This is the eagerly awaited new novel from Bobby Palmer, author of the critically acclaimed debut Isaac and the Egg. His latest, Small Hours, centres about Jack who, having just lost his job, has to return home to face a past he is uncomfortable with. His mother has gone missing and he must care for his estranged father. This is about a family in crisis forced to confront issues from the past.

The story follows Jack through his mental crisis with the added bonus of a talking fox! A most novel approach with the fox helping Jack to get through everything that has come tumbling down on him. Needless to say, the writing style is somewhat unique with varying voices highlighted throughout the prose. It is a delicate issue of a complex relationship between father and son. Here is another book I have read of late concerning memory loss (dementia) in the elderly that includes a moving inner monologue by the father. It is also good to witness a story focussed on men and their feelings in a sensitive way.

Small Hours is a story about loss and estrangement, redemption and love. It is thought-provoking and emotional.


‘Things aren't set in stone. The smallest creatures undergo the greatest transformations. We are all of us, always, in flux.’

Oh this book has my heart. Bobby Palmer can reach into the heart of people and pull it out and put it so eloquently on a page. The characters in this one, particularly Gerry, will stay with me for a long long time.

Similarly (in some ways) to Isaac & The Egg, Palmer uses a bit of mystical realism (a talking fox) to tell the story of a family in turmoil. Jack has left home and has just been fired from a job he's not sure he even liked, Gerry is falling deeper and deeper into the confusing and cruel world of dementia, sister Charlotte resentful and feeling left behind, and mother Hazel watching her life partner decline and feeling like she's running out of time. It's all told so beautifully, and stylistically.

As I mentioned, Gerry's parts had the biggest impact for me. His inner monologue and confusion was just so sad and moving. I think anyone with any connection to Dementia will find these parts heart wrenching.

"Reality is fragile. All it takes is a gentle tap to break its shell".

Well done Bobby Palmer! You've done it again.

Isaac and the Egg was author Bobby Palmer's debut novel in 2022 and it was such a lovely, quirky portrayal of grief. I was therefore absolutely delighted to receive an early copy of the follow up novel Small Hours.

The story is focused on the Penwick's family. Jack has just lost his job when he is called home by his sister to help when their mother is suddenly missing. His father Gerry whose health is in decline is
of no help. Jack and Gerry had a difficult relationship during Jack's childhood and Jack has distanced himself further from his father and the rest of his family. His missing mother becomes an opportunity to heal the rift. And in amongst all of this is a talking fox that stands between Jack and Gerry.

What makes the Small Hours so special is the author's ability to inject a sense of magic and whimsy into a story with quite a lot of heavy themes in it. There is the fox which talks to both Jack and Gerry. What a great character! And Gerry's wonderful rambling inner monologue which shows just how much his memory and mental functions are declining but also demonstrates an understanding of how differently he has approached life over the years - for good and bad. His affinity with the woods around his home and the animals within it was lovely.

I loved also how, as with Isaac and the Egg, this was a book that focussed on men and their feelings in such a sensitive way. Grief, memory, connections and emotions were all wrapped up in this story that became a journey of seeking family (literally and figuratively).

Overall this was a book full of symbolism and the natural world and I really enjoyed it. My one small criticism was that I felt it was a little long as partway through the story dragged just a little. But honestly this was a lovely and sad and funny story that is
well worth the read. Doesn't quite match up with the uniqueness and wonder that was Isaac and the Egg but Bobby Palmer is now an author I will definitely always read.

Thank you to @hachetteaus for my #gifted copy and thank you also to @netgalley for the e-book version I received. Small Hours came out last week and should definitely be on your radar.