Small Hours, The

by Susie Boyt, Sian Thomas (Reader)

Darkly funny . . . You can't help wishing that everyone was a bit more like Harriet (Emma Herdman Marie Claire)The Small Hours excites with refined delights . . . Boyt's economical prose remains elegantly polished, her descriptions of the subtleties of psychotherapy spine-tingling . . . A meaty yet accessible novel possessing great psychological rigour (Lucy Beresford Sunday Telegraph)An unsettling yet absorbing story (Ben Felsenberg Metro)Boyt weaves an engaging combination of psychological insight and piercing black humour to produce a thoroughly engaging, thought-provoking story (Mel Clarke The Lady)An exquisitely written tale of a damaged woman attempting to mend her past with a grand gesture (Psychologies magazine)The Small Hours is an absolute gem of a novel: exquisite, diamond-bright and lacerating to the hardest of hearts (Amanda Craig Literary Review)Boyt delicately interweaves the revelation of Harriet's past with the unravelling of her present and skilfully leavens the inevitable tragic conclusion with the exuberance and chatter of the girls, who bring as much joy to the reader as their teacher (Michael Arditti Daily Mail)Boyt has a gift for creating loveable protagonists . . . Boyt has studied Henry James and his stylistic influence is visible, both in the vibrant intensity of Harriet's character and the rich dramatisation of her consciousness (Freya McClelland Independent)Harriet's pain is clear through the fine mesh of taut and witty prose (A N Wilson Reader's Digest)A divinely dark book . . . The Small Hours reminds us of the best and the worst of how we treat each other (Jackie McGlone Sunday Herald)Boyt is a compassionate chronicler of the human heart . . . The point of this novel is not whether your dreams succeed or fail, but whether you're still willing to risk having dreams at all. In Harriet Mansfield, Boyt has drawn a character whose moral and emotional courage is both convincing and heartbreaking (Rebecca Abrams Financial Times)

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

MP3 CD

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Susie Boyt (born January 1969) is a British novelist.

The daughter of Suzy Boyt and artist Lucian Freud, and great-granddaughter of Sigmund Freud. Susie Boyt was educated at Channing and at Camden School for Girls and read English at St Catherine's College, Oxford, graduating in 1992. Working variously at a PR agency, and a literary agency, she completed her first novel, The Normal Man, which was published in 1995 by Weidenfeld and Nicholson. She returned to university to do a Masters in Anglo American Literary Relations at University College London studying the works of Henry James and the poet John Berryman.

To date she has published four novels. In 2008, she published My Judy Garland Life, a layering of biography, hero-worship and self-help. Her journalism includes an ongoing column in the weekend Life & Arts section of the Financial Times. She is married to Tom Astor, a film producer. They live with their two daughters in London.

Reviews

[CanadianReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Small Hours opens with 38-year-old Harriet Mansfield taking leave of her Kleinian psychoanalyst of many years, announcing to her that, now armed with self-understanding and the ability to confidently self-parent, she will be opening up a nursery school for three- and four-year-old girls. Her aloof and chilly banker father has recently died and left her one-third of his sizeable estate. The other two-thirds have gone to Harriet’s brother, Colin, and their mother, who lives in France. Harriet is estranged from both. Initially, the reader is led to believe—through the novel’s limited third-person point-of-view perspective, focusing on Harriet’s thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and actions—that they may have good reason. The therapist is also decidedly muted in her response to Harriet’s ambitious plan.

The initial unnumbered chapters written in sparkling, comedic, almost manic prose led me to believe I was getting a clever and ironic book. Harriet seems a larger-than-life, over-the-top figure of mockery. She’s a kind of Amazon, red-haired and over six-feet tall. Even Harriet believes she’s too much. However, she is not entirely blind to others’ negative assessments of her. In time, it emerges that Harriet is fuelled not just by idealism but also by a determination to provide children with what she herself so sadly lacked. Boyt gives the reader an idea of some of what Harriet endured early in life by producing brief and skilfully rendered excerpts of her protagonist’s teenage diaries. Harriet, it turns out, has been through a great deal. If anything, her observations about her childhood, her upbeat “affirmations”, and her ideas for self-help book titles and chapters belie her actual childhood experience.

Much of the latter third of the novel hinges on Harriet’s mother’s visit to London for medical tests. It seems she may be very ill. Will this contact lead to reconciliation?

I was absorbed, impressed, and moved by Boyt’s novel, the first I’ve read by her. The prose is wonderful and varied. I am looking forward to her new book, Loved and Missed , which is due to be released soon.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Harriet Mansfield is left a legacy, she decides to open a nursery school for girls. She does not want to cram them with facts, but to make their first experiences of education joyful and idyllic. Her emphasis is on fun and creativity – arts and crafts, gardening, cookery and lots of praise fill her pupil’s days. From the very beginning of this novel, we are aware that the school closes down, despite the fact that Harriet is a passionate and enthusiastic headmistress. However, despite her good intentions, we also question her motives. Does she really wish to provide the kind of school which enables girls to have a good start, or is she trying to replace something missing in her own life? For Harriet is also a very damaged and emotionally unstable woman, on the verge of a breakdown. Aged thirty eight, red haired and six foot one, she towers above almost everyone she meets and feels clumsy and lacks confidence. As the story unfolds, we learn of Harriet’s difficult relationship with her mother and her brother. She has suffered a life full of ‘slights and disappointments’ and longs to be loved by the mother who constantly denies her the closeness she craves.

Meanwhile, Harriet’s attempts to make her young charges life perfect is challenged by parental demands and their own problems at home. Her optimism and cheerfulness is often misplaced – she takes the girls to a local market, but the local colour consists of dodgy characters and suspicious deals going on in corners. However, despite everything, Harriet is a character who soon makes you adore her. Although this is a short novel, it deals with some serious issues but, full of dark humour, it is in no way a depressing book at all. Harriet fills the pages with warmth and an incredible poignancy – her need to be liked, her loneliness and the problems caused by her childhood are realistically and sympathetically portrayed. Within a few pages, I was totally captivated. You almost will Harriet to make a success of her school; despite being aware that her attempts end in failure. She is certainly a character that will stay with me – an ideal choice for reading groups, this has much to discuss.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once in a while I find a book that just glows with superb writing and emotional insight.This is one of those. Susie Boyt has created a wonderfully fragile character in Harriet Goodman, someone who will stay in my memory for a long time to come. Her fragilty is mental, not physical. She is over six foot tall and I could not get Miranda Hart out of my head. There is something from her childhood that her therapist has been looking to unravel, but her sessions are over. What has helped is the large legacy from her deceased father. I guess that her inheriting did nothing to help the alienation from her mother and brother, something that hurts even more than it should.

Harriet's investment in a nursery school is a beautifully imagined piece in it's own right. There is much to feel good about, the vision Harriet creates, her brilliant young staff, the exceptional children. Only with Harriet there is always a sense of foreboding. Trying to understand her childhood and family are never far from mind. So it is not all sweetness and light, and you know from an early fast forward, the dream collapses.

The changes in time do the book a great favour, softening the blow. Twenty years in the future, two of the children (Isabella and Lucy) meet in the maternity ward. Possibly the most emotional I have felt from a book for a long time. Susie Boyt has given us a shortish novel that tugs at the heartstrings and warms the senses with her distictively fabulous writing. I wish I could give it more than five stars.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman, Harriet Mansfield, suffering from mental issues uses an inheritance to open a school for young girls.

I found this quite a difficult book to get into, but once I did I became submerged into Harriet’s deeply troubled world. The scenes describing the abusive, but strangely loving, relationships between Harriet, her brother and parents is heart breaking.

I found this book to be entertaining, thought provoking and moving. I’d recommend it to anyone who has a difficult relationship with their parents or siblings and / or has suffered from mental / self-loathing issues.

I will look for other books by this author.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's going to be hard to leave Harriet behind! I wasn't sure I was enjoying this book at the beginning, but something kept me with it. Then the more I read, the more I couldn't put it down. When I got to the last page I didn`t want to leave Harriet behind.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotionally fragile Harriet starts an up-market playgroup with a legacy from her deceased father. We know from the start of the book that the venture fails, but throughout the book we want some measure of success for Harriet; she is an engaging character.
Harriet and her brother had a rotten childhood, although, unfortunately for their relationship, not rotten in the same way, and Harriet is not close to either of her surviving relatives. One reason for the project is to give some little girls a much happier time than she had and some of her charges have their own family problems.
It is not a cheerful book, but has enough upbeat moments that it does not wallow in misery.

[Duncan Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has a great talent for creating somewhat sad but likeable and inspiring characters and she has done it again with Harriet Mansfield. Shades of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, this is a very good read and another Susie Boyt success.

[Camilla Chester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this book on CD that I borrowed from the library and I have deliberated over 3 vs 4 stars because it was read beautifully which made the language and the characters come alive.

It took me a while to become interested in Harriet. At first I was irritated by her as she seemed totally self-absorbed, but when I came to realise how horribly damaged she had been by her disgusting family I warmed to her so much that I will be sad not to hear the next saga of her life (the ending was a little disappointing). She was amazingly patient and resilient, not letting hatred enter her life, or her mind, even though her family were deserving of it.

The writer was very good at details and jumping around in time. Sometimes both these things were a bit much though and it meant that the story didn't romp along fast enough for me.

For a writer I had never heard of and a last minute library choice for a long car journey, overall I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was June's book group read, and as I'm looking forward to discussing it with my on line friends, won't say too much here.

Suffice to say that the central character, the enormously generous and loving, tragic Harriet Mansfield, will stay with me for a while.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Loved it.

[Carina Reeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harriet Goodman har bestämt sig. Hon ska lyckas. Hon ska starta en förskola där barnen ska få göra roliga saker, känna sig älskade och trygga och dit de ska längta. Allt av det hon själv fått för litet av under sin uppväxttid.

Arvet efter hennes pappa gör att hon kan köpa och rusta upp en byggnad, anställa fyra unga kvinnor och starta förskolan.

Så får Harriet ett samtal från sin bror Colin i Frankrike. Modern har fått akut inflammation i bukspottskörteln och pga en strejk kan inte Colin och hans fru ta sig till London för att vara med modern på sjukhuset. Harriet går dit när hon sitter vid moderns sjukbädd upplever hon en närhet mellan dem som hon aldrig tidigare upplevt.

Hon tänker sig tillbaka och vi får en inblick i en uppväxt med mycket ilska, våld, psykisk ohälsa och Harriets ständiga sökande efter kärlek och bekräftelse.

Det tar en liten stund att komma in i boken, bl a för att den hoppar mellan olika tidsperioder i Harriets liv, men sen! Harriet Goodman är en känslomässigt skör kvinna som har så mycket inneboende kärlek hon vill förmedla och hon och hennes öde kommer finnas med mig i tankarna länge. Det är ingen dussinbok, verkligen inte, men det är lysande!

[Therese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I've finally finished this book. I really struggled to get into it as the writing style distracted me no end and that's a shame as it probably would've been half decent, interesting story otherwise. It just seemed that the whole set up and premise was so mundane and hard to grasp on to. It wasn't until the last quarter or so of the book that I really started to care about the main character and it was just so devastating throughout. I get enough of that from patient histories at work. I don't need to read it in a novel as well.

Anyway, I'll be glad to be moving on from this one to something a bit more in-depth and meaningful!

[Sylvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I downloaded the sample I was beguiled and wanted to read more, so when I could afford it, I downloaded the book. After reading on a bit, I was disappointed. It read as though someone was trying to be too clever and show off a great vocabulary. Halfway through the book, however, my opinion changed again, and I loved the second half. I began to understand the thought processes of Harriet, and thus the use of words.

[Josie Ingall]

I read this because I loved Loved and Missed so deeply. It is not as good as that book which is okay because that book is one of the best books I've ever read. They both got that Freudian impress but this one is about how the absence of love in your earliest years destroys you and Loved and Missed is about the necessity and beauty and enduring righteousness of love and loving despite the Horrors of living. I recommend both books but this one is only for true Boyt heads.

[Vickie Tate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way you were able to get into the head of the main character while her past was slowly revealed through the novel. The book was a reminder of what people in our every day lives may be battling in their minds. A sad book but also hopeful.

[Bernie Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very memorable. Sad but lovely

[Yvette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poignant, sad, funny, heartbreaking.

[Sharon N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny. Sad. A bit disjointed but I liked it.

[Lisa Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled at the start, but so glad I persevered. Wonderful writing, and the protagonist was incredibly crafted.

[Karen Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the characters of Harriet, I didn't want it to end. Second book I've read by Susie Boyt....can't wait to read the rest.

[Stuart Gordon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get through more than 40 pages of this overly precious narrative.

[Cassandra Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this slightly eccentric book and adored the fantastically drawn protagonist, Harriet Mansfield.

Short enough to read in one sitting - so more a novella than a novel (but still worth every penny) - this is one of those books you wished you'd eked out longer instead of rushing to finish before bed. It would make perfect reading on a medium-haul flight, as long as you don't mind a few odd looks from fellow passengers...

Indeed, what I loved about this book is that it tackled such powerful emotional and psychological issues with such outrageous humour. The 1st person narrative, with Harriet's almost constant internal dialogue, was at times hilarious, yet her sadness and need for love and approval seep through every page, beneath the self-help manual jokes and inner battle to maintain a stoic attitude.

If offered the opportunity to meet a fictional character in the flesh, Harriet would definitely make my short-list. If you read and enjoy this you should also try Cassandra at the Wedding - another hilarious but poignant read.

4.5 Stars - Highly Recommended!

[Bertha Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

New to Susie Boyt, I adore her writing, combining as it does, damage and hilarity, frailty and steel,in one taut sentence. Everything about this book is perfect, including the quietly compelling cover. If only more authors like Boyt existed, able to address chronic mental wrecking with such wit. I found Harriet Mansfield to be a rather old-fashioned “heroine” – with her, at times, childlike tone; a product of a certain upbringing and attitude to life, a girl who lost the chance to grow.
Harriet and her family are drawn with such sabre deftness and the light blackness running through this novel is exquisite. Boyt possesses the ability to carry a book on emotion, examining the kind of “OTT” woman who unsettles in 200 or so pages of piercing observation and psychological cleverness. Every sentence carries meaning, no words are wasted. A gem amongst the increasing number of novels that come over as wheelbarrows of words, weighty exercises in creative writing that can’t carry a character or plot. This is writing with the deceptive precision and depth of Fay Weldon in her earlier days. Five stars to Susie Boyt.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the character of Harriet big, clumsy well meaning but fragile and her admonishments to herself were very touching. However there were too many loose ends left at the end of the book for my liking. Why did her brother take such a violent dislike to Harriet when they had once been close? This was the question that kept me reading but was never satisfactorily answered, and we were given glimpses of Harriet's breakdown all through the book why then end on another breakdown? It just needed a better conclusion for me perhaps I like my stories more conventional

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harriet is an exceptionally tall woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown. We follow her as she opens a pre-school through her trying relationship with her mother to the inevitable breakdown. It wasn't what I expected but I don't mean that in a bad way. Although, for some bizarre reason, as soon as I read that the character was over 6ft tall I immediately pictured the comedienne Miranda Hart as the book's heroine.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This got better and I ended up enjoying it far more than I thought I would. The opening pages were so obscure I was put off and thought it was going to be unreadable. And Harriet seemed unlikeable, at first. But it got better, once we were given some insight into why Harriet is who she is. I ended up liking the book and flying through the second half.

[Vicky C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the scene-setting, use of colour in the descriptions of people, places, items, maybe even emotions and full of humour. However I did find it rather disjointed to read in plot, character and tone. But there were plenty of intriguing and charming moments and I do intend to read more by this author.

[Sarah Corr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm - really wanted to give this 3.5 but decided it was nearer a 4 than a 3. I understand that the writing style and time shifting were intended to reflect Harriet's own confusion but, for me, they became too distracting.

[Lisa Hobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing little book: there is so much packed into its 200 pages. In its protagonist, Harriet, the emotionally damaged owner of a nursery school for girls, is an engaging and memorable character. By turns hilarious and heart-achingly moving, this is well worth a read.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it is a tale of love and particularly self love. I love the style of writing by Susie Boyt, she writes about the everyday details of life which make her books so interesting.