It looks like I’ve taken a short break from my usual dark psychological thrillers, and I’m thoroughly enjoying the heartwarming, uplifting books that I’ve been reading for some of the blog tours that I’m on. Today’s book – Small Acts of Kindess by Caroline Day – is another one that reminds us that we’ll never know how deep the impact of kindness can be on others. We can never assume what other people are going through, but by treating them kindly, even if only in passing, we can make a huge difference in their lives.
Blurb:
Kiki grew up in New Zealand, dreaming of one day going to Glastonbury Festival. Now, mourning the loss of her beloved Yaya – the woman who raised her – she travels to the UK to follow that dream. It is only when she leaves home that she realises just how sheltered her life has been up until now.
Ned lives an active and exciting life. Well, he did until the accident. Now, he’s woken from his coma, except no one knows. He can hear everything happening around him but can’t make his body respond.
Still grieving for her best friend, the one person who’d known how difficult her marriage was, Mrs Malley, finds herself lonely and isolated with only her dog, Wordsworth, to keep her company.
These three strangers are each in need of a little kindness in their lives, and this beautifully poignant and uplifting novel shows us the world through their eyes whilst highlighting the power of human connection.
My Review:
At first glance, it’s quite easy to wonder how on earth three such diverse characters could ever be drawn together?! Well that is the beauty of gorgeous writing! A wonderful author creates a tapestry, weaving the threads together until everything combines to make a perfectly understandable picture that’s beautiful to look at. That’s what Caroline Day has done with her three main characters, Kiki, Ned and Mrs Malley (oh, and we can’t forget Wordsworth, her dog!).
Kiki has come to England from New Zealand and quite honestly I had to question if she was brought up in another century and teleported to this one! Her beloved Yaya (Grandmother) has passed away, and she’s left home in pursuit of her dream – one that her grandmother always encouraged her in: she has always wanted to attend the Glastonbury Festival. But she clearly has no clue what that entails! She seems to think that when she spots anything with the word ‘festival’ in it, that might have something to do with it! She’s somewhat naive, to put it mildly!
Then there’s Ned, who admits that he had taken life very much for granted: things like looking stuff up on Google, walking to the shops, answering a phone … being free! Because Ned has ‘locked-in syndrome’ he is literally locked into his own body with a fully active mind, but the inability to move at all, not even to blink!
Mrs Malley is a grouchy, cantankerous woman who doesn’t have a kind word or thought for anyone. She can barely scrape together a civil word for her dog, Wordsworth! But we discover that he’s not actually her dog. She inherited him from her closest friend and confidante, Harriet – the only person who really knew and understood her. Now that Harriet’s gone, she has nobody left, and she’s absolutely certainly that not a single soul will be able to care for her and what she’s been through, the way Harriet did.
Three very different people, each suffering excruciating pain and trying to get through it in their own way. This story is a reminder that we never know what others are going through – it’s not like a visible scar that’s instantly recognizable. Pain can be so deep-seated, buried so deep down in our psyches that it becomes part of our makeup, and we all react to it in varying ways. But we don’t need to understand it in order to show people kindness. We just need to accept that they are carrying something with them and we might in some small way be able to help them share the load.
It’s a beautiful read (although have tissues handy!) that’s uplifting and hopeful. Thank you to Compulsive Readers for this blog tour.
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