Any Small Thing Can Save You

...and Christina Adam has met that challenge quite handily. I have never read anything by this author before, but after enjoying ANY SMALL THING CAN SAVE YOU as much as I did, I'll certainly keep my eyes open for more of her work.Not a novel at all -- the book is subtitled 'a bestiary' -- the vignettes presented here are nonetheless related in various ways. A couple involve the same characters -- given away by their names -- and others might as well, although this is really unimportant in the scheme of things. All of these pieces depict poignant, memorable moments in the lives of the people involved -- some might even be described as epiphanies. All of the selections are relatively short -- making this a book that's easy to read in short bursts, in several settings, without losing any of its impact. In fact, in retrospect, I think I probably got more out of it reading it that way than if I had burned through it in a single sitting -- taking my time allowed me to reflect on each of the pieces, making my reading experience much more rewarding.True to the subtitle, each of the entries involves an animal -- usually interacting with the people involved, though sometimes more in the background. Adam's choice of this form for her book is a curious one -- but one that she has embraced and embodied with a great deal of life and meaning. As another reviewer below noted, she definitely set a challenge for herself in writing this book in this style -- it'll be interesting to see where she sets the bar for her next lengthy work.

From its wonderful title to its powerful final story, this collection defies the very limitations the writer has imposed on herself. Ostensibly there is a gimmick at work here: each story includes (and is usually titled with) an animal that begins with a different letter of the alphabet. In the hands of another writer this device might force a writer to include weaker stories in the name of the "fulfilling the assignment," but Ms. Adam's has such a gift for language and scene, for finding the precise moments when two people connect or don't connect, that one actually forgets the original conceit. It's only when you come back to it after reading most or all of the book--when you think about all the ways the animals and humans have been circling around each other--that you really appreciate what a triumph this collection represents. I eagerly await this writer's next work.