Thank you for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! I am working through my backlog, and will be momentarily posting reviews for the stories I have yet to get posted but have finished reading.

Shy Creatures is a quiet marvel of a novel - gentle, layered, and piercing in its emotional intelligence. Set in 1960s suburban England, it follows Helen Hansford, an unmarried art therapist in her thirties whose well-managed, disappointing life begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious new patient. William Tapping, mute and feral, is discovered living in isolation in a crumbling house with his dying aunt. But Chambers refuses to let him remain an enigma. Instead, she tenderly unspools the lives of both Helen and William, illuminating what people do to survive loneliness, shame, and love that has nowhere to land.

There’s a slow, absorbing beauty to the dual unravelings here. Helen is trying to unlock William’s secrets even as her own careful facade is beginning to crack. As the timelines of their pasts and presents fold inward toward each other, the result is…well, brilliant. It’s not a twisty, puzzle-box kind of mystery. Just a very human one.

The writing is warm, wise, and often slyly funny. Chambers excels at portraying people in all their contradictions - self-sabotaging, yearning, brittle, kind. This is a story about found family and the strange tenderness that can bloom between misfits and outsiders when the world turns its back. It’s Grey Gardens but with more nuance, more gentleness: a story about caretaking and secrecy, about what happens when people are left to rot - and what it means to reach in and try to pull someone out.

Shy Creatures stands entirely on its own. It’s a novel full of empathy, restraint, and such care for its characters. One of those rare books that manages to be both unsettling and comforting - strange, sad, and ultimately generous.

I adored it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the advance copy. All opinions are entirely my own.

I read this for an online book club, and we met to discuss the book via Zoom. I didn’t connect with the characters well, but enjoyed experiencing the period and comparing psychiatric treatment then and now.

I loved this book! It was slow moving, but that was part of the charm. The writing was beautiful. I love books that go back and forth through time and this one did not disappoint. I was invested in the characters and was drawn in quickly!

It was heartwarming, even with the difficult and often hard topics. (Trigger warning for child abuse). Overall, a really great book and I am looking forward to other works by Clare Chambers.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy!

I have mixed feelings about this book and while I liked the character-focused narration, it really wasn't my cup of tea in the end. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try it if you're into character-driven stories with multiple timelines.

A particular read about a recluse and an art teacher at a psychiatric home. Two points of view, his in the past and hers in the present. I liked how his went back in time while hers went forward. Nothing too special, but still a pleasant read.

I saw high reviews from a few Instagram book influencers. Because I enjoy character-driven literary fiction novels, this piqued my interest. I enjoyed this novel a lot. The characters were flawed for sure, but they were so well-rounded, they were hard not to like. I went in blind, but I am glad I did! I really had a good reading experience.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable but ultimately unmemorable. This is very character focused, which I prefer, but lacks the interiority that gives a character focused novel emotional resonance. I would definitely read another Clare Chambers book though.

I enjoyed this quirky story of quiet humor and tenderness. Clare Chambers has written another beautiful book which explores self-discovery and morality. The story of William is based off the true story of a man who was found living as a recluse in the 1950's, which makes the Shy Creatures a little more fascinating. The character development is on point and the story overall very heart-warming by its end. I recommend Shy Creatures as well as Clare Chamber's first book, Small Pleasures, a period piece that will also sneak up on you and stay with you long after its end.

shy Creatures was an excellent read. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.

This was my first book by Clare Chambers and I am eager to read more. I loved this book so much -- the writing is so lovely and it was so compelling. It is fairly dark and by no means a light read -- but I could have read more about these characters.

I loved how the narrative was told moving in two different timelines for the characters -- one moving forward and one moving backward. This was such a good way of revealing information and keeping the suspense going.

I loved Helen's character, I found her so endearing and thoughtful. I loved the setting of the hospital and found it so fascinating.

Everything about William and his home life was so intriguing and I loved finding out more and more about him.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes literary fiction and can handle reading about some sad and dark topics.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Love this novel. Helen, join the staff at a mental hospital to run an art therapy programme. When an elderly woman and her nephew are taken into care, Helen becomes involved with William. Who is this middle-aged man who doesnt’t speak, has not been outside for at least 19 years and has a very long beard and hair which hasn’t been cut in years? He obviously has artistic talent. Curious, Helen begins to investigate his background. The characters are sympathetic and well-drawn. Just my kind of gentle read.

What a great story with characters I loved. Helen works as an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital. She has been having an affair with one of the doctors there, Giles. They both get called to a home with a naked, mute man named William who hasn’t left his house in 20 years. We come to know his story and learn of his art talent. It is a beautiful, layered. Well written story. It’s a bit slow but if you’re patient , it all pays off. The story takes place in 1964 and goes back through Willams life in the 1930s and 1940s to reveal so many secrets. I loved this and will be thinking about it for a long time. I will definitely be diving into this authors backlist.

thanks to netgalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for a review!

this was a compelling and interesting literary historical fiction, which is usually not what i gravitate toward picking up. i was pleasantly surprised by how much i became invested in the characters and was rooting for them to figure out all the family drama they were dealing with. this was slow-going at first, but as soon as you start to get the flashbacks from William's POV, it picks up!

Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers is a beautiful exploration of human fragility and the relationships that connect us. Chambers does a great job of bringing 1930s-60s England to life through Helen's eyes and William's backstory. The characters felt realistically flawed and authentic. The pacing felt a bit slow in places but it was well worth the read! 4.25/5

I was really excited about this one, since it had such good reviews and the premise was fascinating. However, I was a bit let down after the veryyyy slow start that the big reveal didn't feel like it paid off enough since the character relationships were underdeveloped at that point. Wish there was more depth and emotional connections shown between Helen and William, rather than him liking art and her being an art teacher being the only reason why he ultimately trusted her.

Shy Creatures is a quiet story with a lot to say and consider. The best kind of historical fiction, where you're deeply immersed in the perspective of your characters.

We open in 1964, in an English hospital where Helen works. A man in his 30s comes in, having been brought from the home he hasn't left in nearly 20 years. He is mute and was living with his aunts who have since died. Helen works with him and unravels his story, slowly but surely.

This is a gorgeously written, contemplative story. Some readers will find it slow but I loved the way that Chambers fully fleshed out the characters, delving into Helen's story. The reader is slowly brought into understanding, similar to our characters, and I loved the way that Chambers played with that. I will be thinking about this story for many weeks to come.

Shy Creatures is one that took me a bit to feel invested but at some point my interest changed and I’m glad I stuck with it!

This book started pretty slow for me with the author laying the groundwork for the plot. I did struggle a bit to feel interested but after William and Helen’s paths crossed I felt more invested. I do think this was because I wasn’t in the right mood for this type of book because I did end up really enjoying it! As more layers in the story were revealed I found myself more and more engaged.

The author is a good writer and I enjoyed the storytelling. It was also interesting to hear that this story was inspired by a true story in the afterword! I liked that a lot of the characters were flawed and the ending was very sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

In 1964 Helen Hansford is an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital where she is having an affair with a married doctor (also at the same hospital). A mute man in his 30's (who has been hidden away by his aunts) is discovered and comes out of his shell with the help of Helen. Additionally Helen's niece also is admitted to the same hospital. It is an interesting and tangled web.

This book is based on a bit of historical situation that the narrator includes as part of the Authors Note.

I really enjoyed Shy Creatures.

Strange ... badgers were mentioned in the book and there is one on the cover. It made me wonder if badgers were where I lived (SE Michigan). While shopping for Christmas cards in the CVS and in the queue, a man in front of me needed help reproducing a photo ... a photo of a badger that his friend had captured a picture of with his trail camera. Yep ... they are shy creatures in the neighborhood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for approving my request to read the advance review copy of Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers in exchange for an honest review. Approx 400 pages, publication date Nov 2024.

This book is amazing! The plot is engaging, the characters are compelling, and the writing is beautiful. I tend not to picture things when I read, even if I really like the book, but this was one of the few novels that has had me completely immersed in a world within my head. I could picture the hospital and all the character so clearly, which is a testament to Chambers’ skillful writing.