Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

An experimental literary novel that explores the inner life of a woman following her over the course of a day. It’s very stream-of-consciousness, with prose that at times feels poetic whilst being lyrical and somewhat fragmented at the same time as thoughts/memories of the past intersect with the actions of the day. We the reader are in this woman’s head as she goes about her day. But behind it all we learn she ls dealing with sexual assault and the complicated emotions of the aftermath - the messy healing mixed with feelings of shame, pain and fear. This is a short read of 240 pages, a short novel longer than a novella. I’d recommend reading it one sitting. So acutely observed and realised. It reminded a lot of Peach by Emma Glass.

A moving book, that i'll think about for a long time.

The stream of concsciousness narration was gripping and fast-paced, and the traumatic elements were a lot to bear but necessary. Thank youfor the advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Surprising and harrowing. I initially found it hard to get into, but once I became comfortable with the flow it felt like a frenzied stream of consciousness that pulled me along. Well worth persevering with, this is a strange and wonderful form of storytelling.

I listened to this on audio and really liked it - a short, sharp, intense and important book. Thank you for the review copy!

Stunningly written but also wildly traumatic. Necessary for some to read, but avoid if the subject matter is close to home. I would like to read more from this author.

Little Scratch is very experimental and while it wasn’t for me personally, I can see that it would appeal to fans of contemporary literary fiction with non-traditional structures.

Little Scratch is a day in the life of a woman. Literally everything that is going through her mind.

We learn that she self harms and has no self confidence at all. We later come to understand some of the reasons behind this.

I didn't enjoy the disjointed style of writing. I completely understood the reasoning behind this and the fact that our thoughts, inner monologues etc do jump all over the place , but for me, I found it annoyed me and in turn I found myself becoming annoyed at the author who I assumed was showing off!

Little Scratch was a really unique book, both in terms of writing style, a constant stream of consciousness inside the narrator’s head through one day, and actual layout, with lots of single word lines and repetitions, etc. It took me a while to get used to with the interruptions in the middle of sentences, and lack of chapters and punctuation, but after a while, the choice to write in this way made a huge amount of sense to me. It was just like my experience of how thoughts happen in my head, with constant interruptions and merging thoughts, so it was a really great choice.

It dealt with some intense and hugely complex issues ranging from self harm and sexual abuse, providing a really poignant example of how significantly these issues influence a person’s life at all hours of the day. It was very hard to read at times, being so all consuming, but a vital look into these issues and just how difficult it can be to speak to others about them, even those you love and are closest to.

I really appreciated the time I spent reading this book and would highly recommend, giving caution to those who are sensitive to issues surrounding self harm and sexual abuse as the descriptions could be fairly graphic and upsetting at times.

Thank you to NetGalley for very kindly sending me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

An extremely unique layout for a novel, Little Scratch is definitely different and I would say not for everyone. I've seen reviews where people loved it and the jumbled thoughts which seemed realistic to them. But for others and for me, it was a bit too broken up and hard to follow what was going on.

While I appreciate the different and fresh way of writing, I must say this one was not for me.

One of my fave books of 2021 so far - I loved the format of this book and how it wasn't set up like a 'traditional' novel. It could be a little difficult to follow sometimes, however, I felt like that added to the depth of the character. I love books that take place over a short period of time and follow the narrators stream of consciousness and this was done so well - the pace was perfect.

I have since bought a physical copy of the book as I enjoyed the e-copy so much.

Unfortunately I just could not get into this book. It may be one for other readers, but I was unable to finish it.

I'm always fascinated by how much story can be squeezed into one day, and Little Scratch is chock full. Extended from a White Review story in 2018, Watson has expanded the experience of her protagonist and her story is told in fits and starts across this one struggle of a perfectly regular day. What's original in this, another story of a traumatised woman, is the embodiment of her day, the practical, physical pile of things she must get through, which leaves the reader with an exhaustion that every day is like this, a monotonous drone of cruel trauma. I thought this was wonderful.

This is definitly aninteresting read that is bot what I expected when I first requested this book. it is not for everyone but it was interesting to delve into something that I am not necissarily used to reading. I am glad that I gave it a go but unfortunatley im not sure i will read any other of the authors work

A very enjoyable, important, thought-provoking read. Don’t be put off by the style, the author keeps your attention with her wordplay and creates real empathy for the protagonist. I read it in one go.

What an unusual and indulgent book. The story follows our narrator through her day, sprinkling clues as it goes as to why she is the way she is. I feel this book needs a content warning, it was very upsetting. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an egalley.

Not for me. The way this book is written is more for art purposes than reading. Not my cup of tea but would be good for someone who prefers books that are out of the ordinary.

There’s clearly something wrong. The narrator is contemplating the marks on her legs she has etched to bleeding with her own fingernails. Thrown into her mind, thoughts spill across the page. Some are direct observation (filling, pedalling, peeing) others rambling over regrets and predictions. It is the record of a day, but is it the beginning of healing or is it the chronicle of a desperate inner scream?

In ‘little scratch’, Rebecca Watson uses stream-of-consciousness to detail a troubled mind, so caught up in its own misery that it will not reach out to heal, to tell. Instead, the narrator is consciously self-conscious, distractedly documenting her own life without seeing the lifelines – the woman with the cup of tea, the scrawled note about a lingering smell, the message of her self-harm.

I found myself pondering what I had got myself into. How was I supposed to find the narrative? I decided to play along, letting my eyes find words and my mind to make meaning. Shutting down my interior dialogue. As if we were to gift the character a mantra: ‘If I can do it so can you.’

I found elements of humour in the story (the politics of the office poo, the bad poet, the hangover body). I thought maybe this was the good thing about lockdown restrictions, that office predators like this are miserable, having to rely on angry emails to subdue their victims.

Any survivor of sexual predation and violence will recognise the pervasive nature of its harm. The way a small part of the victim, in order to heal, will try to blame themselves. Will find it difficult to share, which is a large part of the cure. As a librarian, I wondered who I might recommend this book to: someone looking for an authentic voice, someone who likes experimental fiction, someone who is a survivor?

This little book is a mystery, a play, a cry for help and a wonder.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

I really didn't enjoy this book. I had put off reading it for a good few months, after first being interested in it, because I started to realise that I probably wouldn't like it.

The book follows a day in the life of its main character, largely told through the thoughts going through her head. She self-harms and seems to suffer with extreme anxiety and lack of confidence. Over time we learn she has been raped by her boss, and is struggling with whether to tell anyone about this, in particular her boyfriend.

I appreciate what the book is trying to do. It's written in a disjointed way presumably to imitate the way the narrator's thoughts and feelings have come apart and been damaged by her experiences. And I think it's good to have more novels that focus on the experiences of people who have suffered violence and oppression, and to tell those experiences in their own ways.

But for me, this layout and style just got in the way of reading the book. It felt like the book is trying too hard to be clever, and that the reader is supposed to conclude that simply writing some words in a pattern on a page is supposed to convey some deep meaning. I found this very irritating.

As another review noted, this novel is "not to everyone's taste". I would definitely agree!

A modernist, free-form, stream-of-consciousness ride through a day in the life of a nameless young woman who lives and works in central London, this book is like nothing else I’ve ever read. Once you get into the flow of the irregularly structured prose, you quickly start to marvel at this entirely accurate (and at times, very funny) depiction of just how many distracting thoughts pop into someone’s head as they navigate each day. The choice of layout forces you to slow down – to truly appreciate each feeling that the protagonist experiences. Disjointed text and lines leaping across pages insist upon you paying proper attention to the narrator – but it’s not long before her frustration at her perceived lack of success and fury at being on the receiving end of the wrong sort of attention – ‘itemised’, as she puts it, by male coworkers – bubbles to the surface. The ‘little scratch’ of the title doesn’t sound like much, but it’s her self-punishing way of managing the frustration and pain over time. It has scarred her; she is trapped by her trauma, haunted by what’s happened to her and unable to shake the thoughts that echo, Groundhog Day style, through her brain at unprovoked moments. An astonishing and truly unforgettable first novel from journalist Rebecca Watson, this book is absolutely not to be missed, especially for the uncannily accurate depiction of pre-pandemic, humdrum, clock-watching life
in a modern office.

As featured in Book Club in February Cambridge Edition Magazine