A solid 5* read! Written from three perspectives - the fox in the wild; the background and dynamics of the Penwick family; and Gerry's state of mind as he battles with dementia. A character driven tale beautifully written. I will be buying my own copy and I will be reading this story again. The characters and their dilemmas will stay with me for some time to come.
I will be telling everyone I know to read this wonderful book.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Bobby Palmer/Headline for a digital copy of this title.

I loved Isaac and The Egg, so was very excited to receive an ARC of this from Net Galley.
Bobby Palmer is clearly a very talented writer. His use of language is careful and considered and he’s created a wonderful, layered story.
Jack Penwick has lost his job in the city, he didn’t see it coming. He then has a strange encounter with an injured fox, which he rescues, which sets off a chain of events which sees him return to his childhood home where the fox reappears, and is able to talk to him. Jack’s mum has gone missing, his sister has abandoned her plans for university to look after their dad, who has Alzheimer’s. It’s clear that Jack has lost his sense of connection; to his dad, to his sister and to the lovely countryside where he grew up. With the help of the fox, maybe all is not lost?
A lovely exploration of what should have meaning in a person’s life.

After reading this book it took me a few days to put into words what I felt about it.
A simple but well written story about family, relationships, loss and a thrown in talking fox!
Don't let the talking fox put you off though it really adds to the story.
Jack had a job he worked hard for. One day he's loses his job, rescues a talking fox and receives a call from is sister telling him to come home.
We follow Jack and his family in crisis. The relationship dynamics in his family are written well from a multiple pov.
The book was sad but also made me laugh, well worth a read.

I wasn't a fan of the main character which is never a good start and didn't quite get the talking fox! However it was well written about family connections/disconnections and lots of beautiful writing about nature.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A very intriguing premise. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about a talking fox, but decided to run with it and see where it led me.

I didn’t like Jack; I found him self-centred and selfish, even when his family were clearly in crisis, and that made it difficult for me to care about what happened to him. However as the story progressed, I enjoyed his conversations with the fox, especially when they bickered!

I really enjoyed Gerry’s story, his inner dialogue was so well written and as his and Hazel's story unfolded, my heart broke for him. Gerry made the book for me and I felt sad that his family didn't seem to "see" him, beyond him being a slightly needy and annoying old man.

Slow in places and repetitive at times, but enjoyable enough and good to read something a bit different.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Bobby Palmer and Headline for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Having absolutely adored Isaac and the Egg, I was beyond excited for Bobby’s new book, Small Hours. How was he possibly going to follow Egg? What next? Well words aren’t enough to describe this story: beautiful, poignant, lyrical, mesmerising, heartbreakingly tender, just simply stunning.
You really can’t begin to describe the storyline without completely spoiling the magic for a new reader, so I won’t say anything other than that it’s a story of family, of being, of loss , and most importantly of love. It will resonate deeply with so many readers. This is going to be one of those books I’m shouting about to everyone I know. What a triumph! I feel totally bereft now and want to go back to the beginning and read or listen to it again. The books I feel this way about are few and far between, but I know I’ll be back between the pages of this one again.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Headline for an arc in exchange for a review.

I didn't actually believe that Bobby Palmer could write another book as moving and beautiful as Isaac and the Egg but he's certainly done just that with Small Hours.

The story follows the Penwick family at a time of great flux. Jack has just been made redundant and, walking disconsolately around the city, comes across an injured fox. After calling animal protection Jack watches the fox being put into a cage but as the van doors close the fox looks up at him and says "Thankyou".

Just when you think things couldn't be more surprising Jack gets a phone call from his sister to say that their mum has disappeared. Jack, who has been avoiding his childhood home for many years, knows he can't put it off any longer.

He finds Charlotte caring for a father who was other-worldly when Jack was a child but is now clearly suffering with some form of dementia and their mother gone.
Charlotte doesn't know where and his father, Gerry, is sure he does but cannot remember. It's up to Jack to reconnect with the woodland where they live and with his father so they can find his mother and be at peace with himself.

I've often wondered why certain books speak to you. Isaac and the Egg resonated in a way that nothing else for many years and Small Hours creates a similar stunning world for readers. There's a tinge of magic - not just in the landscape but the people and animals. Foxes are obviously able to speak. Just look at them! They feature heavily in our myth/folklore and that of other countries.

What Bobby Palmer does so brilliantly is bring this tiny corner of the world to life. I could see everything in this book so clearly. It is funny and witty and heartbreakingly sad in parts. Can you tell I'm somewhat besotted? Well I am.

Thoroughly well worth the wait. I can hardly wait for what comes next from Bobby Palmer's imagination. Very highly recommended and if you've not read his debut, Isaac and the Egg, then you must.

Thankyou very much to Headline Publishing for the pre-approved copy. You've made my year.

Having loved Isaac and The Egg I was keen to read this, and it's a great story but for me was missing that extra splash of magic. Based around the relationship between a father and son, with a talkative fox thrown into the mix, this is unusual and well written.

I absolutely adored “Isaac and the egg” and so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. Once again it’s beautifully written and the story weaves between light and dark themes, the previous book had more humour I found this more serious, however once again an intriguing and fantastically written story and one that is not to be missed.

Having loved this author's previous work, I was very excited to learn of "Small Hours". I was delighted to read, once again, the author's beautifully descriptive passages, which are almost poetic in their beauty. He really knows how to pack an emotional punch, and this title was every bit as emotive as the first.

I did, however, miss the gentle humour of the earlier work, which made some of the darker themes more bearable somehow. I also found the characters less relatable this time around. Still an enjoyable book though.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Let me start off by saying I LOVED Isaac and the Egg, so I went into this both excited to be in this authors world again, but also nervous in case it didn’t live up to his first book. Thankfully, it was just as special in its own way. That unique magic that made Isaac such a beautiful story is woven inside these pages too, although not quite to the same degree, hence the four stars this time instead of five like I gave Isaac. I loved the fox so much, and the complicated relationship between father and son Jack was well written, as is the whole family dynamic. A thoughtful book about families, regrets and priorities. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.

Jack was rushing through life in London forgetting his roots or where he is headed. Until that is until his life falls apart and now he does not see a future. His life is about to change with a chance encounter with a fox who is in desperate need of help to survive. So our tale begins and maybe 5he fox will be the catalyst for Jack to re-engage with his family and life.

Loved this so well crafted novel. Every character in this book deserve to be loved and cared about. Gerry and Hazel love nature and each other, together they will get through all life throws at them. Jack and his sister need to find what will bring them happiness in life. The fox will help this family as Jack helped him. Do enjoy a great read.

An intriguing and well written depiction of the relationship between a father and son aided and abetted by a stray fox. An interesting premise and mix

I absolutely loved Isaac and the egg, and I had very high expectations for this book as well; unfortunately, for me this fell flat for some reason.

I found the story a bit predictable and not really engaging. The long descriptive nature of the prose (although beautifully written) made me lose interest in the story itself, which to be honest had very little going on.

If there's something I loved, it's the chapters from the father's point of view. I thought they perfectly exemplified the chaotic, disjointed thought process in people living with dementia.

Overall, this was a beautifully written novel, there's no denying Bobby Palmer is a very talented writer, but this was not the book for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Isaac and the Egg and this is, if anything, better. Full of humane warmth, wit and wisdom, Palmer feels like a Matt Haig character - able to distil what makes us tick in new and refreshing ways.

Jack Penwick’s day is not going well. Despite having a high opinion of his own worth within the company he works for, he is made redundant. With his box of office odds and ends, he makes his way home in a stupor. Sitting on a park bench on the local common, Jack sees an injured fox. After phoning for help, and a subsequent chase to capture the creature, Jack and the animal welfare man catch the fox and it is loaded into the back of the sanctuary van. Jack can’t quite believe his ears when he hears the fox say “thank you”. Convinced it is a result of stress and migraine, Jack lets the idea of a talking fox go. He then gets a call from his sister, saying their mother is gone. Capping off an awful day, his box of office detritus is stolen from the park bench!

I missed out on Isaac and the Egg, so this is the first book I have read by this author. After all the accolades that the first book received, I had high hopes for this one.

The book is well written and will no doubt be received well by the wider audience. A nice story, but I couldn’t relate to any of the characters, though Gerry’s POV was extremely well done. Sadly I found the long descriptive nature rambles too hard to get to grips with and I did tend to skim read those passages. I liked the Gerry and Hazel meet up and and their story before Jack, but lost interest with the Johnny saga, too predictable and been done before.

A nicely done book, by a talented author, unfortunately too cosy and lukewarm for me so not one I appreciated. With apologies to the author.

2.5* for Gerry and the fox!

Thank you NetGalley and Headline.

Having read Isaac and the Egg, I was looking forward to reading this book. Whilst the concept was interesting and the characters believable, I found the very long descriptions of nature quite hard to work my way through.

The way the book is written from the point of view of the Father who lives with dementia is cleverly done - flitting from topic to topic, getting facts wrong or in the wrong order. The use of the metaphor of the fox is a clever way to learn what the main two characters are feeling / thinking about.

Overall I'm glad I read it and would encourage others to try it.

I loved Bobby Palmers novel Issac & the egg, so when his new novel Small hours dropped in my possible reads I was excited to get reading, but I wasn’t as captivated with it as his previous book. Don’t get me wrong, the story is lovely but maybe I was missing something, because as I read it, it just seemed disjointed and I couldn't gel with the characters, although the fox was cute.

⭐️ 3 ⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I absolutely adored Isaac and the Egg, so I couldn’t wait to read Small Hours; unfortunately, it was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
 
There’s no doubt that Bobby Palmer is a talented writer; he certainly has a way with words and his lyrical, poetic prose is beautiful. I just wasn’t as invested in the characters and their story as much as I thought I would be.
 
I loved the detailed descriptions of nature and wildlife — the fox was actually my favourite character, but instead of gripping me, the story only held my attention loosely, and I found myself skim-reading parts of it.
 
Overall, Small Hours is beautifully written, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Literally just finished this and feel I probably need to sit and think about it some more before fully reviewing the book. Never heeding my own advice though, here goes.

Like Issac and the Egg, Bobby has written another novel that captivates and moves the reader immensely. He's also beguiled us with another unusual character, this time a talking fox. Though I did find myself feeling the fox was supposed to be a metaphor for something, a tad more than I did with the Egg (despite how much I hate analysing literature), this feeling certainly disappeared towards the end when his plight was used to pull at the heart strings...a few tears were shed.

Centring on a family who, despite previous closeness, have grown apart as they've gotten caught up with their own unique journeys. Small Hours mainly focuses on first born Jack. Having 'run away' to London and become obsessed with being a success, his world is rocked suddenly when he loses his job. A chance meeting with a fox, sees him returning home and having to confront things he's been looking to ignore, as well as the disappearance of his mum.

Watching as Jack confronts the truth about his life and his familial relationships, we also follow his father Gerry. Finding the world ever more confusing and difficult to understand, Gerry takes increasing refuge in the natural world he loves and his cherished memories. The poetry style format use for Gerry's sections, seeks to add a sense of confusion sometimes, particularly as the stanzas sometimes change sides of the page. It also helps build the case that he's really a lovely man who's merely become a little lost and possibly trapped within himself, unfortunately with many regrets.

Regret seems to be a key theme of the book as both Hazel (Gerry's wife/Jack's mother) and Charlotte (daughter/sister) also suffer with regrets which while possibly never voiced, are capable of heavily influencing their lives too.

Though not containing quite as much laugh out loud humour as The Egg, Small Hours does have uplifting moments, both during some of the recollections of past events and towards the later half of the book, as the family start to reconnect.

Thought provoking and highly emotive, Bobby has once again written a beautiful novel which perfectly blurs reality and fiction with the aid of vividly descriptive and easily recognisable (and relatable) imagery.