Emily Brewin – Small Blessings (Literature Review)

[Trigger Warning: drug abuse, domestic violence]

Australian author Emily Brewin’s latest release, Small Blessings proves that in crafting a compelling story, less is sometimes more.

Just a couple of years ago, Emily Brewin announced her arrival on the literary scene with her debut novel, Hello, Goodbye. The book received rave reviews from readers and critics alike, making her follow up novel, Small Blessings, somewhat highly anticipated.

Her prose is devoid of flowery descriptions and long-winded paragraphs. It’s direct and raw, yet full of a certain power that compels readers to finish the story. Small Blessings not a light novel by any means, but it feels like it because it is so readable.

Rosie Larson and Isobel Hutchins’ lives shouldn’t intersect. One is on the run from a violent drug-fuelled past with an eleven-year-old son in tow, whilst the other is navigating a promising career in law. There’s no reason these two should have anything in common, until they do.

Pushed together by circumstances both out of their control and of their own making, Rosie and Isobel spark a unique friendship neither of them knew they were missing. It signifies not only a high point when things are at their lowest, but the beginning of a new life for them both.

I loved Hello, Goodbye, but (if it’s possible) I enjoyed Small Blessings even more. Small Blessings is not a love story per se,  yet it deals with feelings of love, familial love and female friendship. It poses the moral question of how far one would go for someone they love, but in a way that the reader doesn’t realise they are reading something that, for all intents and purposes, tackles the bigger idea of what it means to be human.

In Small Blessings, the alternating chapters of Rosie and Isobel mean that we, as readers, don’t get too overwhelmed by one character’s plot-line. And, as the story moves along, it adds to the traction. You know that eventually these two women are going to meet, you just don’t know when or where.

Though it’s more contemporary than Brewin’s last novel, Small Blessings maintains Brewin’s ability for creating rich, vivid storylines and characters with which the reader can connect, regardless of their personal circumstances. Through their intersecting stories, Rosie and Isobel show that even in the darkest of times, humanity has the potential to overcome anything.

Small Blessings is a testament to how great Australian literature can be. It’s confronting yet compelling, heart-warming to the very end. If you’re looking for a novel that is all encompassing, and stays with you long after the final page, give this one a shot.

To find out more about Emily Brewin and her novels, visit her website. Alternately, you can read my interview with her.