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By: Jan Ellison
ISBN: 9780812995442
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 01/27/2015
Format: Hardcover
My Rating: 3 Stars

A special thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A SMALL INDISCRETION, by Jan Ellison is an absorbing emotional family drama debut of one woman’s secrets of the past for an exploration of marriage, love, and forgiveness.

From past (Europe) to present (US-San Francisco) readers learn about Annie black, an artistic interior lighting designer, who has some indiscretions in her past in London. She is married to Jonathan, a doctor for twenty one years. They met in Ireland and moved to San Francisco and have three children Robbie, Carla, and Poly.

One day Annie receives a photograph in the mail that reminds her of her time in Paris, and it reignites a passion, and while on a business trip to London, she rekindles an old acquaintance, which sets off a chain of events she never expected.

Things begin to fall apart. Her husband leaves. Their son, Robbie, is in an accident. The girls, Claire and Polly, are shuffled back and forth between parents. Her store, The Salvaged Light is damaged when the ceiling falls in, and now her son is in a coma and the woman Emme (who works in Annie’s store), is missing. So all in all things are not looking good for Annie.

Ellison keeps readers in suspense by switching from Annie’s earlier life in London in her early twenties to present day in a diary like format from mother to son.

A novel of being torn between a past life of chaos and a more settled life- insights of a modern marriage and how devastating secrets become to all involved. The narrator, Annie Black, tells the story, while keeping a mysterious and intriguing tone with twists and turns.

Nice writing for a debut novel; however, I was not totally invested or connected with the characters, especially Annie; however, look forward to reading more from the author.