A review by notesofacrocodile
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There is no secret, Tom, or else there are hundreds of them, and none of them interesting enough for you. The secret is that we’re a family, we’re just an ordinary family, with ordinary unhappiness like yours.

such a thoughtful, painful little book. it definitely delivered on the premise, going through topics of ordinary unhappinesses such as the difficulties faced by irish immigrant families in england, especially when they're of a working class nature, a teenage pregnancy, alcohol abuse, loneliness, and the neglect of a child, amongst others. not to say they aren't terrible, just that they wouldn't be interesting enough for newspapers and the media, their unhappinesses too routine and frequently seen for it to hold any sustained attention. i really liked this novel and - dare i say - much more than acts of desperation; i do think however, that this is also due to the fact that dysfunctional families are one of those features of a plot/novel that really pull me in. the only thing i could not get on board with was the fact that some of the themes mentioned in the novel were not explored as well as they could have been, a longer length could have definitely helped this story's case for the better.

but i still really liked it, it's an interesting perspective into this subject.