A Spot of Bother Book Review

I came across this book because I had read another book by the same author, Mark Haddon. He is most well known for his earlier book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which I loved back in 2018 when I first read it. I plan to go back and reread it sometime soon because I am obsessed with Mark Haddon's writing style. Anyway, A Spot of Bother is probably in my top 5 favorite books that I have read in 2019. The story did not disappoint at all, and I’m so glad I found it at a thrift shop for $1.

This book kinda checks all the boxes for me—melancholy, funny, poetic, and the main character is a British grandpa.

Basic Plot Summary

I think that it’s hard to summarize this story because it is told from several different perspectives, and there are really four main characters. But overall, the story is about a family and an upcoming wedding. Each family member lives a life that is a little messy and chaotic for various reasons. The chaos finds its root in the Hall family (the main characters of this book). The family—like most families—is not great at communicating, and each family member has needs that are going unmet. This family is on the verge of a breakdown when they suddenly find themselves thrown into planning a wedding for their daughter, who can't make up her mind.

George, an elderly recent retiree, is fighting anxiety and mental illness while worrying that he’s dying of cancer. Jean, his wife, is having an affair with her husband’s ex-coworker. Katie, his daughter, is having second thoughts about marrying her fiancé. Jamie, his son, gets dumped and has no one to talk to about his heartbreak.

The story progresses as you follow the characters through their various struggles, leading up to the wedding.. I’ll let you find out how they all end up when you read it for yourself.

What I Loved About The Book

First, I really loved the setting. It’s set in England, and it jumps from London to Peterborough. It’s a modern timeframe, probably around 2004. I learned a lot about typical English vocabulary and phrases that are slightly different from American English. I loved seeing the depth to the title of this book—it takes on several meanings in this story.

Second, I loved the characters because of how relatable they were in different ways to me. George and Jamie were my favorites, and I loved how their relationship changes throughout the book. I found a way to relate to all of the characters though, which makes this story even more special to me.

Third, I loved that the story wasn’t too far fetched—I could actually envision this happening to a real family. I tend to love stories and books that feel very real, raw, and honest (which I’ve found in all of Mark Haddon’s work). I think that appreciating and writing about the ordinary is important, special, and overall more relatable to the general audience. It’s nice to read something that is more average, rather than someone with super powers, great wealth, or the perfect love story.

Fourth, I loved that a big theme of this book was human connection and the power of love. This book taught that even though you may feel isolated and misunderstood, you can’t let yourself be closed off without asking for help. People (generally) are willing to help share your burdens if you’ll just let yourself open up and decide to heal.

Other Thoughts

I appreciate that Mark Haddon writes from perspectives and from characters that are unique and never overdone. He has done a great job of calling attention to the importance of mental health and people with different mental capacities, which I have found really eye-opening and educational. It's fun to be inside the head of characters that think differently than you.

Special Quotes

“Maybe the answers weren’t important. Maybe it was the asking which mattered. Not taking anything for granted. Maybe that’s what stopped you growing old.”

“He’d bided his time. He’d got away. He’d built a little world in which he felt safe. And it was orbiting far out, unconnected to anyone. It was cold and it was dark and he had no idea how to make it swing back toward the sun.”

Both of these quotes really spoke to me, and I found areas in my life and my behaviors that need to change because of reflecting on these quotes. That’s one of the reasons I love reading—it allows you to ask yourself new questions through the eyes and perspective of a character. A safe space for growth and processing.

I highly recommend reading this. If I had to choose my favorite (and very specific) genre, it would be this kind of story. It can be narrowly classified as British Domestic Fiction. This book is overall a realistic, modern day, ordinary story about living through this life and learning how to practice love in healthy ways. It’s an easy and quick read—one that I’ll be rereading throughout my life.

Sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy A Spot of Bother.

Little Fires Everywhere

No spoilers :)

The first book I want to talk about is Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. I know it’s not good practice to judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what initially drew me to this book. I think that the cover art is beautiful, and I remember seeing several commuters reading it in London on the Tube, and it really grabbed my attention. Then the title grabbed my attention because it was clever and mysterious at the same time. It made me stop and wonder what this book could be about, and I’ve come to love the title even more after finishing the book.

Basic Plot Summary

Mia and her daughter Pearl move to Shaker Heights, near Cleveland, to start a new chapter of their lives. They’ve always been on the road, and they’ve never lived anywhere for too long. This is because Mia is an artist, and she has to pick up and move to keep her inspiration for her photography work. She works odd jobs and part time jobs, making just enough for her and Pearl to get by. They love to go thrifting, and they’re very content with a simple life.

When they move to Shaker Heights, it is supposed to be more stable and long-lasting then their previous homes. Mia and Pearl rent a tiny home from the Richardson family, who are the ideal model of what a Shaker Heights family should be (or are they?). Mia automatically doesn’t feel as if she fits in, but her and Pearl find their way in this new society, and they befriend this family. The rest of the novel follows the relationship between these two families, while they observe a major custody battle within their community. It forces families and friends to take sides, but it’s hard for anyone to choose a definite side.

This is a story of self discovery for a lot of the characters. They must learn to come to terms with reality and decide what kind of person that they wish to be.

What I Loved About the Book

First, I loved the setting of the story. This story was set in Shaker Heights, Ohio, which is a planned community outside of Cleveland. This book dove into the history of the area and described their unique ways of living. I learned what a tree lawn was. It was such a unique area that I had never heard about, so I think that made it more interesting to me.

Second, I loved the characters. Mia and Pearl were my favorites. I think that the are the underdogs of the story, and that’s why I was rooting for them. Mia is a special character to me, and I loved getting to read about a photographer trying to make a living off of her conceptual photography career—she never gave up her dream, and she’s content with the life she made for her family.

Third, I really love some of the themes presented in this book. I loved exploring the idea that people are very different, and they find happiness and contentment in very different ways. Some people don’t need your pity or your charity. You can let someone simply be who they are. It’s not up to you to control someone else’s life or the perception that people have of someone else. Isn’t it enough to simply be a kind human being? Listen to one another and appreciate one another. There are so many more themes that more complex than this that I’ll let you dive into for yourself.

Other Thoughts

From the beginning of the book, you know where the story is going, and it’s fun to be able to find out how the story gets to where it ends up. The opening pages are very unique because they describe an entire scene and how various people notice (or not) the “big event.”

I think this story will cause you to think about important issues and where you stand on them. It will also show you that you never know how you’re going to react to a hard and difficult situation when it comes.

Be careful of your actions. You never know what sparks will ignite, causing damage to you or others.

Special Quote

“All up and down the street the houses looked like any others—but inside them were people who might be happy, or taking refuge, or steeling themselves to go out into the world, searching for something better. So many lives she would never know about, unfolding behind closed doors.”

I’ll let you take some time to ponder that quote, but I know that those words are really special to me. If you find some in this book that are special to you, let me know in the comments.

“To those out on their own paths, setting little fires”

What I Look For In Books

Hello everyone.

Before we dive into a book review, I wanted to preface those reviews and talk about what I look for in reading. These top five reasons are what determine if I really enjoy a book. If the book I’m reading meets one or all of this criteria, I will love it and recommend it to anyone and everyone. I kind of can’t help but to talk about the books that I really like.

Let’s get started. I look for—

Books with beautiful words/writing.

I look for books that have very beautiful, and often poetic writing. I love to visualize the scenery, feelings, and thoughts of the characters and settings, and if the author is able to write beautifully and uniquely, I am much more drawn into the world of the book. I love to save quotes from books, and I find myself saving bunches of quotes if the writing is beautiful. When the writing is beautiful, it really speaks to the care and hard work that an author decided to put into their work. I kind of love when the author takes years to write one book because I know that everything was purposeful and that it was their best effort. Donna Tartt is the first to come to mind—her writing is insanely beautiful, and when you’re reading her books, you exist in her world.

Books with settings that appeal to me.

I look for books with settings that appeal to me, and this is probably the biggest one for me. I love to travel, and various areas of the world appeal to me, but I have my favorite spots. If I am physically taking a trip, I would never choose to visit a desert or the dry areas of the Southwest of the United States. It just doesn’t appeal to me, which I know is very personal preference. The same goes for me when I’m reading. I don’t want to travel somewhere through the book that doesn’t appeal to me. If I’m not enjoying the setting, I’m wanting to get out of there. I tend to love books that are set sometime in the 1900s-present. I love reading about NYC, London, the Pacific Northwest, and various European countries. As my love for reading continues to grow, I’m sure I’ll be excited to explore new areas of the world through books. One time period that I’ve tended to avoid is WW2 and the Holocaust; it’s very sad and it seems that every other book is set in that time period. I know it was a super pivotal and heartbreaking time for the world, but I’ve tended to avoid it, for now. Where’d You Go, Bernadette is the perfect example of a setting that I love. This book is set in modern day Seattle for the most part (one of my favorite cities), and it then transports you to Antarctica, an area of the world that fascinates me because it’s so mysterious and isolated.

Books that I relate to.

Everyone loves to relate to something in the world, and books are such a great space for processing feelings and learning from the obstacles that the characters overcome. It can feel as if you’re seeing yourself face these issues, and when the books have resolutions, you’ll be more confident in yourself to overcome your own issues. “If they can do it, I can do it.” Relating to characters and stories is something that can put you at ease. It’s almost as if someone is listening to your inner fears and anxieties. The author did that for a reason. Generally, books have something to say, and that is why the characters become relatable. A Spot Of Bother is a book I recently read, and I found myself relating to almost every character in the story for some reason or another. It feels good to feel understood and known, even through a work of fiction.

Books that teach me something.

I think that books are meant to teach the reader something, whether that be big or small. It could teach you a little bit more about a region, a person, types of jobs, and really anything. I think that fiction is special because it tells a very interesting story that is also super informative and easy to learn from. I have been curious about Russia and its society/culture, but I haven’t been able to learn much from google searches, but when I read A Gentleman in Moscow, I learned so much about Russian society and culture, as well as their government throughout WW1-WW2. I loved learning about that through a clever story that didn’t feel like a history lesson.

Books with important themes.

Books are able to communicate important themes and to shine light on areas that might go unnoticed, and I have found my mind opening through reading. Without realizing it, you’re observing characters figuring out the world around them and listening to what they think is important. In almost all of the books that I’ve read lately, I have been reading about the importance of human connection. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is just one example of this that comes to mind. It definitely opened my eyes and provoked a desire to change.

These qualities are what I like to look for when reading, and if they are present, I’m basically guaranteed to love the book no matter how the plot ends up finishing.