Small Pleasures
In 1957, a woman contacts a southeast London newspaper to claim her daughter was the result of a virgin birth. The news reporter assigned to investigate the story soon realizes that miracles come in many forms.
Jean Swinney is a journalist trapped in a life of solitary drudgery and disappointment. Living with and caring for an elderly mother, her days are taken up with writing tidy segments for the North Kent Echo, detailing household hints and marriage announcements. One day, she gets the unique opportunity to investigate the wild claims of Gretchen Tilbury, a young woman who believes her daughter, Margaret, was conceived by unusual means. Jean’s life opens in unexpected ways as she gets to know the Tilburys: Gretchen, her older husband, Howard, and ten-year-old Margaret, the mirror image of her mother. Chambers’ elegant prose draws the reader deeper into Gretchen’s mystery as Jean unravels the skeins of her story, particularly of her months-long residency at the all-female St. Cecilia’s Nursing and Convalescent Home where Gretchen received treatment for rheumatoid arthritis—and where Margaret was conceived. Suspending her own disbelief and enchanted by the warmth and kindness of the Tilbury family, Jean sees her past disappointments fade in the light of new possibilities, despite their inevitable price.
Longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021, Small Pleasures is a delicate and original exploration of love, friendship, and the strange serendipities life throws at the unsuspecting.
