All the Small Things by Sharon Noble
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by AstilbeTilda Asquith-Hyde has it all, or so it seems. An apartment overlooking the Thames, a flash car, designer clothes and money. Plenty of it. But Tilda’s world is crumbling. The death of her mother and the breakup of her long-term relationship opens a void in her life that pushes alcohol from being reliable friend, to dangerous partner.
After a chance encounter with a friend and her baby, Tilda seizes upon the idea that motherhood will be the missing piece in her lonely life.
Lana Edwards and her partner Joel are scraping along in life. Lana is desperate for a child, but age and deteriorating health are against her. In one final effort, Lana and Joel agree to divert the only money they have into private IVF treatment – seemingly, their last realistic chance to have a child.
Unknown to each other, Tilda and Lana access IVF treatment, Tilda opting for a sperm donor and Lana and Joel using their own fertilised egg. Both women successfully deliver healthy babies. Their prayers surely answered.
Yet, within moments of birth Tilda emphatically rejects the child that is placed in her arms, whilst Lana is going through her own rollercoaster of emotions. Her joy visible to all, her doubts hidden from even those closest to her.
Lana and Tilda’s lives are about to intersect, setting off a devastating chain of events with far-reaching implications.
Will Lana and Tilda be able to ‘do the right thing’ for their children? And at what cost?
Parenthood is a privilege.
The ethical dilemma presented in this tale was suspenseful, complex, and thought provoking. Is it more important for a baby to remain with the parents who raised her or the ones who share her DNA? I had a strong opinion on this topic when I began reading, but I enjoyed listening to other perspectives and looking at the benefits and drawbacks of every possible solution to this problem. Mixing up the blastocysts was an error that never should have happened at the IVF clinic, but now that it had occurred someone was going to be hurt no matter what the judge decided.
I struggled to connect with the large cast of characters. While there were enough reminders sprinkled here and there for me to keep track of how everyone was connected to each other, there wasn’t much time to develop their personalities in the vast majority of cases. I could give a quick description of the two narrators, but everyone else was a blur. It would have been helpful for me as a reader to have a smaller cast to work with so I could know more about everyone’s flaws, strengths, interests, and other relevant information about them.
Addiction is a terrible disease that isn’t always easily understood by outsiders. I was intrigued by the passages that described how the overwhelming desire to drink can overshadow everything else in life, including things as important as looking after an infant. Having empathy for someone in this position without making excuses for the harmful things they do is a difficult but important task that must be completed in order to be immersed in this story. The author did a good job of exploring this issue while also holding that character responsible for their actions.
All the Small Things kept me guessing.