Little Disasters
the compelling and thought-provoking new novel from the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal
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3.8 • 230 Ratings
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- £5.99
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
'Taut, clever, compelling and guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat…' Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train
You think you know her…
But look a little closer
She is a stay-at-home mother of three with boundless reserves of patience, energy and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess.
Then one moment changes everything.
Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface – and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself.
From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal – a new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us.
‘Highly recommended' Erin Kelly
‘An important book as well as a brilliant read’ Lucy Foley
'This tense, absorbing read will have parents – in fact, all readers – turning the pages deep into the night' Louise Candlish
‘Refreshingly assured and punchy writing that is sure to hit a nerve’ Lucy Atkins
'Impossible to put down’ Eve Chase
‘I loved it and didn’t want to put it down’ Laura Marshall
'Compulsive reading with an ending I didn’t see coming' Jane Corry
‘Each character is brilliantly drawn, and the book delivers surprise after surprise’ Claire Fuller
‘Absolutely brilliant; an emotionally devastating story’ Emma Curtis
'Every bit as brilliant as Anatomy of a Scandal. Superb' Cass Green
'A truly remarkable book' Claire Douglas
'Complex, nuanced and moving' Guardian
'Thought provoking and delicately executed' The i
'A cunningly plotted mystery' Daily Mirror
‘Sarah Vaughan brings to this book the same tension building expertise that made her bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal such a success’ Daily Mail
‘An emotional, often terrifying, and completely gripping read’ Daily Express
'Expertly crafted... Fans of Anatomy may miss the courtroom tension, but the psychological portraiture in this absorbing study of motherhood is just as rich' Sunday Times
‘Full of painful truths about the brutal aspect of motherhood, this punchy thriller is sharply plotted’ Sunday Mirror
'Sarah Vaughan… is back with her fourth novel, the shocking, impossible-to-look-away Little Disasters' Observer
'Another thought-provoking psychological drama' Woman & Home
'An important book exploring how everything changes once you become a mother - for good and bad' Woman's Weekly
'In a culture that fetishises motherhood, Sarah Vaughan's novel is an invaluable corrective, a warning about the terrible effects parenting can have on mental health. It is also a very cunningly plotted mystery' Jake Kerridge, Sunday Express
'A gripping read' John Boyne
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The intense demands of modern motherhood are on full display in Sarah Vaughan’s page-turning psychological drama. When paediatrician Liz Trenchard is called to a West London emergency room to look into a head injury suffered by her friend Jess’s baby girl, Jess’s explanation doesn’t ring true. From there everything is in question, including Jess’s mental state and her family’s inner workings. As more of the story unfolds both in real time and through flashbacks, Vaughan subtly applies more pressure, exploring the reactions of friends, police and social workers. From there the two women’s fraught friendship is tested even further, mirroring our own individual tendency to question and judge. Beyond succeeding as compelling fiction, this is a layered examination of the challenges of parenting today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jess Curtis, stay-at-home mother of three, the heroine of this heartbreaking family drama set in London from Vaughan (Anatomy of a Scandal), appears to have her life together, but the birth 10 months earlier of her daughter, Betsey, has pushed her over the edge. As Jess strains to get through each day, she worries that she may physically harm her baby yet keeps her feelings secret. When Jess rushes Betsey to the emergency room one night, her story and the baby's injuries raise suspicion among the hospital staff, especially her best friend, Liz Trenchard, who's the senior resident in pediatrics at the hospital. Jess's mental state unravels as social workers and police get involved, and her friends and husband wonder whether she did harm Betsey. The brisk plot gracefully touches on postpartum depression, female friendships, and the difficulties of parenting. Unfortunately, a second finale feels contrived and drags out an otherwise solid story. Fans of domestic suspense who don't mind a minimum of bloodshed will be satisfied.
Customer Reviews
Patronising
I really good book until you start nearing the end where the author takes it upon herself to lecture the reader about forgiveness, therefore ruining the entire book.
Disappointing content
The book starts promisingly but after getting half way through, I realised nothing else was going to happen. And when the plot is revealed at the end, I find it a very unlikely or believable scenario. It is well written but needed far more content.
Fascinating read and closer to the bone than most of us would ever dare to admit.
Read this in a day. Very cleverly written which inspired so many difficult and conflicting emotions for the characters in the novel. Thoroughly recommend.