Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers was not only a wonderful surprise for me, but also my introduction to an author I have never read.
I will be reading the rest of her books as a result of this story.

We are introduced to 2 of the main characters in the first paragraph of the book.
Helen and The Hidden Man.
This drew me in immediately.

The author wasted no time with character building.
We get to know a little about Helen right away, through the initial conversation she has with Gil, her romantic interest. I have to confess, I didn't care much for Gil from the very beginning and my opinion of him only deteriorated from there.
I was happy for Helen, if she was happy with Gil, but I just didn't like him throughout the book.

The Hidden Man, William, is a grown man who lives hidden away in his aunt's family home.
The aunts are entertaining personalities in their own individual right.
We see glimpses of them throughout William's life as his story bounces back and forth between the present and several past time lines.
One does have to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of chapters to remember the context, as the timeline jumped forward and back in the past chapters.

There are several minor characters with their own drama, which were also interesting.
I cared what happened to all of them.

I enjoyed all of the characters and their storylines.
I feel like the story was well written and it all came together beautifully in the end.
I felt sad for the wasted time for William.
I felt hope for Helen with the open ended hint at possibility for her at the end.

This author has such a way with words that I was enthralled by her writing style throughout the book.

My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.
4.5 because I would have liked to know more about why William was developmentally behind, aside from the obvious seclusion.
I was also a bit disappointed that we didn't have an explanation as to what happened to Aunt Louisa while she was away for the funeral.
Neither of these things in any way took away from the characters, storyline or outcome; they are just something that I would have liked wrapped up for me.

Overall, this is one of my all-time favorite books.
I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Mariner Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on November 12th, 2024.*

Told through the POVs of both the MMC and FMC, you are taking on a ride of discovery, of ones past and future. While the FMC starts out in the past, the MMC starts out in the present. As the story unfolds in present time through the FMCs POV, you are taken back in time through the MMCs POV to discover important instances from his past that have led to his stay at Westbury Park. From start to finish, I enjoyed this novel. The imagery Chambers elicits with her word choice, is remarkable. In a short while you become invested in William, eager to learn what circumstances from his past contributed to his current stay of living. While it's hard to write about an adulterous main character, Chambers managed to do so in a way that did not glorify the topic (though yes, this is fiction), but rather simply as a small detail to the overall story. As this was my first read of a Clare Chambers novel, I am eager to read some of her other works.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC. I found Shy Creatures to be a heartwarming and heartbreaking coming-of-age story thanks to Clare Chamber’s lovely writing and intriguing characters. I would recommend it to fans of Sally Rooney and Alex Michaelides.

This was a lovely book. Clare Chambers really excels in her prose and her characters. I love her descriptions of little things, whether it be the shoes someone is wearing or someone’s dinner, it’s the type of writing that my brain just clicks with, it flows well and is lyrical without getting too purple. Her characters feel like real people, and I enjoyed following them and felt invested in their stories. However, all of that being said, this is still only a 3 star for me. I really think a lot of people will enjoy this, but I did find my mind drifting at points and the pacing was a little slow. I was invested but there were a few moments I felt the need to skim.

ARC provided by NetGalley

honestly, i only wanted to read this because of the cover (it's gorg) but it surprised me! this book was pretty good and better than i expected

Shy Creatures tells the story of Helen in 1964, and of William in 1964 and moving backward through his life, and how these two characters and those in their orbit come together. I loved the writing, I loved the story, I loved the characters. Very few books make me feel this way, butI felt when I finished this book that I wanted to go back to the first page and begin again. Thank you so much NetGalley for this ARC.

Writing: 4/5 Characters: 5/5 Plot: 3.5/5

1964. When William — a mute and (very) shaggy man — is found in decrepit conditions in a London suburb, he is taken to a psychiatric clinic for evaluation. He apparently had not left the house for over ten years. When William turns out to have a real artistic talent, Helen, the clinic art therapist, feels drawn to the “Hidden Man” and makes him into a special project. The narrative branches off in two directions. The first follows Helen as she tries to unravel the mystery of the Hidden Man’s origins while also coming to terms with her increasingly disastrous relationship with the appealing, but definitely married, psychiatrist treating William. Alternating sections follow William’s story backwards through time — eventually providing the answers in events taking place in 1938.

The story was compelling, and I liked the backwards progression through William’s life slowly explaining how he developed into the man he became. All of the characters were deftly drawn, and I enjoyed the reflection and details that helped me understand (though not necessarily empathize with!) their various personalities. I found the psychological tools and thinking of the era fascinating and wished there had been slightly more of that and less day-to-day descriptions. I found the book a little long winded, but with a little judicious skimming (sorry!) I enjoyed it from beginning to end and appreciated the relatively upbeat ending (will say no more about this!)

I found the writing at the sentence level to be excellent. Here are a few quotes:

“Helen started to feel the intestinal cramping and queasiness that often accompanied the contemplation of her moral failings.”

“As usual, thoughts of her mother prompted a wave of guilt, swiftly followed by a cancelling backwash of resentment.”

“The fact that his ire was aimed not at them, but at some nearby object that confounded him didn’t make it any easier to ignore; for quiet people, raised voices are experienced as a kind of aggression even when directed elsewhere.”