Many reviewers have been bowled over by the heart-rending nature of story and have really loved it: “sad and happy” “full of love” “emotionally draining” “a real tear jerker”. I’m sorry to see that this one ultimately disappointed for you despite some promising elements, but nevertheless I think your review does it much justice. There is humour throughout, as you’d expect if you’re familiar with French’s work, but it’s (mostly) pitched at a level that doesn’t detract from the more poignant emotions at play.

Because of You feels like it ought not to be a book but to be rushed, but the reality is it is a book that is almost impossible not to race through. The story begins as two women, Hope and Anna, arrive at the same hospital at the same time, both about to give birth to their first child.Lets use my biggest issue as an example: i am not an expert at all, but i am almost positive that a woman that suffered from placental abruption and bleed very heavily during labor would have just send home hours later, or even capable of getting there. The writing was as though Dawn French used dictation to get it all down - it’s all her voice, along with inconsistent descriptors for accents, OVERUSE of dodgy.

Because of You” is a family drama concerning a newborn girl that's stolen from a hospital by a grieving mother whose child died in birth. The events invite the reader to be drawn in and not only understand the story, but feel what the characters are feeling. Good point about the longlist context changing the way a reader may be approaching this novel- I suspect that was part of the trouble I had with expecting more engagement from Small Pleasures as well, and it makes me feel a little better about not picking this one up- I probably wouldn’t be able to help approaching with the same bias. The first half is definitely the strongest, with French really taking time to establish her main characters, making it possible for us to sympathise with all parties despite the awful moral choice that Hope ultimately makes. Mothers-to-be Hope and Anna are in a London hospital giving birth however only one of them will leave with a baby.

Family is obviously the key theme explored in the story, but class, wealth, politics, honesty, duplicity, morality are all simmering at or just below the surface. We then jump forward nearly 18 years, when events will transpire to bring the truth out and reunite these two families.