Interesting. Grace returns to India after many years abroad when her mother dies and there, much to her surprise, discovers that she has a sister, Lucia. Lucia, who has Downs Syndrome, was hidden away from Grace and others because Grace's father felt the family could not care for her. Grace opts to take Lucia from her residential facility and move her to the beach house she's inherited. There, they adopt a pack of dogs and find a wonderful housekeeper in Mallika-until she's not. This doesn't have a propulsive plot but is more a character study of a woman finding herself and dealing with difference. Grace moves back and forth between the beach village and the city and then travels to Venice to see her father, with difficult results. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read for fans of literary fiction.

Thank you for the ARC of Small Days and Nights.

After her marriage fails and Grace learns of her mother’s death, Grace moves from the US to India. She inherits a huge farmhouse and a sister Lucia who is differently-abled and never lived with her family.

This was a beautiful, quick read but I found it so sad. I was drawn in by the cover and the setting in India. I enjoyed the reflection on childhood and present.

Grace returns to India after her mother dies, finding out she has inherited a house in Madras, but also a sister. Lucy was institutionalized as a child, since she had Downs . Grace’s mother melt her a secret. The book was very depressing. Well written, and at times poetic, but too depressing for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I wish there wasn't a star rating system because sometimes a book rates 5 stars, then nosedives into the 2 zone, then back up to 4, before settling into a 3. Sometimes the rating seems more how you felt when the book ended than how you felt throughout. This is a relatively easy read, and mostly pleasant, except for when the books shifts in time and the transitions aren't always that clear as to where we are with Grace, our main character. It wasn't until the end of the novel that I realized she was married for so many years and met him when she was so young, because we hear about these other men throughout the novel, as we jump from here to there, and she meets her sister after her mother has died, and the ex-husband returns for a visit, and I was left wondering how long had they been apart? Little things that do matter. Grace isn't a likable character. She yells at her hired help, beats on her sister who has Down syndrome, and overall, is a one-dimensional character who has inherited a home and money and more or less lives the privileged life in India. I kept wishing she'd transform, or something more large than fretting about sex would happen, but it didn't. I guess the novel is realistic because often times people are abrasive to others and do not change.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Small Days and Nights.

At its heart, this book is about sisters and family. And the secrets and heartache we all deal with. It’s a simple story and the plot is not dramatic or intense. I thoroughly enjoyed aspects of this novel, though it did not make it onto my favourites list.

That said, Grace and Lucy made their way into my heart and I have a feeling I’ll remember them for quite some time. I’d still recommend this book to anyone looking for something simple but beautiful. Because that’s what Small Days and Nights is.