This book explores the world we live in and how cruel it can be. This book is so well written and is beautifully structured. Everyone should read this authors work

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

"Mable said they are going to lock us all in. Prisoners in our homes. But that is why I must learn to get out. When I lock myself in, that is one thing. When someone else holds the keys, well, that occupies a different rank on the hierarchy of fear".

Have you ever looked up at the windows in a flat block and wondered about the people who live their lives behind that glass?

Little Prisons is set in one of these such tower blocks, and explores how people can live on top of each other in such a small space and know nothing about each other. The story is mainly based around 4 female characters - Penny, Mable, Carla and Woman - and the POV switches between each of them, while also including those who come in and out of their lives as bit parts.

The main element of the story is based over quite a short space of time, although flashbacks give the reader a clearer insight into these four characters and how they came to be essentially alone amongst a load of other people.

It explores so many important issues - mental health, domestic violence, human trafficking - in a sensitive and caring way. I felt completely and utterly emotionally invested in each of the characters, and Susannah the cat (and I'm a dog person!). The feeling of the encroaching lockdowns took me right back to Feb / Mar 2020, reading the news and feeling the crisis coming ever closer, and feeling claustrophobic at the thought. The book brought to the surface what that really meant for a lot of people who lived alone, and the utter terror at having all control over your own living space taken from you. It showed how easy it is for people to fall from the system and become invisible, even with so many people around, as everyone lives their own busy lives with their own problems and becomes blinded to wider society around them.

Heart felt, touching, sensitive. I loved this book.

I find this a very difficult book to review. It was beautifully written but unrelentingly miserable. I understand that this is what the author was trying to portray and that not everything in life has a happy ending but it was just never-ending. We follow the lives of 4 women who, for different reasons, are 'trapped' in a block of flats, whether through human trafficking, domestic abuse, mental illness or religious beliefs and old age.

There was some redemption at the end, but I didn't like one of the storylines that was given numerous different endings. Even though I don't usually like open endings, I would have preferred that in this case.

Whilst the blurb caught my eye, I will say that it did take me a little while to get into this one - but when it did, I was hooked. This one takes you to some dark places, so check out the content warning at the end for more information.

Little Prisons is literally what it says on the tin - you follow some central characters: Penny, Carla, Mabel and Woman as you learn all about their current lives and backstories - how they all live in their own little prisons. And it’s not an easy or comfortable read. This is heartbreaking and brutal.

For me, I felt that the blurb pitched this differently to the story it actually is. And whilst I did enjoy that story, I was expecting more of a community between our central characters. But Bannister is able to give each of her main characters a unique voice, bringing into LP the real dregs of society.

Thanks to NetGalley, the team at John Murray Press and the author for the opportunity to read this review copy.



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⚠️Content warning/potential spoilers: there’s reference to domestic abuse, mental health, rape/sexual assault, coercive control and trafficking. ⚠️

I've just finished reading this and I'm simply overwhelmed by how good it is. The characters, the relationships, the pain, the research. Many passages made me cry (as did When I ran Away).

The story takes place just before and in the early days of the pandemic and is focussed on four women: Penny, Carla, Mabel and Woman ( unnamed) and the various ways in which they are imprisoned inside their own lives and a small block of flats.. Mental health issues, domestic violence, loneliness and human trafficking/ slavery don't make comfortable reading but the writing is excellent and never iver wrought. I grew to love these women and was rooting for them all.

This could be my book of the year.

Bannister is a skilled and talented writer. Thank you for the opportunity read this ahead of publication.

Four women who seemingly have nothing in common all live in the new building on Bedford Road.

Penny in 1B remembers a time when leaving her home didn’t feel impossible.

In 1A, on the other side of Penny’s wall, Carla is doing her best to raise fourteen year old Mary Rose and twelve year old Daniel .

Frequently knocking on both of their doors is the building’s resident Jehovah’s Witness, Mable from 3B.

Then there’s Woman, who resides with the building’s owner and his family in 2A-2B. Woman hasn’t had an identity since she left Home Country.

Told from the perspectives of the four central women and a few others whose lives intercept one or more of them, this story primarily takes place over the course of a year, beginning in January 2020. Written during lockdown, Little Prisons explores the lives of these four women both before and during lockdown, and how acts of kindness, some that don’t cost much and some that cost much more, change their lives.

Some really difficult life experiences are explored in this book and at times I really felt the weight of that. The perseverance and courage of the women gave me hope though and I quickly became invested in their lives.
We rarely know what’s happening behind the closed doors of people’s lives. People experiencing what the women in this book are are silenced, their traumas invisible.

I loved that these strangers, who just so happen to live in the same building, became important to one another. Sure, they don’t necessarily like one another initially and, let’s face it, have no reason to place their trust in anyone, but gradually they let themselves be seen.

Little Prisons is a story about 4 women all living in the same apartment block in London. Built with very thin walls, the people living in these flats are able to hear the lives of their neighbours a little too clearly. An interesting take on the different kinds of prisons people are trapped in, at times this was a difficult read. It also reminds us that what we think we know about others from external appearances is not always the truth.

I enjoyed the different narrative points of view although I did feel that, at times, these became too similar. Revealing different amounts of each characters back story slowly worked well. However, overall I did feel that the plotting became a little slow at times and it was difficult to maintain a connection with the book. I would definitely read this author again.

This was another DNF for me. I seem to have hit a run of sad, depressing, novels. This was a whole building full of such stories. I could not connect with the characters sufficiently to read on. Unfortunately it was not for me.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

It's not a heartwarming book, it's book that moved me to tears and made hope for the best for all these women.
There's tragedy but there's hope. Their life are full of fear but kindness is something that go over fear.
The sweet cover is a bit tricky as you expect a sweet story featuring cats, you get a complex and emotionally charged story about troubled women.
But it's worth the effort as the author can write and is an excellent storyteller.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

“There was a time before and there will be a time after. I cannot imagine it, Mother, but there will be a time after this one.”

Four women who seemingly have nothing in common all live in the new building on Bedford Road.

Penny in 1B remembers a time when leaving her home didn’t feel impossible. Penny has agoraphobia.

In 1A, on the other side of Penny’s wall, Carla is doing her best to raise fourteen year old Mary Rose and twelve year old Daniel while experiencing coercive control.

Frequently knocking on both of their doors is the building’s resident Jehovah’s Witness, Mable from 3B.

Then there’s Woman, who resides with the building’s owner and his family in 2A-2B. Woman hasn’t had an identity since she left Home Country. The promise of Better Life was a lie. Woman has been trafficked and is now a slave.

Told from the perspectives of the four central women and a few others whose lives intercept one or more of them, this story primarily takes place over the course of a year, beginning in January 2020. Written during lockdown, <i>Little Prisons</i> explores the lives of these four women both before and during lockdown, and how acts of kindness, some that don’t cost much and some that cost much more, change their lives.

Some really difficult life experiences are explored in this book and at times I really felt the weight of that. The perseverance and courage of the women gave me hope though and I quickly became invested in their lives.

Initially I had trouble believing that the four women dealing with all of these monumental problems were all living in a building that only had space for nine residences. Then I stepped back and thought about it. I realised that you don’t know what you don’t know and that’s the point.

We rarely know what’s happening behind the closed doors of people’s lives. People experiencing what the women in this book are are silenced, their traumas invisible.

I loved that these strangers, who just so happen to live in the same building, became important to one another. Sure, they don’t necessarily like one another initially and, let’s face it, have no reason to place their trust in anyone, but gradually they let themselves be seen. That’s so powerful.

There was a little ugly cry that took me unawares but my takeaway from this book is hope. I love found family stories and find strength in reading about people who have every reason to give up but keep getting out of bed every day and trying again.

While I understood that this wasn’t their story, a part of me really wants to know more about the man in 1C, the young couple in 3A and the three girls in 3C. What were their stories and how much of what was happening in their building were they aware of?

Content warnings include domestic abuse, human trafficking, mental health, physical abuse, racism, sexual assault and slavery. Readers with emetophobia may have trouble with a couple of scenes.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Two Roads, an imprint of John Murray Press, for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.

Little Prisons follows the stories of 4 women living in a London apartment block. They all live very different lives, face different struggles, and come from different backgrounds. Despite all these differences, they all have a link to one another. They all feel lonely and like they are in isolation, in their own little prison. We see that they start to notice each other in the hallways and through the thin walls.

Carla, is an single mother from the US. Her ex-husband manipulates her using her illegal status in the UK. Out of fear of being separated from her children, she follows his every demand. Penny, after having a mental breakdown and losing her husband and child, can’t leave her apartment. She has anxiety, agoraphobia, and panic disorder (mentioned by the author). Mable is an old woman who is very devoted to her Jehovah’s Witness faith and is avoided by neighbors because of her constant attempts at conversion. Finally, we have Woman. In her attempt for “better life”, she was trafficked as a slave.

Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. While it is usually one of these four, there are also minor characters who get one or 2 chapters in their perspective. I loved that everyone had a voice, but it did make it a bit confusing and the constant change of perspective made it feel like each person’s story never truly finished while reading.

This book deals with a lot of heavy topics that felt well-researched and thought-out (the author leaves a note at the end of the book noting resources that she used which I appreciated so much). I would like to mention trigger warnings for mental illness, suicidal thoughts, human trafficking, slavery, domestic abuse, manipulation, violence, child neglect, and more.

This is one of those books where there is no plot. The plot is the characters. I love the growth and the change that we see throughout the book. I can’t really explain what this book really is about but the tagline explains it fairly well; “When you can’t get out, let kindness in.” Little Prisons is really about human experiences, connections and relationships, and compassion. I think that everyone should read this book at some point since this book made me more appreciative of people.

Four women living in the same block of flats struggle in different ways; Penny is unable to leave her home after a mental breakdown results in the loss of her husband and child; Carla, a single mother from the US whose ex-husband uses her illegal status in the UK to manipulate and bully her; Mable, an elderly widow who is devoted to her Jehovah’s Witness faith but is avoided by her neighbours because of her attempted conversions; and Woman, whose search for a “better life” has resulted in her being trafficked as a slave to a cruel family. These women eventually manage to help each other to move forward. All the stories are interesting and Bannister has a wonderfully compassionate way with characters. I felt that having four viewpoints and narratives did, however, dilute the overall effect and that each deserved more time for their voices to be heard. I also missed the wry humour of Bannister’s first novel, “When I Ran Away” which I adored, although I was thrilled to see Gigi, the heroine of that book, make a cameo appearance here as Carla’s lawyer ( the girl did good- hurrah!) Bannister is definitely an author to watch, with a vivid writing style and a feel for women who are suffering despite their best efforts to make a good life for themselves and their families.

Thank you to the John Murray Press for giving me a proof of this lovely book.

Little Prisons is a wonderfully interwoven story about the lives of the residents of a block of flats in London. Whether by internal or external forces, the residents are all seemingly ‘imprisoned’ within their respective apartments.

Bannister shows an emphasis on research on the reality of the rather sensitive topics discussed in this novel. None of the character’s stories and struggles are simplified, forgotten, or taken for granted.

I really enjoyed reading this novel, especially from the numerous different points of view from even the most minor characters, and how each story ended up fitting with one another: how a muffled noise or an intelligible conversation in the background of one character’s narration - heard only thanks to the inexistent sound proofing of the building’s walls – is later revealed to have been a major event happening in the story of another.

The characters really came to life through Bannister’s narration and I found myself deeply caring about the women of this book. I look forward to reading more of Bannister’s work.

Great book, I loved this read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

I honestly don't want to say too much about this little gem of a book just so when you read it yourself you can experience the full effect of it. It opens itself up very gradually. Set in a modern, small apartment block in London, it almost feels like we're looking at a dolls house, peeking behind each door in turn. Slowly we see what is going on in each apartment and each character's story is revealed. When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it.

Each chapter is from the perspective of a different character. I loved that even some minor characters got their own voice and we get to see the situations from many angles.

They are all caught in their own little prison, whether by circumstance, by other's cruelty, or chemical imbalances. There's no need for steel bars when choice is removed.

This book deals with difficult and sensitive topics in an honest and researched way. It doesn't offer simple solutions or tie things up in neat packages. So often when I read characters with mental health difficulties, by the end of the novel they have fully recovered and turned their lives around and you're left feeling worse about your own struggles if you've failed to do the same. The author never sweeps everything clean in that way with any of the characters. She acknowledges the complexity of each of their situations and treats each accordingly.

I'm not usually one for a trigger warning, I believe you can't know what will trigger someone's anxieties and the loss of opportunity to read a good book is worse than the risk of upset in my opinion. That said, this book deals with traumatic topics, mental illness, suicidal thoughts, domestic abuse, coersive control, human trafficking, slavery, violence, religious control among others. It deals very sympathetically with everything and nothing is gratuitous, but it is all there to be examined.

This is an excellent second novel and I will definitely be adding Ilona Bannister's first book When I Ran Away to the TBR.

Little Prisons is divided into third-person, named accounts that follow the daily lives and struggles of these four women (occasionally giving the perspective of an ex-husband or Tesco delivery driver). You observe them as their lives play out, and occasionally overlap. There is a recurring theme of inter-being that's foreshadowed from the Prologue onwards.
Penny was my favourite character in Little Prisons. I found her an organic and strangely charming portrait of a mentally-ill woman. I think the 'charming' part lay in her self-awareness - Penny is fully aware of her branding as a crazy woman and can label her self-destructive behaviours as exactly what they are. I would happily have read an entire book twice the length exclusively about Penny, honestly.
I was also very enamoured by the character of Woman - particularly unwavering perseverance for a 'Better Life', representing the shared mindset and dream of migrants all across the world. Her intentional anonymity amplifies how she represents the story of many people. She is an important character who shines a light on the very real, very current reality of human trafficking and modern slavery in the UK and beyond.
As other reviewers have said - since the characters of Penny and Woman were SO well written that Carla and Mable did sometimes feel a little flat or underdeveloped in comparison.
My main praise for Little Prisons is how thoroughly researched it was. The novel covers sensitive and taboo topics such as human trafficking, modern slavery and domestic abuse and it is clear that Bannister made herself as informed as possible to write correctly on these subjects. In the Author's Note she references all of the media and individuals that helped her research for the book, which was a lovely touch and super interesting to read.

I found this a very tense and extremely well researched read that had such vividness to the characters-particular Woman and Penny, and at times, the supporting policeman who I felt actually had more depth and connection to myself than Carla and Mable. For those two women mentioned last, I did feel they were rounded well and had believable flaws and reactions, their backstories were well written and very organic and nautral, but I just couldn’t imagine them breathing and alive and terrified as Woman and Penny-the two standouts who felt the most developed and who came to such brutal, brilliant life for myself.
Woman was the one who gave this book four stars-her life story touched me the most and I just wanted her to get out and fly towards better times.
Her chapters were mostly shorter but also, for me, the best-she was written raw and intense and also felt so real, at times it felt she was a real documented woman that was being written about in articles and newspapers. Perhaps because hers has the least dialogue but also, of course, the most mastery and grip to them.
Speaking of the dialogue, I feel it was simple and natural and that worked really well-the conversations the characters had were at times mundane and always normal and that really added to the natural, really believable feel of the book-these conversations were ones you’d have with neighbours, delivery men, roommates.
I also found the written was simple but important-there was lines of brutal, gutting prose for Woman but for the most part besides her chapters I felt the writing was a plain punch-it wormed really well, this book has chapters of description and then a chapter of basically all dialogue and that worked really well.
The punch, at first, you wouldn’t recognise-a small itchy scratch, and then you’d continue reading.
But slowly the pain would build up and a flickering twitch would burn to a blazing burn and you’d really feel all of this terrifying, suffocating disaster all of the characters were facing.
So a slow, still punch to the writing worked really well-it was quietly brutal and that really made the horrific situation hit better than if it was drilling in misery upon trauma upon terror at every page.
I will definitely be rereading this when I pre-order a physical copy on release date, the Woman chapters will really stick with me but also Penny too-I connected to her so much, and although I felt her and Woman were the ones who were developed the most and came to life the most Mable and Carla still were well researched and written.
Overall a wonderfully terrifying novel that slowly gets under your skin like tiny thorns you haven’t noticed in your nails, with simple but heavy-weighed writing and if I had any criticism I would say like I’ve mentioned some of the characters were just so real in their writing that the rest didn’t compare, and also that at times I felt I wasn’t as into certain chapters are before because some were very well written even in the simpler description and then some I felt a a little rushed and not as well handled..
Overall though all of the situations and races and trauma are all handled so well and I really applaud the author for doing such immense research, and also doing it so well.

A building full of people with their lives and their stories and their ways of broken come together in this book. Sometimes the narrative was heart wrenching but at times the plot progression felt slow and at times I kept missing my focus. It's a good book but could be better.

I loved Ilona Bannister's first book, which was about motherhood but had great flashes of humour. I loved her heroine Gigi and her Real Housewives-type friends, and the bit where Gigi gets so pissed she loses her marriage paperwork in New York! Overweight sort-of-divorcee Carla in this book has a few things in common with Gigi, however her husband is abusive and using her two kids to control her which, you know, isn't funny. Throw in COVID's first wave, a woman with agoraphobia and a trafficked girl forced into servitude, and I'm not sure the world is ready for this level of nastiness.