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The Negligents
A tragic yet humorous coming-of-age story, The Negligents plots the flailing friendship between Polina and Grace and their troubled families. The fascinating intricacies of their lives are seen from multiple viewpoints as an interwoven series of scenes unfold, but who is telling the truth and who has secrets yet to reveal?
As a former lawyer, author Kate Smith is fascinated by legal constructs, turning them upside down and inside out to shed light on the messy business of being alive. In this, her debut novel, she uses the framework of a legal negligence claim to explore the nature of friendship, of family loyalty and how a simple act of carelessness can have deeply toxic consequences.
As a former lawyer, author Kate Smith is fascinated by legal constructs, turning them upside down and inside out to shed light on the messy business of being alive. In this, her debut novel, she uses the framework of a legal negligence claim to explore the nature of friendship, of family loyalty and how a simple act of carelessness can have deeply toxic consequences.
240 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Did Not Finish
December 14, 2020Ugh, boring. NEXT
January 21, 2019
Inconsistent and boring. An absolute slog to get through. I’m not sure I knew what was going on for 99% of the time.
August 21, 2018
This is a great debut novel from Kate Smith, that artfully portrays how interwoven we are to the lives of those around us; that the insecurities and joys, the action and inaction of others, are deeply interlaced, intensified and echoed in our own journeys.
In a good way, *The Negligents* reminded me of a play called *A Taste of Honey*. Not only in the sense of loss that haunts this writing, but because there’s also a compassion that permeates every syllable of Smith’s writing; a sensitivity (born of experience, I suspect) that helps you feel the granular road beneath her characters’ footsteps.
Perfect bit of holiday reading.
—Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*
In a good way, *The Negligents* reminded me of a play called *A Taste of Honey*. Not only in the sense of loss that haunts this writing, but because there’s also a compassion that permeates every syllable of Smith’s writing; a sensitivity (born of experience, I suspect) that helps you feel the granular road beneath her characters’ footsteps.
Perfect bit of holiday reading.
—Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*
June 24, 2018
The Negligents is a coming-of-age story of friends Grace and Polina and their families.
When they are small, Polina seems to live very much in the shadow of Grace who is the more confident of the pair. Polina grows up with just her mum, Maggie who is depressed and unable to connect to her daughter. Grace grows up with her parents Doug & Amy and her half brother Ed (who is not Doug's son).
Told using the framework of a legal negligence claim, this book explores the nature of friendship and of family loyalty. We watch the girls growing up: we see Polina's first kiss with another girl at school, we see her move away to University in Cambridge, get a job as a lawyer then fall into alcoholism. We see Grace feeling left behind after school, not knowing what to do with her life before running her own café and meeting a man.
It is very much a character driven story and there is both sadness and humour. The author is also very good at giving time to the other characters in the book, all of whom feel very real. It's a quick read - the scenes are short and snappy and the author plays with the format of the text and I feel the characters have stayed with me well after I finished the book.
When they are small, Polina seems to live very much in the shadow of Grace who is the more confident of the pair. Polina grows up with just her mum, Maggie who is depressed and unable to connect to her daughter. Grace grows up with her parents Doug & Amy and her half brother Ed (who is not Doug's son).
Told using the framework of a legal negligence claim, this book explores the nature of friendship and of family loyalty. We watch the girls growing up: we see Polina's first kiss with another girl at school, we see her move away to University in Cambridge, get a job as a lawyer then fall into alcoholism. We see Grace feeling left behind after school, not knowing what to do with her life before running her own café and meeting a man.
It is very much a character driven story and there is both sadness and humour. The author is also very good at giving time to the other characters in the book, all of whom feel very real. It's a quick read - the scenes are short and snappy and the author plays with the format of the text and I feel the characters have stayed with me well after I finished the book.
November 26, 2024
It’s been a very long time since I couldn’t finish a book, but I’m over 70 pages in and am giving up. Life is too short and this book is too fragmented and unsatisfying.
I feel she was trying hard to write this in a unique way but it left me super disengaged and unconvinced by both the characters and the plot.
I feel she was trying hard to write this in a unique way but it left me super disengaged and unconvinced by both the characters and the plot.
August 28, 2019
This is a beautifully written take that weaves the lives of many vivid characters brilliantly. Smith writes with a hopefulness and an honesty which is infectious, and the entire book carries that hope with it, even in its darkest moments.
October 23, 2018
I thought there was great potential with this book but I found it a bit disjointed and lots of questions unanswered. However, I'd be interested to see more from this author.
January 4, 2024
maybe i’m just stupid but anything to do with polina in the world of law was boring. ed was the best character. i enjoyed
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews