A lovable,
determined, 11-year-old boy seeks to unravel a decade-long mystery in his
family and finally find his birth father.
One night in June 2005 changes the lives of a family in Little Big Love by British author Katy Regan.
Set in Grimsby, a small fishing village in England, the story is told from
three distinct perspectives of the Hutchinson family. Zac is a precocious,
inquisitive 11-year-old, who has blue eyes just like his father's. He is obsessed
with food, the memory of his deceased Uncle Jamie, a chef who died a tragic
death, and finding his father, Liam, who left before Zac was born.
Zac's mother, Juliet, is a single mom who has a tendency to overeat and
to shoplift food from grocery stores. She still carries a torch for her old
flame, Liam Jones. Her inability to get over his departure makes dating a
challenge--often quite comical. Finally, there is Mick, her dad, ensnarled in
the devastating situation that tore his family apart--a situation that has kept
his daughter and his wife in a state of inertia for 10 years, and has burdened
him with secrets.
The inability of the three narrators to move beyond the impact and
implications of the night that changed everything--a night that, in its
aftermath, has perpetuated lies and mystery--forms the impetus for this moving,
bittersweet story that seeks to unravel the truth of what really happened and
why.
Little Big Love is Katy Regan's U.S. debut; as in her U.K. releases (How We Met, The One Before the One), she delivers
an affirming, buoyant novel populated by authentic, empathetic characters,
young and old, who infuse her adventurous story with great poignancy, humor and
heart.
NOTE: This review is a reprint and is being posted with
the permission of Shelf
Awareness. To read this review on Shelf
Awareness: Reader's Edition (June
15, 2018), link HERE
