Review of ‘Braver’ by Deborah Jenkins

(ARC copy via Netgalley)

Hazel is a young woman with a lot of problems. She is fearful of a world she doesn’t understand, a world full of people who don’t like her, and situations that will show up her inadequacies. She protects herself as best she can with chocolate and box sets and routines, and does her best to ignore the loneliness.

What she doesn’t realise is that other people are struggling just as much, in their own way, even the ones who seem so strong and confident. Virginia and Harry and Jas and Foxy and others… all with issues from the past and problems in the present.

The author’s skill is shown by the easy, natural way in which these characters are introduced to us, and to Hazel. There are no clumsy information dumps, just a weaving together of lives, of stories, into a community, a family, of people who are there for each other.

To hold together under the pressures that life throws at them sometimes needs courage - but we see what Hazel learns: that together, we can be braver.

Beautifully written, ‘Braver’ is realistic about the dark side of life, but brings hope into the darkness. Jenkins does this with a deep understanding of people and how they interact with each other, as well as a wry and well informed view of how institutions like churches and schools actually work. Or sometimes, don’t!

She also has a smooth flow of words and an often lyrical turn of phrase which add a poetic beauty to the narrative. London, for instance, ‘throbs with life, its steady pulse invigorated by caffeine and the desire to arrive’ .
Or the description of a bus ‘at the junction quivering with impatience’.

Overall, a gently powerful book which was both a joy and an encouragement to read. Highly recommended.

Ever since I first came across Deborah Jenkins's writing, I have basked in its elegant, pellucid style. I loved her novella, "The Evenness of Things" and I follow her blog, delighting in the beautiful descriptiveness of her writing. When I heard she was writing a novel, I could hardly wait to get my hands on it. I wasn't disappointed. "Braver" is wonderful. I have fallen in love with Virginia, Hazel and Harry and I didn't want their stories to end. Several times, I was on the edge of my seat, willing them to do the right thing or escape from a perilous situation. The author's use of language is stunning. One phrase in particular made me gasp with joy and read it four or five times until the words sank in. I wish I'd written it. "The Thames curls behind them, a fat ribbon dipped in glitter." So elegant, so pleasing, so beautiful.

It's hard to weave faith into a narrative, Many try and fail, but this author has a light touch and has succeeded in writing about church, belief and community in a way which is never preachy or dull. This is the kind of book which will become an old friend, being reached down from its shelf, read and reread, recommended to friends until it is wrinkly and tea-stained, just as a good book should be. I loved it. Truly. And that this is a debut novel makes it all the more astounding. I recommend it to you, hand on heart. I was given an ARC copy but was under no obligation to provide a favourable review.

Braver focuses on the stories of three individuals:
Hazel, a young woman who is fairly isolated, struggling with OCD and anxiety
Harry, a teenage boy with an alcoholic mother, also facing bullying at school
Virginia, a minister who has suffered tragic loss and who is accused of inappropriate behaviour with a minor
The three stories coincide in a way that testifies to the power of community and points to hope in the midst of life's challenges.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each of the characters was likeable and well-painted, and the book pointed to hope in a way that was uplifting but realistic. I also appreciated the way Christianity is presented in a positive light without being at all preachy.
I'd highly recommend this book and I hope to read more from the author.

What a read! A story that highlights how important it is to be part of a supportive community, with characters that have difficulties, problems and history that are part of most people’s lives to a greater or lesser extent. It revolves around three main characters, Virginia, Hazel and Harry, and their involvement in a single incident; as it is unfolds through the revealing of their individual stories and the other characters who become their friends, it becomes increasingly difficult to put down as you want to know how it will all link together and how it will end.
Thoroughly recommend it.

Some days we need a book that’s open-hearted and uncynical, and Deborah Jenkins’ novel Braver is just that – a warm and generous story of unlikely friendships that I read in one big gulp because I couldn’t put it down.

Jenkins’ three main characters, Hazel, Harry and Virginia, couldn’t be more different, and she creates their voices beautifully, cleverly twining their plots together so that we see what they can’t, carrying us along with them as they discover their own strengths, and the supportive arms of the community around them, as they face what feel like impossible challenges. You’d have to be a hard-hearted reader indeed not to love them and to wish you had friends as generous and kind as theirs.

Jenkins writes despair beautifully, in phrases such as “Time hangs in clumps around the flat”, and in her description of Virginia’s not knowing what to do with herself as life goes on for everyone else even as hers seems to be falling apart. But she’s gently funny too, juxtaposing unlikely characters, catching their voices and their small actions, deftly creating a whole community of individuals.

Not everything is rosy in the garden of Braver: its characters deal with alcoholism, accusations of abuse, mental illness, loss, bullying and fear, but this is a novel of hope and love and the value of friends and community when everything seems bleak. When I finally put it down, I had a smile on my face.

Inspiring and uplifting read about the power of community and acceptance. There aren't enough everyday books about church ministers with a positive influence who aren't too preachy. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Hazel is a Teaching Assistant who struggles with anxiety, OCD and is on the autistic spectrum. Virginia is a church minister who gives her life to help other people and as a result of not following safeguarding rules carefully enough, is falsely accused of abusing a young person. Harry is a teenage boy navigating the challenging waters of having an alcoholic, manipulative mum to deal with at home and bullies at school. All three characters find themselves mixed up in Virginia's accusation in one way or another, along with a delightfully rag tag bunch of unique individuals from Virginia's local church who all pull together in a brilliant way to support Virginia at her lowest point.

I absolutely loved this novel. The characterization is so rich, the characters so empathetic and lovable, and the journeys that our three protagonists go on are so emotionally satisfying. In addition, the values of bravery, love and acceptance leave you with a warm feeling on the inside. Jenkins doesn't shy away from tackling difficult issues, but does so in such a hope-filled, honest way. You come away from the book feeling ready to take on your own giants!

Set in London in recent times, this novel's clear, unpretentious style draws the reader in. Small moments of felicitous expression, often about quite ordinary things, bring the setting to vibrant life.
The principals - Harry, Hazel and Virginia, three very different people - are presented with acute understanding and empathy. As also with the minor characters, there is no flinching from the real darknesses and pain in people's lives, past and present, nor from current crises; but over all there is heart and hope, loyalty, sympathy, generosity and encouragement. This story is a tribute to the liberating power of kindness and friendship, and a delightful read.