise, Daisy -- are characters from Annie's life 20 years ago from when she was living in Europe. Each of these characters enrich the storytelling.
After Annie receives an old black and white photograph from her past in the mail she cannot stop thinking about her past. She has a 'hatbox' with keepsakes she opens and begins reaching into her memory with a new restless desire for some type of closure.
There is a moment in this novel when Annie & Jonathan are sitting in the car. The radio is on. Natalie Merchant was playing the piano and singing.
Can I just say, the author has 'great-taste' in choosing her musicians! I was in the mood to listen to Natalie Merchant. I took a reading break --and enjoyed some Natalie Merchant music myself!
Great novels do that to us. They move us to listen to music. They re-open our own artistic passions, they open our hearts, and we see own humanity with new brighter eyes.
"A Small Indiscretion" is a GREAT NOVEL!
July 29, 2015
I almost, almost, ALMOST abandoned this. I didn’t care for the way the narrative was presented, with the protagonist Annie speaking through a letter to her young adult son, who appears to have gone missing. There was a lot of jumping around in time and different locations with different players, and I began to get twitchy and impatient. I hardly ever abandon books – I have a strong Puritan “let’s see this through” vein running through me – so I always check my Goodreads friends’ comments to see what they think before I dump a book. I trust my Goodreads friends’ opinions implicitly….and I saw quite a few 4 and 5 stars. I hung in there and am so glad I did! The book turned out to be a real page turner and was very well written. I never did love the narrative device, but it took a back seat to the story, which was very compelling.
Suffice it to say that the protagonist, Annie, has more than one “small indiscretion.” She makes a whole series of ill-advised decisions, an entire lifetime’s allotment, that come back to up-end her life and the lives of those she loves.
The characters are very well fleshed out and believable. Even though I wanted to kick Annie in the butt more than once, I felt that I understood her character and where she was coming from. Flawed protagonists are my favorite ones, and she’ll go right up there in my “Hall of Shame.”
The beginning and ending were the weakest parts of the books, and two of the “big reveals” I saw coming a mile away, but what a ride! Ms. Ellison can spin a yarn and get you emotionally invested in her characters. This is an author I will watch out for.
Really good stuff. Enjoyed this very much, a good summer read.
Suffice it to say that the protagonist, Annie, has more than one “small indiscretion.” She makes a whole series of ill-advised decisions, an entire lifetime’s allotment, that come back to up-end her life and the lives of those she loves.
The characters are very well fleshed out and believable. Even though I wanted to kick Annie in the butt more than once, I felt that I understood her character and where she was coming from. Flawed protagonists are my favorite ones, and she’ll go right up there in my “Hall of Shame.”
The beginning and ending were the weakest parts of the books, and two of the “big reveals” I saw coming a mile away, but what a ride! Ms. Ellison can spin a yarn and get you emotionally invested in her characters. This is an author I will watch out for.
Really good stuff. Enjoyed this very much, a good summer read.
September 16, 2015
What a great debut!
In this engaging story, Annie Black documents her tumultuous young life in a letter of confession to her young-adult son while he lay in a coma, (no spoiler here) and an interesting life story it is.
While Annie made many poor decisions during her youth, and yet another really asinine one later in life, she actually did make some good choices too that she includes among her memories and regrets.
Complete with a couple of good twists, a mystery to solve and an obsessive old love to lay to rest, this coming-of-age debut entices me to be on the lookout for more from this author.
February 21, 2016
OK. I think that I will open the proverbial can of worms here. Getting the squirmy little critters back into the can will be a bit of an undertaking.
Some are quite taken with this book. Some, like me, not as much.
Annie Black has led quite the life going back and forth across the pond since she was nineteen years old. She sowed her wild oats and they have come home to roost, unfortunately. Jan Ellison takes us from Annie's dappled past into her present "married life with children". Ellison uses a reflective open letter in which Annie writes to her son who is in a coma from an automobile accident.
But here's where the main character of Annie loses her lustre for me. Annie reveals, in much detail, her sordid affairs with every ping of her sexual encounters parading in cadence. The author uses this as mobility to ignite the storyline and move it along. Perhaps Annie believes that her son will never quite read these confessional offerings. However, we the readers, know that there are things in our lives that should only be discussed in global terms and not specifics to a son.
The ending was not a huge surprise. We saw it on the horizon. Jan Ellison is a talented writer. Even though this one fell a little short for me, I look forward to her books in the future.
Some are quite taken with this book. Some, like me, not as much.
Annie Black has led quite the life going back and forth across the pond since she was nineteen years old. She sowed her wild oats and they have come home to roost, unfortunately. Jan Ellison takes us from Annie's dappled past into her present "married life with children". Ellison uses a reflective open letter in which Annie writes to her son who is in a coma from an automobile accident.
But here's where the main character of Annie loses her lustre for me. Annie reveals, in much detail, her sordid affairs with every ping of her sexual encounters parading in cadence. The author uses this as mobility to ignite the storyline and move it along. Perhaps Annie believes that her son will never quite read these confessional offerings. However, we the readers, know that there are things in our lives that should only be discussed in global terms and not specifics to a son.
The ending was not a huge surprise. We saw it on the horizon. Jan Ellison is a talented writer. Even though this one fell a little short for me, I look forward to her books in the future.
February 9, 2017
A Small Indiscretion
Jan Ellison, the author
Why would a middle age woman with a happy marriage, wonderful children, and a succesful career risk it all to pursue an unfulfilled, unrequited romantic interest of her past?
This is the main question we are left to ponder after reading this beautifully written, deeply engrossing novel.
A Small Indiscretion, Jan Ellison's magnificent debut novel, introduces us to Annie Black, a 40-something, mother of three, loving wife, successful career woman. Annie is the quintessential middle class American woman.
As the novel opens, Annie receives the phone call every parent with a kid of driving age dreads, her 20 year-old son Robbie has been in a terrible car accident. Annie and her husband Jonathan rush to the hospital to face the reality that Robbie has to be put into a medically induced coma with the hope that'd help with his recovery.
They learned that the person driving the car had not been Robbie, but Emme Greatrex, a mysterious young woman Annie had hired 10 months earlier as an assistant at her San Francisco-based lightning store.
By the time the accident happens Jonathan and Annie's marriage is on the brink of collapse. Annie had recently confessed to Jonathan of her recent affair, as she had put it,
"I told Jonathan, not everything, not the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but the critical point: I had had sex with another man".
A few months earlier, Annie had received a photograph placed inside an unmarked envelope. The photo showed a young Annie posing next to her boss Malcolm, his wife Louise and Louise's lover Patrick.
It had been taken 20 years earlier during the tumultuous year she'd lived in London. The photo had jolted Annie's memories and just like that an old romantic obsession came back to life.
From the present we go back to the late 1980's, where we find Annie's life in disarray after her alcoholic father has abandoned her family, she then decides to take advantage of her French major classes and escapes to Europe.
Soon after arriving In London, she finds herself working for Malcolm Church, an architect that has offered her a job, but he's someone who has also developed a romantic obsession with her.
Through Malcolm, Annie meets Louise, his wife, and Patrick a charming Irish photographer who's having an affair with Louise. In spite of Patrick's less than chivalrous demeanor towards Annie, she falls madly in love with him. Yes, I know quite a crazy entangled web!
So these are the bookends to Annie's story and it's within this framework that the rest of the narrative develops. As readers, the journey we embark on to fill in the blanks and tie one end to the other is quite intriguing and deliciously fulfilling.
Written in its entirety from Annie's perspective, the narration takes the form of a long letter written to Robbie. Ellison's use of this informal epistolary format proved to be a little challenging for me at first. Not only does the main plot moves back and forth between the present and the past, but at times and within the same paragraph you find the story jumping from one period to another.
The plus side of this type of narrative though, is that it gives the reader a sense of intimacy and an immediate connection with the narrator and the story she's telling us.
So while Annie's secrets were slowly revealed, I was captivated by the beautiful writing, the thoughtful self-reflections and the suspenseful, well done build-up .
I don't want to give away any more details about how the rest of story unravels. This is definitely one of those novels you will most enjoy if you get to be surprised by its twists and unexpected turns.
By the end, the purpose of Annie's letter to Robbie seemed to be more about her need to forgive herself and let go of of her past indiscretions.
Annie's relationship and aspirations for her own parents was also very moving.
So many years after their separation, she still hopes that somehow they would find a way to erase their differences and reconcile. This seems to be a dream almost every child of divorce parents has, regardless of age.
A Small Indiscretion is a morally complex tale, admittedly there were times when I found Annie's choices troubling, particularly the ones she made as an adult. How much did Annie actually regret her infidelity? Sometimes she was very candid about her lack of judgement and sometimes she seemed to be desperately finding ways to rationalize her moral choices.
On the other hand I found myself willing to be much more sympathetic to 19 year-old Annie. I felt a strong sense of empathy and connection with that younger version of her. It's easy to forget how naive, impressionable and vulnerable one can be at that tender age.
There's also this issue, which seems to be a recurring one in some of the novels I've been reading lately and that is, if you are ever unfaithful to your partner, what is your rationale for revealing the truth to him/her?
This passage suggests that Annie's motivation to do so was more like a desperate cry for acceptance as well as a deeply convoluted emotional decision:
So after reading this novel I was left with some questions to ponder, how much of your past should you revealed to your spouse? Is it healthy for a relationship if both partners confide all of their past indiscretions? Are you showing more prudence by holding back on some of those tales?
By the end I found that I liked A Small Indiscretion as a coming of age story, as a suspense/mystery, and ultimately as a surprisingly sweet romantic story as well. Annie might not be a conventional likable protagonist but she's a believable one.
I love fiction that is introspective, that triggers memories, provokes scrutiny and hopefully makes me better able to understand human nature. If it provides entertainment in the process, that's the cherry on top.
This novel was successful in fulfilling all of those expectations.
Finally and apropos of my friend Elyse's great review on this book (you can read her review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
I am going to finish this post by adding a link to Natalie Merchant's rendition of "These Are Days".
Elyse, I agree with you that Jan Ellison has a great taste in music, and personally I must add how I miss Natalie's sublime voice!
Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a522l...
Jan Ellison, the author
"I suppose unrequited love is the hardest kind to shed because it is not really love at all. It is a half-love, and we are forever stomping around trying to get hold of the other half.”
Why would a middle age woman with a happy marriage, wonderful children, and a succesful career risk it all to pursue an unfulfilled, unrequited romantic interest of her past?
This is the main question we are left to ponder after reading this beautifully written, deeply engrossing novel.
A Small Indiscretion, Jan Ellison's magnificent debut novel, introduces us to Annie Black, a 40-something, mother of three, loving wife, successful career woman. Annie is the quintessential middle class American woman.
As the novel opens, Annie receives the phone call every parent with a kid of driving age dreads, her 20 year-old son Robbie has been in a terrible car accident. Annie and her husband Jonathan rush to the hospital to face the reality that Robbie has to be put into a medically induced coma with the hope that'd help with his recovery.
They learned that the person driving the car had not been Robbie, but Emme Greatrex, a mysterious young woman Annie had hired 10 months earlier as an assistant at her San Francisco-based lightning store.
By the time the accident happens Jonathan and Annie's marriage is on the brink of collapse. Annie had recently confessed to Jonathan of her recent affair, as she had put it,
"I told Jonathan, not everything, not the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but the critical point: I had had sex with another man".
A few months earlier, Annie had received a photograph placed inside an unmarked envelope. The photo showed a young Annie posing next to her boss Malcolm, his wife Louise and Louise's lover Patrick.
It had been taken 20 years earlier during the tumultuous year she'd lived in London. The photo had jolted Annie's memories and just like that an old romantic obsession came back to life.
From the present we go back to the late 1980's, where we find Annie's life in disarray after her alcoholic father has abandoned her family, she then decides to take advantage of her French major classes and escapes to Europe.
Soon after arriving In London, she finds herself working for Malcolm Church, an architect that has offered her a job, but he's someone who has also developed a romantic obsession with her.
Through Malcolm, Annie meets Louise, his wife, and Patrick a charming Irish photographer who's having an affair with Louise. In spite of Patrick's less than chivalrous demeanor towards Annie, she falls madly in love with him. Yes, I know quite a crazy entangled web!
So these are the bookends to Annie's story and it's within this framework that the rest of the narrative develops. As readers, the journey we embark on to fill in the blanks and tie one end to the other is quite intriguing and deliciously fulfilling.
Written in its entirety from Annie's perspective, the narration takes the form of a long letter written to Robbie. Ellison's use of this informal epistolary format proved to be a little challenging for me at first. Not only does the main plot moves back and forth between the present and the past, but at times and within the same paragraph you find the story jumping from one period to another.
The plus side of this type of narrative though, is that it gives the reader a sense of intimacy and an immediate connection with the narrator and the story she's telling us.
So while Annie's secrets were slowly revealed, I was captivated by the beautiful writing, the thoughtful self-reflections and the suspenseful, well done build-up .
I don't want to give away any more details about how the rest of story unravels. This is definitely one of those novels you will most enjoy if you get to be surprised by its twists and unexpected turns.
By the end, the purpose of Annie's letter to Robbie seemed to be more about her need to forgive herself and let go of of her past indiscretions.
Annie's relationship and aspirations for her own parents was also very moving.
So many years after their separation, she still hopes that somehow they would find a way to erase their differences and reconcile. This seems to be a dream almost every child of divorce parents has, regardless of age.
A Small Indiscretion is a morally complex tale, admittedly there were times when I found Annie's choices troubling, particularly the ones she made as an adult. How much did Annie actually regret her infidelity? Sometimes she was very candid about her lack of judgement and sometimes she seemed to be desperately finding ways to rationalize her moral choices.
On the other hand I found myself willing to be much more sympathetic to 19 year-old Annie. I felt a strong sense of empathy and connection with that younger version of her. It's easy to forget how naive, impressionable and vulnerable one can be at that tender age.
There's also this issue, which seems to be a recurring one in some of the novels I've been reading lately and that is, if you are ever unfaithful to your partner, what is your rationale for revealing the truth to him/her?
This passage suggests that Annie's motivation to do so was more like a desperate cry for acceptance as well as a deeply convoluted emotional decision:
"I told him because I wanted to tell the whole story of that self, and to be loved anyway".
So after reading this novel I was left with some questions to ponder, how much of your past should you revealed to your spouse? Is it healthy for a relationship if both partners confide all of their past indiscretions? Are you showing more prudence by holding back on some of those tales?
By the end I found that I liked A Small Indiscretion as a coming of age story, as a suspense/mystery, and ultimately as a surprisingly sweet romantic story as well. Annie might not be a conventional likable protagonist but she's a believable one.
I love fiction that is introspective, that triggers memories, provokes scrutiny and hopefully makes me better able to understand human nature. If it provides entertainment in the process, that's the cherry on top.
This novel was successful in fulfilling all of those expectations.
Finally and apropos of my friend Elyse's great review on this book (you can read her review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
I am going to finish this post by adding a link to Natalie Merchant's rendition of "These Are Days".
Elyse, I agree with you that Jan Ellison has a great taste in music, and personally I must add how I miss Natalie's sublime voice!
Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a522l...
July 24, 2016
4.25★
What was it with me and this book? Was it merely really good or was it speaking with me as a friend to my own history of small indiscretions, the decisions I made about them. All right, all right, all right—big indiscretions too.
For sure I loved the writing. It was a page turner but not because I couldn’t put it down, rather because of the way it unfolded with tension, confession, regret, soul-searching, and loving too, going back and forth from the past to present over a twenty year period.
Annie’s past has come calling, threatening her marriage and life. We learn of it through a conversation she has with her son while he’s in a coma. Friend reviews saw this as a letter she is writing to him. I don’t know if I missed that or if from the beginning I chose to interpret it as an internal dialogue she is having with him as she sits in his hospital room. I have these with myself frequently and they are the times I am most truthful with only myself as witness and patient listener. But when it’s time to have a conversation with a real person, just how honest do we have to be to come clean and move on when avoidance is no longer an option? How honest should we be and how well do we remember? Are filters a good idea? Will the truth really set us free?
“There’s the past again, keeping its foothold, wreaking its havoc...How much easier to blame the impulsiveness of youth than the wanton self-indulgence of a grown woman. But maybe even that wantonness was forgivable. We are only flesh and blood. We are only chemicals mixing and circuits firing, sometimes in disarray. We are, every last one of us, plagued by useless want...I saw now in the sprawling story of our life, and finally I knew that blame had no role to play. It was time to shed it. It was time to step from its fetid pool. It was time to begin the business of healing...I was naked. I was human. I was fallible. I deserved to be forgiven. We all did.”
A great debut with an interesting cast of characters with stories to tell, choices to consider, full of mistakes and regrets, thoughts to ponder.
What was it with me and this book? Was it merely really good or was it speaking with me as a friend to my own history of small indiscretions, the decisions I made about them. All right, all right, all right—big indiscretions too.
For sure I loved the writing. It was a page turner but not because I couldn’t put it down, rather because of the way it unfolded with tension, confession, regret, soul-searching, and loving too, going back and forth from the past to present over a twenty year period.
Annie’s past has come calling, threatening her marriage and life. We learn of it through a conversation she has with her son while he’s in a coma. Friend reviews saw this as a letter she is writing to him. I don’t know if I missed that or if from the beginning I chose to interpret it as an internal dialogue she is having with him as she sits in his hospital room. I have these with myself frequently and they are the times I am most truthful with only myself as witness and patient listener. But when it’s time to have a conversation with a real person, just how honest do we have to be to come clean and move on when avoidance is no longer an option? How honest should we be and how well do we remember? Are filters a good idea? Will the truth really set us free?
“There’s the past again, keeping its foothold, wreaking its havoc...How much easier to blame the impulsiveness of youth than the wanton self-indulgence of a grown woman. But maybe even that wantonness was forgivable. We are only flesh and blood. We are only chemicals mixing and circuits firing, sometimes in disarray. We are, every last one of us, plagued by useless want...I saw now in the sprawling story of our life, and finally I knew that blame had no role to play. It was time to shed it. It was time to step from its fetid pool. It was time to begin the business of healing...I was naked. I was human. I was fallible. I deserved to be forgiven. We all did.”
A great debut with an interesting cast of characters with stories to tell, choices to consider, full of mistakes and regrets, thoughts to ponder.
October 2, 2015
3.75 Stars.
Once again I'm late to the party so I will just share my feelings.
I enjoyed this book. This was a definite page turner for me! A good debut novel. The only problem I had with "A Small Indiscretion" was that I was kind of confused as to what was going on in the beginning. I stayed with it and I eventually got into it. The back and forth in time in this book is not all that smooth either.
Annie is not the most likable character but I understood her. We all make mistakes when we're young. Her mistake 20 years later? Happens...
I will definitely read Ellison's next book.
I recommend this to contemporary fiction fans.
Once again I'm late to the party so I will just share my feelings.
I enjoyed this book. This was a definite page turner for me! A good debut novel. The only problem I had with "A Small Indiscretion" was that I was kind of confused as to what was going on in the beginning. I stayed with it and I eventually got into it. The back and forth in time in this book is not all that smooth either.
Annie is not the most likable character but I understood her. We all make mistakes when we're young. Her mistake 20 years later? Happens...
I will definitely read Ellison's next book.
I recommend this to contemporary fiction fans.
February 3, 2017
5+ Stars. Loved this author! Thanks Elyse...
August 15, 2015
This was a really pleasant surprise from yet another novel with lower-than-stellar ratings that I happened to love. Although the narrative had a subtle tone, there were many complex and compelling topics involving obsession, neediness, loss, love and forgiveness to name a few. It is a coming of age story of sorts, but also a portrayal of how the choices made in the past can come back to haunt you. I found the main character sympathetic and her actions believable considering her upbringing, but I also found an attachment to all the main characters in different ways. The author just had a way of making you care about them. There was a sense of tension from the beginning that made the story both gripping and suspenseful, and I did not want this story to end. While it was a slower pace, it was still a page turner for me due to the intricate and beautiful writing. This was an amazing debut novel and I hope to see more from this author.
December 27, 2014
A woman's past comes back to haunt her present, or secrets of the past are exposed. A common enough theme in novels, but this one is presented in a unique way; as a letter to her son who is twenty and is not to be found. I had to think about my reaction to this book and why I had trouble connecting with the story. First of all, I neither liked nor disliked the main characters, I felt a distance from them. I think the format of the novel, kept me from feeling the closeness to the characters that I needed to fully embrace this story.
It was very well written and there were many things I did like. I did want to find out what happened and I especially liked how when something was revealed in the present, the author took us back twenty years to see how what happened then,led to the present. So this was a mixed bag for me, and I am sure not everyone will react the same way I did. If a different reader can feel the connection that was missing for me I am sure they will have a different view of this story.
ARC from NetGalley
It was very well written and there were many things I did like. I did want to find out what happened and I especially liked how when something was revealed in the present, the author took us back twenty years to see how what happened then,led to the present. So this was a mixed bag for me, and I am sure not everyone will react the same way I did. If a different reader can feel the connection that was missing for me I am sure they will have a different view of this story.
ARC from NetGalley
January 23, 2015
I felt as if I was looking in someone's window and eavesdropping on a conversation that is not meant for me or more specifically reading letters that were not meant for me to read - yet I wanted to know what happened both in Annie Black 's past and in her future and I wanted to know what would happen to this family after her past catches up with her .
The narrative is a letter to her son , Robbie and many times it seems so matter of fact, almost devoid of emotion at times while it represents a confession of sorts . The only person who seems to exhibit any real emotion is Annie's husband Jonathan and that doesn't happen until close to the end of the novel .
It alternates between the past and present and I think that the author has done a skillful job of telling the story in this way . There were a number of indiscretions both big and small and while I could be more accepting of things that a naive , 19 year old with a devil may care attitudes does, the indiscretion of Annie as an adult was harder for me to understand . Unfortunately , it was the indiscretions of the past that had the biggest ramifications. Although I could not totally engage with any of the characters , I was engaged in the story.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley .
July 12, 2015
4.5/5.0 STARS – WONDERFUL!
I absolutely, positively adored this book! Oddly enough, I had an extremely difficult time articulating exactly why – until I understood my love for this story was because I was so emotionally invested in it. The writing is enchanting and hypnotic, perhaps even seductive, enveloping me in a warm embrace of lusciously soothing emotions. The magical, addictive prose invoked deep emotional responses which kept me turning page after page after page after page ...
My engagement with Annie was instantaneous - Annie is authentic and believable from page one straight through to the end of the story – with my engagement blossoming and expanding as the story progressed. Part of me wanted so badly to race ahead to discover how all the pieces of the story come together in the end while another part of me was so intoxicated by the emotional seduction that I wanted to ... slow - it - way - down ... to savor the journey. I am so thankful the latter part of me won out.
The story moves between 1989 in London and Paris when Annie Black is nineteen years old going on twenty, discovering and defining her talents, her goals in life, her sexuality and ideas of love, and California some two decades later, where Annie Gunnlaugsson lives a comfortable life in San Francisco with her husband of twenty years, Jonathon, and her three children Robbie, Clara and Polly. The story is told through the voice of Annie as she attempts to write the story of her experiences and circumstances that led to that fateful Labor Day weekend that roiled her world.
That is all I can share about the plot without spoiling the journey for you. Suffice it to say this is an outstanding weave of past and present with such clarity and lucidity that at times I felt I was right there in the story observing people and places first hand!
I thought about this read as a kind of coming of age experience for Annie in Europe and a deeper, more mature study of family love and relationships after Annie’s twenty years of marriage in California, and how circumstances and the choices we make can intersect in strange ways, causing unintended consequences. After all, the actions and emotions of a twenty year old are far different than those of a forty year old.
It certainly was about the different types of love we can experience in life – young love, mature love, lustful sexual love, crush love, true love, marital love, family love, obsessive love, paternal love, motherly love, puppy love, requited and unrequited love. Perhaps this is why my emotions were singing during this entire read – so many different experiences of love, each with its own unique emotional marker.
Hats off to you Jan Ellison on your debut novel! You expertly plucked my heartstrings and did a masterful job of describing seemingly disparate events and experiences and bringing them all together in such a focused and meaningful way. I said “WOW” many, many times along the way.
Wonderful!
[ For a very interesting perspective on this novel check out this review ] https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 29, 2016
3 stars!
**Thank you to Random House publishing for providing me with this book free of charge through a Goodreads Giveaway.**
"I suppose unrequited love is the hardest kind to shed because it is not really love at all. It is a half-love, and we are forever stomping around trying to get hold of the other half."
At 19, Annie Black is spending her winter in London, drinking herself into oblivion and getting tangled in many complicated relationships. 21 years later, she is married to Jonathan, living in San Francisco with 3 children...20 year old Robbie, 9 year old Clara, and 6 year old Polly. She has a career designing unique interior lights and her own shop to feature them in. One summer morning, a photograph arrives in her mailbox, reminding her of that time in London and it sets off a chain of events that will change her family and marriage indefinitely.
Honestly, I can't really say much more without giving away the whole plot. The novel goes back and forth between Annie's 19 year old self in Europe and present day. It took me a bit to grow used to the writing style of the book...Most of it reads like a letter, that Annie is writing to her son, Robbie, explaining the story behind everything that happens.
This novel's underlying message is that the past can come back to haunt you, to affect your life's course. As a MC, I wasn't too fond of Annie. As a young woman, she made horrible and downright stupid decisions. I get it, she's human and has made mistakes in her life, but I wasn't very sympathic to her and just couldn't really connect with her. Her decisions were honestly just starting to really irritate me, including some she made as a mother and wife over 2 decades later. I couldn't really relate to Annie...and don't get me wrong, I am by no means perfect, I have mistakes and regrets in my past also, but I cannot even fathom making the decisions that she made, continuously throughout the book, in the past or the present. But it really added to me feeling frustrated by her character instead of feeling empathy or sympathy for her. I could not justify her actions the way she seemed to. My favorite character of the book was Annie's 6 year old daughter, because she had an adorable dialogue.
The novel did keep me guessing for most of the book about the way the stories of the past and present fit together...With about 60 or so pages left I guessed who the connection was, but still enjoyed seeing how it all ended up playing out.
Not my favorite book, not really my usual genre, but not terrible either. Would be more enjoyable of I could have connected more with the MC.
**Thank you to Random House publishing for providing me with this book free of charge through a Goodreads Giveaway.**
"I suppose unrequited love is the hardest kind to shed because it is not really love at all. It is a half-love, and we are forever stomping around trying to get hold of the other half."
At 19, Annie Black is spending her winter in London, drinking herself into oblivion and getting tangled in many complicated relationships. 21 years later, she is married to Jonathan, living in San Francisco with 3 children...20 year old Robbie, 9 year old Clara, and 6 year old Polly. She has a career designing unique interior lights and her own shop to feature them in. One summer morning, a photograph arrives in her mailbox, reminding her of that time in London and it sets off a chain of events that will change her family and marriage indefinitely.
Honestly, I can't really say much more without giving away the whole plot. The novel goes back and forth between Annie's 19 year old self in Europe and present day. It took me a bit to grow used to the writing style of the book...Most of it reads like a letter, that Annie is writing to her son, Robbie, explaining the story behind everything that happens.
This novel's underlying message is that the past can come back to haunt you, to affect your life's course. As a MC, I wasn't too fond of Annie. As a young woman, she made horrible and downright stupid decisions. I get it, she's human and has made mistakes in her life, but I wasn't very sympathic to her and just couldn't really connect with her. Her decisions were honestly just starting to really irritate me, including some she made as a mother and wife over 2 decades later. I couldn't really relate to Annie...and don't get me wrong, I am by no means perfect, I have mistakes and regrets in my past also, but I cannot even fathom making the decisions that she made, continuously throughout the book, in the past or the present. But it really added to me feeling frustrated by her character instead of feeling empathy or sympathy for her. I could not justify her actions the way she seemed to. My favorite character of the book was Annie's 6 year old daughter, because she had an adorable dialogue.
The novel did keep me guessing for most of the book about the way the stories of the past and present fit together...With about 60 or so pages left I guessed who the connection was, but still enjoyed seeing how it all ended up playing out.
Not my favorite book, not really my usual genre, but not terrible either. Would be more enjoyable of I could have connected more with the MC.
October 23, 2014
A Small Indiscretion is presented as a letter from the main character to her son, who is absent for one reason or another during almost the whole narration. The gimmick works to a point. The book works to a point.
June 16, 2015
****3.5 STARS****I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book even though I squirmed and held my breath over the narrator's continuous passivity and the poor decisions that she often made in her personal affairs. Maybe it cut too close to the bone for me. :)
February 14, 2015
Do not waste your time on this one. The only reason I read it is because the description said if you liked Girl on the Train then you'd like this one too. That could not have been farther from the truth. That is such an insult to Girl on the Train. I loved that book, especially the main character. I did not like the main character in this book at all. Actually I didn't like any of the characters in this book. None of them seemed to have any morals or self-restraint. They were all self-absorbed and so impulsive. They made the worst decisions too that were so obvious mistakes. First of all I knew I should have listened to my gut because the title is all wrong. There is no such thing as a small indiscretion. It is what is is and there are always long term consequences and people that get hurt. Not like that mattered to the people in this book. I guess I am more of a traditionalist when it comes to relationships being between just two people. All the relationships in this book were unorthodox involving more than two people and it didn't bother them. No one even seemed to know what real love meant. There were some pretty messed up relationships too that I can't say too much about without spoilers. I also couldn't stand how the author switched between past and present without a break. You had to really keep track. I only continued reading because I thought there would be some redemption at the end for the main character and her family but it just got more twisted. I was just glad to not have to read anymore about these dramatic, senseless characters. This book just didn't work for me.
December 19, 2015
4.5 stars. This is one of the best debuts I have read this year. I loved it.
Here's the situation: Annie is writing her memories of her younger self spent in London. There, she worked in an office for Malcolm. Malcolm is married to Louise. Louise is having an affair with Patrick, with Malcolm's blessing. Malcolm falls in love with Annie, who falls in love with Patrick. No one really wants Malcolm, and Patrick seems to care for no one. The odd foursome takes a Christmas trip to Paris, where the situation is changed over night and Annie's future takes form.
In present day San Francisco, Annie has a secret about a (singular) past indiscretion. Which indiscretion was meant in the title was uncertain at first, as she had many. She is writing her story to someday share with her comatose son.
Although I was propelled on by the beautiful writing, I would often pause to reread a sentence. I loved her word usage. This is yet another book that makes you rethink the memories you have, to know memories or impressions of them can be flawed , which has been a theme in a few books I've read lately.
"... Now it becomes necessary to distinguish between the lore and the truth... Is truth the same as memory? I offer you a memory. Has the memory been shaped by the waves of time, and by the history that has rushed against it since? Of course it has. What memories haven't?"
Here's the situation: Annie is writing her memories of her younger self spent in London. There, she worked in an office for Malcolm. Malcolm is married to Louise. Louise is having an affair with Patrick, with Malcolm's blessing. Malcolm falls in love with Annie, who falls in love with Patrick. No one really wants Malcolm, and Patrick seems to care for no one. The odd foursome takes a Christmas trip to Paris, where the situation is changed over night and Annie's future takes form.
In present day San Francisco, Annie has a secret about a (singular) past indiscretion. Which indiscretion was meant in the title was uncertain at first, as she had many. She is writing her story to someday share with her comatose son.
Although I was propelled on by the beautiful writing, I would often pause to reread a sentence. I loved her word usage. This is yet another book that makes you rethink the memories you have, to know memories or impressions of them can be flawed , which has been a theme in a few books I've read lately.
"... Now it becomes necessary to distinguish between the lore and the truth... Is truth the same as memory? I offer you a memory. Has the memory been shaped by the waves of time, and by the history that has rushed against it since? Of course it has. What memories haven't?"
July 10, 2015
This compelling story is part family drama, part mystery. Well-paced, filling in the blanks slowly so that the story unravels in a way that kept me engaged and always hoping to squeeze in a few more pages throughout the busy day, this is my kind of contemporary fiction: a bit of a stretch yet somehow completely believable.
This story is compulsively readable with many beautifully constructed sentences, paragraphs and pages. Layered, descriptive writing brings it to life...writing that I found to be quite unique in that it seems simple yet it is deft, solid and very carefully-crafted. The characters felt honest and authentic, the scenery rich and easy to visualize. The main character's emotional growth/maturity was realistic and obvious as she gained insight regarding acceptance and forgiveness. Strong emotions and family dynamics are laid out as they are in life. I felt like I was being slipped secrets about what is important in life throughout this story. This one was an unexpected surprise! 4.5 stars
This story is compulsively readable with many beautifully constructed sentences, paragraphs and pages. Layered, descriptive writing brings it to life...writing that I found to be quite unique in that it seems simple yet it is deft, solid and very carefully-crafted. The characters felt honest and authentic, the scenery rich and easy to visualize. The main character's emotional growth/maturity was realistic and obvious as she gained insight regarding acceptance and forgiveness. Strong emotions and family dynamics are laid out as they are in life. I felt like I was being slipped secrets about what is important in life throughout this story. This one was an unexpected surprise! 4.5 stars
December 10, 2014
This was a cleverly written novel that I could not put down... totally absorbing. The second person letter style worked wonderfully in capturing the reasons behind choices that were made, though it was sometimes confusing with the jumping around time periods. I do think that if someone were to indeed write a letter about their past this would be true to form. Interesting example of how split second decision can have long standing consequences. Wonderful debut.... I really look forward to reading more by this author.
November 23, 2015
I really liked this book, it kept me very involved , quite the page turner.
March 5, 2016
It was a quick easy read for me and I enjoyed the story, a little bit unusual in that it was written as a letter to her (the protagonist's) son to explain some of her history and thoughts about who he is and why. I could compare it to The Girl on the Train a little bit, because the main character is a young girl trying to make it alone in London and starts drinking too much, and ends up having several relationships with men and other things that she wishes she wouldn't have done.
There are excellent observations about how her decisions were made, how women sometimes get conned by men and vice versa, how it is difficult to overcome obsessive feelings and how some old experiences can come out of the past to mess up the future. The author is excellent at describing complex human emotions and feelings and shows how little decisions get made that seem so wrong in retrospect.
It wasn't until near the end that something happens that brings the story together. I pick a three star rating mostly because there wasn't quite enough of a story there to really grab me and get me to a 4. I liked it and I believe many of you will. Several of my friends here gave it five stars.
There are excellent observations about how her decisions were made, how women sometimes get conned by men and vice versa, how it is difficult to overcome obsessive feelings and how some old experiences can come out of the past to mess up the future. The author is excellent at describing complex human emotions and feelings and shows how little decisions get made that seem so wrong in retrospect.
It wasn't until near the end that something happens that brings the story together. I pick a three star rating mostly because there wasn't quite enough of a story there to really grab me and get me to a 4. I liked it and I believe many of you will. Several of my friends here gave it five stars.
February 3, 2026
This is an emotional story shared in an intimate way. It is told in hindsight- a settled, mother of three is looking back at her nineteen year old self. Currently, her life has blown apart. As she begins to unpack her long ago memories we begin to understand how much her past has informed her current situation.
Other thoughts:
The descriptions of San Francisco and the surrounding area are beautiful. As are the scenes set in London and Paris.
The reveal is somewhat anti-climatic and I suspect most will guess it long before it is eventually divulged.
Annie is not always likeable but her single best quality is that she is a devoted mother. The scenes with her children are quite tender.
If possible, this is best read in a sitting or two. I was unable to do so and was a bit crazy with wanting to get back to the story.
Other thoughts:
The descriptions of San Francisco and the surrounding area are beautiful. As are the scenes set in London and Paris.
The reveal is somewhat anti-climatic and I suspect most will guess it long before it is eventually divulged.
Annie is not always likeable but her single best quality is that she is a devoted mother. The scenes with her children are quite tender.
If possible, this is best read in a sitting or two. I was unable to do so and was a bit crazy with wanting to get back to the story.
April 13, 2015
Epic!
I can see why it was an Oprah's Book Club Editor's Pick. It's about family, love and the power of holding back. There were many twists and turns to get you to the end, but somehow, they all made sense.
The story was brilliantly written and told.
A mother writing to her child as a lengthy explanation of sorts. It was a unique way to read a story, as well as take it in. It pulled you in, almost like you had found the letter and were secretly reading it to yourself.
I loved this book! Even during the heartbreaking moments. I was still so incredibly immersed in the story that I had to keep reading for the resolve. Much like I would in real life, I suppose.
I'm so glad I was given the chance to read this authors' work. Her style has a uniqueness of its own. I'm sure this won't be the last I read of hers.
I can see why it was an Oprah's Book Club Editor's Pick. It's about family, love and the power of holding back. There were many twists and turns to get you to the end, but somehow, they all made sense.
The story was brilliantly written and told.
A mother writing to her child as a lengthy explanation of sorts. It was a unique way to read a story, as well as take it in. It pulled you in, almost like you had found the letter and were secretly reading it to yourself.
I loved this book! Even during the heartbreaking moments. I was still so incredibly immersed in the story that I had to keep reading for the resolve. Much like I would in real life, I suppose.
I'm so glad I was given the chance to read this authors' work. Her style has a uniqueness of its own. I'm sure this won't be the last I read of hers.
January 12, 2015
Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
2.5 stars
I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher Random House via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is January 20th 2015.
This is going to be a difficult story for me to review as I struggled with identifying with any of the characters in the story. This may cause my thoughts to fall slightly on the critical side when I am still undecided if the story deserves it.
This at the very core is a story about how actions in the past can come back to haunt the present day. Simple enough in concept. My issue ultimately lies in the character of Annie and my lack of sympathy for her.
I failed to see the attraction or connection Annie had with any of her romantic liaisons. I simply could not see what attracted her to Malcolm, Patrick and even Jonathan and more importantly what they saw in her. In my opinion she was insecure and selfish. This can be traced to her addiction with alcohol which although it doesn't outright say she was an alcoholic the actions she takes in the story make it clear. It made her entire story lack substance as she chased one guy who did not care about her and strung another along who did. The tangled webs can not be described in this review for fear of giving away any spoilers.
What I found even more difficult than her poor decisions in her youth were the ones she made as an adult with a family. This time the alcohol was not a crutch and she had a lot more to lose and yet she easily gave in to the bad decision making of her youth which causes a ripple effect in the lives around her.
While I found Annie to lack in any real redeeming qualities I still found myself eager to find out how her story played out. While secretly feeling she didn't deserve a happy ending I still wanted to know if she got one or if she was punished for her indiscretions. I will not divulge which way it went so that the reader can find out for themselves.
Overall a so-so story that had enough interest in it to see me through to the end
2.5 stars
I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher Random House via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is January 20th 2015.
This is going to be a difficult story for me to review as I struggled with identifying with any of the characters in the story. This may cause my thoughts to fall slightly on the critical side when I am still undecided if the story deserves it.
This at the very core is a story about how actions in the past can come back to haunt the present day. Simple enough in concept. My issue ultimately lies in the character of Annie and my lack of sympathy for her.
I failed to see the attraction or connection Annie had with any of her romantic liaisons. I simply could not see what attracted her to Malcolm, Patrick and even Jonathan and more importantly what they saw in her. In my opinion she was insecure and selfish. This can be traced to her addiction with alcohol which although it doesn't outright say she was an alcoholic the actions she takes in the story make it clear. It made her entire story lack substance as she chased one guy who did not care about her and strung another along who did. The tangled webs can not be described in this review for fear of giving away any spoilers.
What I found even more difficult than her poor decisions in her youth were the ones she made as an adult with a family. This time the alcohol was not a crutch and she had a lot more to lose and yet she easily gave in to the bad decision making of her youth which causes a ripple effect in the lives around her.
While I found Annie to lack in any real redeeming qualities I still found myself eager to find out how her story played out. While secretly feeling she didn't deserve a happy ending I still wanted to know if she got one or if she was punished for her indiscretions. I will not divulge which way it went so that the reader can find out for themselves.
Overall a so-so story that had enough interest in it to see me through to the end
December 4, 2015
Told in first person, as a letter or journal written to her son, this suspenseful novel is about a woman coming to terms with her past and it’s effect on her current life. The early twenties are a time of growing up, a time of wanton behavior, a time of youthful ignorance, and a time of recklessness. It’s a time that one hopes that those small indiscretions become benign events. As the jacket cover states, this novel is a story of one woman’s reckoning with a youthful mistake.
I enjoyed the author’s chosen way of writing this story as a journal. It provided a personal touch to the story, written almost as a confession yet a record of events. Jan Ellison tells her story slowly, piecemeal, so the reader gets subtle clues as the story progresses. Given her subtle clues, I did guess the jest of the ending; or rather, I put the pieces together. Yet, I was totally mesmerized by how it would all fall together. The story is captivating in that it’s realistic fiction. This could absolutely happen, and happen to good people with good intentions. The main character did do stupid things in her twenties, but the twenties are a time that everyone does stupid and regretful things; most people are selfish and self-involved at that time of their lives. Her indiscretions are forgivable.
As the story continues, she does have a moment/event where I thought she was not forgivable; although I can see as a human we all have certain insecurities that may possibly lead us to unsavory behavior. That said, all the characters are likeable and understandable.
This would be a great book club read. I’m sure there would be strong reactions to this novel. I’d love to hear someone else’s thoughts that disagree with mine.
I enjoyed the author’s chosen way of writing this story as a journal. It provided a personal touch to the story, written almost as a confession yet a record of events. Jan Ellison tells her story slowly, piecemeal, so the reader gets subtle clues as the story progresses. Given her subtle clues, I did guess the jest of the ending; or rather, I put the pieces together. Yet, I was totally mesmerized by how it would all fall together. The story is captivating in that it’s realistic fiction. This could absolutely happen, and happen to good people with good intentions. The main character did do stupid things in her twenties, but the twenties are a time that everyone does stupid and regretful things; most people are selfish and self-involved at that time of their lives. Her indiscretions are forgivable.
As the story continues, she does have a moment/event where I thought she was not forgivable; although I can see as a human we all have certain insecurities that may possibly lead us to unsavory behavior. That said, all the characters are likeable and understandable.
This would be a great book club read. I’m sure there would be strong reactions to this novel. I’d love to hear someone else’s thoughts that disagree with mine.
March 21, 2017
This book was engrossing. It was so well written!!! Loved this debut by Jan Ellison. It was suspenseful, captured my interest the whole way through and kept me guessing.
The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star read for me was Annie, the main character and storyteller. Put frankly, I hated her. There wasn’t one thing I liked about her. She was one of the most self-absorbed characters I’ve ever encountered. I found her treatment of others to be insensitive and often cruel. And the fact that Annie found her indiscretion to be “small” just adds to my low opinion of her.
When I hate the main character this much, it usually ruins the book for me so it is amazing to me that Jan Ellison was able to make me love the book.
The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star read for me was Annie, the main character and storyteller. Put frankly, I hated her. There wasn’t one thing I liked about her. She was one of the most self-absorbed characters I’ve ever encountered. I found her treatment of others to be insensitive and often cruel. And the fact that Annie found her indiscretion to be “small” just adds to my low opinion of her.
When I hate the main character this much, it usually ruins the book for me so it is amazing to me that Jan Ellison was able to make me love the book.
November 13, 2014
I received an advance copy from the publisher through Netgalley. There's something about the cover that originally threw me off, and I assumed that this would be a cheesy historical novel. But after reading a few reviews, I realized that this was in a fact a book of contemporary fiction. And once I started reading, I quickly got really absorbed by the story and the writing. Ellison has constructed a good story, and had done a great job telling it. It is told as a second person narrative by a mother to her son, moving back and forth in time between the narrator's youth in London and Paris, and her current life in San Francisco. There are mysteries about the past and the present that unfold at just the right pace as the narrator tells her story and expresses her feelings about her past and how it has affected her present life. I must admit that I have a thing about second person narratives (for example The Reluctant Fundamentalist)--it is such a risky device but when it is done well it can be so clever and even breathtaking at times. And Ellison's writing is lovely--there are moments when the narrator expresses her thoughts and feelings perfectly using great imagery. So my only complaint is that while I was enjoying the book, I felt somewhat detached from the narrator--I didn't find myself sympathizing much with her and her indiscretions. Only at the end, as things all came together, I found myself liking her a lot more. I know that liking and identifying with a main character is not a prerequisite to liking a book, but I suspect that that was the intent here -- we all make foolish choices when we're young and every now and then being the focal point of sympathy. But really this is a minor complaint given the book's other qualities. I'm glad I took a chance on this book whose cover I had misinterpreted and am grateful to have had a chance to read an advance copy.
February 25, 2015
A deceptively simple premise -- Annie makes mistakes at age 19. Twenty years later those mistakes catch up to her with dire consequences. Avid readers will see the plot developments coming, but there still something quite engaging about this debut novel. I loved that it was mysterious without being a thriller. I loved the time jumps and slow reveals of important facts. I loved the unreliability of its narrator Annie as she writes her disjointed confession. Most of all, I love the play of memory vs. history.
Even when I grew impatient with young Annie, I found her completely believable, although her husband Jonathan was a little less so. It wasn't his novel, his story, but I would have liked some more complexity in his character.
But all in all, an excellent debut effort and an author worth watching.
Read alikes:
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
Unless
But is truth the same as memory? I offer you a memory. Has the memory been shaped by the waves of time, and by the history that has rushed against it since? Of course it has. What memories haven't?
Even when I grew impatient with young Annie, I found her completely believable, although her husband Jonathan was a little less so. It wasn't his novel, his story, but I would have liked some more complexity in his character.
But all in all, an excellent debut effort and an author worth watching.
Read alikes:
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
Unless
December 18, 2014
If you are looking for a quick read filled with action and page turning exciting drama ... this is probably not the book for you. However. If you are seeking a book that is extremely well written with prose that pulls you into the story as though you are there, experiencing it along side the characters, then you really should consider reading A Small Indiscretion. I loved the author's nearly lyrical writing. I felt so caught up in the story that it stayed with me for days after I read the last word.
Many times throughout the book, I envied Annie Black and her devil-may-care attitude and freedom. I wanted to be there with her in the pubs of London. Other times, I nodded my head along while reading, because of similar situations I've found myself in along life's highway. Then there were times when didn't envy her at all and would have loathed to be in her shoes. There's a bit of a twist that I didn't see coming. There's a bit of a twist that I did figure out. But, either way, I am so glad that I read this book! I can't wait for Jan Ellison to write more books for me to read.
A slow, easy, burning five heart read!
Many times throughout the book, I envied Annie Black and her devil-may-care attitude and freedom. I wanted to be there with her in the pubs of London. Other times, I nodded my head along while reading, because of similar situations I've found myself in along life's highway. Then there were times when didn't envy her at all and would have loathed to be in her shoes. There's a bit of a twist that I didn't see coming. There's a bit of a twist that I did figure out. But, either way, I am so glad that I read this book! I can't wait for Jan Ellison to write more books for me to read.
A slow, easy, burning five heart read!
February 13, 2016
This is an OK story that has moments of success and moments of failure. I was never tempted to stop reading, but the "surprise" element was not any surprise to me since I unraveled it fairly early on. It is too neatly tied at the end for my tastes, but that is why this kind of book is seldom my choice.
One of the least appealing parts of this book is the voice. Annie Black is writing this story to her son, Robbie, which might work for explaining the past...and does essentially since those are the parts of the story that were enough to hold my interest. The problem comes when she is explaining the present day events. Why do you need to tell your son, "A friendship developed. Mitch took a shine to you right away, and as you grew, he mentored you in your study of science." He obviously knows the influence that Mitch has had over his life, but this is information she needs to give the reader, and for me it is an awkward way of giving it. I might have liked the story better if she had just told it outright.
Sometimes I feel I need a break from heavy reading and I opt for what I think will be "just for pleasure" reading. Unfortunately that seldom works well for me. This book is surely someone's cup of tea, just not mine. Jan Ellison has a talent, but she needs to resist buying into the formula.
One of the least appealing parts of this book is the voice. Annie Black is writing this story to her son, Robbie, which might work for explaining the past...and does essentially since those are the parts of the story that were enough to hold my interest. The problem comes when she is explaining the present day events. Why do you need to tell your son, "A friendship developed. Mitch took a shine to you right away, and as you grew, he mentored you in your study of science." He obviously knows the influence that Mitch has had over his life, but this is information she needs to give the reader, and for me it is an awkward way of giving it. I might have liked the story better if she had just told it outright.
Sometimes I feel I need a break from heavy reading and I opt for what I think will be "just for pleasure" reading. Unfortunately that seldom works well for me. This book is surely someone's cup of tea, just not mine. Jan Ellison has a talent, but she needs to resist buying into the formula.
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