I immediately recognised Haddon’s iconic illustrations from the eclectic collection of books in the charity shop. His distinctive style transported me back to being in my year eight English lessons encapsulated by reading ‘The curious incident of the dog in the night-time’ which he is more renown for. Having adored the book written from the perspective of a young boy with aspergers syndrome and seeing the stage adaptation twice, I knew Haddon’s style of writing wouldn’t disappoint in his adult fiction ‘A Spot of Bother’. Themes of mental health, family dynamics and British culture made it a light-hearted yet heavy read. I’ll explain…

Despite its huge size, it’s a very easy read. I finished it in a few days over the Easter holidays, where I spent much time on public transport. Nonetheless, it felt like hearing gossip about your neighbours as Haddon invites readers in the mind of members of the Hall family. It begins with the perspective of elderly gentleman George, who discovers a red mark on his thigh which leads him to spiral into thinking he has cancer, becomes dangerously depressed and anxious weeks before his daughter’s wedding. George’s narrative is of a humble, ordinary grandad keeping much to himself, when really he is in dire need for psychological help. It is contrasted by chapters told by his wife, Jean, as she ventures on a scandalous love affair with George’s old colleague. She is motherly, preoccupied with wedding arrangements, riddled with guilt about her affair and unsure what has happened to her husband recently. Her daughter, Katie, is feisty, yet also in turmoil as she contemplates whether she truly loves her rugged fiance or that he makes a wonderful stepfather to her son Jacob (solely there as a form of comic relief). The final member of the family, my personal favourite, is Jamie, the homosexual son not willing to mix his private life with his family life at the extent of losing his loving partner. It’s like a soap opera! Flicking between one storyline to the next, however all coming together by the end at a wedding in their garden.

It was filled with a whirlwind of sub-plots, ample cases of dramatic irony and a relatable bittersweet family life that did not disappoint until the very end! I hate that feeling of thoroughly enjoying a moving, gripping book until you finish it. It’s not that the ending was awful, I think it was rather abrupt. Though the more I think of it, as George increasingly loses his mind including episodes of self-harm and blackouts, mental health doesn’t always have a happy ending. Maybe I wanted an answer to help manage my own battle with depression and anxiety, yet George stayed present and in the moment. So it’s open to interpretation. The rawness of George’s mental state was insightful as Haddon would use many compound sentences to replicate a mind spiralling into panic. The heavy themes were mixed between humorous, typical family life of children throwing a tantrum and awkwardness bumping into old friends. There were a few too many characters as each family member came across so many different people, although it did add to it feeling like an authentic family. Overall, I really enjoyed it until the open ended ending so 3.5/5!