A review by serendipitysbooks
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

On a housing estate in London in 1990 a toddler goes missing and is later discovered dead. The last person to be seen with her was 10 year old Lucy. This book is not sensationalised and it is not a thriller. Rather it is a thoughtful character study looking at members of Lucy’s family and the reasons they came to be outcasts on the estate in which they lived, and the circumstances which led to 10 year old Lucy being questioned by police on suspicion of murder. It’s a thoughtful exploration of issues like teen pregnancy, addiction, depression, grief, infidelity, workplace accidents, xenophobia, loneliness, classism, prejudice and more. Ordinary Human Failings is a portrait of a family brought low by a series of events, disappointments, and some bad choices; nothing outlandish, just things that could happen in any family, the result of ordinary weaknesses and human failings. It’s also a commentary on journalistic ethics, or the lack thereof. I found the storytelling engaging, the prose measured and thoughtful, the tone compassionate. The more I read, the more impressed I was with this novel. It manages to be impactful without being showy or sensational, while the ending mixes hope with reality. Definitely deserving of its place on the Women’s Prize longlist. 
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