Mary’s Pick of the Week: Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers

Award-winning author Clare Chambers has set this story in 1964 England, when the effects of World War II are a not-so-distant memory, and social changes are rocking society. The author introduces us in alternating chapters to two seemingly disconnected characters: William, a bearded, mute man living with his elderly aunt, and Helen, a practitioner of the fledgling field of art therapy. Their paths cross when William is admitted to her facility.  While William and Helen are fundamentally different, they share common tendencies and are keen observers of the world around them.  Helen is immediately taken with William when she discovers his talent for drawing.  She’s determined to solve the mystery of what led to his isolation and to help him heal, but must also confront the complexities of her own situation as she’s engaged in a clandestine affair with a brilliant (and married) doctor, Gil.  

One complexity in their relationship appears when she and Gil are out at a secret dinner in Chapter 14.  The two observe an older couple enjoying an intimate meal largely in silence and then departing;

“‘Promise me we’ll never reach that stage,’ said Gil, shaking his head.  Helen didn’t reply, because she was watching the woman tuck her hand into the crook of her husband’s arm and lay her cheek for the briefest moment on his shoulder as they waited at the kerb for a taxi.  Far from despising them, she had been thinking how pleasant it must be to have such a careless abundance of time together that whole evenings could be comfortably squandered without a word spoken.”  

The action, such as it is, is gentle, nuanced and quietly devastating.  Shy Creatures is a respite from heavy-handed drama that you can see coming from page one.  The author trusts her readers to think deeply and invest in the well-written characters.  In reading the afterword, I was struck by the fact that Chambers based this story upon a real-life individual.  She has filled in the details of this man’s life with sensitivity and nuance and shows us that the powers of kindness and resilience are real.  This book, to be released on November 12th, is not to be missed and is available for holds.  Cook patrons will enjoy her other titles including Small Pleasures.