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A review by jmatkinson1
One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J. Harris
5.0
Jodie and Simon are twenty-something people who meet at a fast-food restaurant in London as they take on minimum wage soul-destroying jobs. Jodie is a single mother, devoted to her son but trying to escape the vicious circle of poverty that has dogged her through a childhood in care and an abusive relationship, she has ambitions to study at Cambridge. Simon is a mathematical genius whose life work is to solve complex hypotheses, a former child prodigy he has spiralled into obsessive behaviour following a difficult upbringing. These two unlikely characters form a strange friendship which helps both of them confront their demons.
I absolutely loved this book which surprised me as it is a genre that I find to glib in most cases. In common with Harris' first novel, society and mental illness are to the fore and handled extremely well. The descriptions of the life led by the two main characters is realistic - mouldy bedsits, payday loans, minimum wage jobs - and the supporting cast are well-rounded. The 'twists' at the end for both characters were totally expected but that didn't stop this being a really good read which hit home emotionally.
I absolutely loved this book which surprised me as it is a genre that I find to glib in most cases. In common with Harris' first novel, society and mental illness are to the fore and handled extremely well. The descriptions of the life led by the two main characters is realistic - mouldy bedsits, payday loans, minimum wage jobs - and the supporting cast are well-rounded. The 'twists' at the end for both characters were totally expected but that didn't stop this being a really good read which hit home emotionally.