It is the 1960s and Helen is working as an art therapist in a residential psychiatric setting, also having an affair with a charismatic, but married psychiatrist. They are both called upon when a man, William, is admitted to the unit, discovered half naked with hair and beard down to his waist after living for decades in seclusion (or imprisoned?) with his elderly aunts.

What follows is a slow exploration of what led William to this point, with Helen drawn to thinking more about her own life and relationships as these aspects become clear.

The bare bones of the plot laid out like this don't do justice to the novel, which is warm, thought provoking and a page turning read. Family, parenting and romantic love are explored alongside questions about whether or not the damage from abuse can be healed and how.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy.

I found this a difficult book to review. The plot and characters made it a good read but I kept being distracted by inaccuracies. Yes, it's fiction but in her eagerness to set the action in a specific time and context, the author seems to throw in many mentions of real people, places and brand names that distracted this reader, who remembers both the era and the medical context rather well.
For example, there seems no evidence that R D Laing worked at Napsbury at the time this book is set; J Cloths were first produced in 1966 and not widely available in the UK until the 1970s; Anello and Davide brand shoes were not widely known at the time, except among dancers, and the shop was in Drury Lane, not Oxford Street.
For some readers these small mentions may lend authenticity; for me, they are an unnecessary distraction and a good copy editor could have checked them very easily.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

What a gem of a book - Clare Chambers has a gentle, observational style of writing on which I can float along quite happily, bathing in her comic asides and heart breaking back stories. Quite a bit happens in this story but I never felt overwhelmed, and it all makes total sense - even some of most peculiar ways that some of the characters behave. I am very much a fan of this book!

Not my usual type of book but enjoyed it. The characters were well written and the storyline was good. I really enjoyed small pleasures written by Claire and this one was quite different.

Chambers at her very best! Shy Creatures is a thoroughly captivating read. Beautifully crafted, the plot threads are drawn cleverly and seamlessly together to create a wholly satisfying ending. I loved it!

Helen, an art therapist in a psychiatric hospital in the 1960s, has been having an unsatisfactory affair with one of the doctors, a charismatic and forward thinking man who is unfortunately married with children. When she accompanies him to a call-out at a local house, they find a neglected house where an apparently mute man with waist-length hair and beard has been living for decades, unobserved by the neighbours, with his elderly aunt, who has dementia. The man, William, is admitted, and although apparently mute, Helen discovers his talent for drawing and through this, begins to uncover the truth about his past. This is a heartbreaking story of almost unbearable misfortune and suffering, made worse by the well-meaning but terribly misjudged responses of the three aunts who have raised William but also compounded his troubles by trying to hide him away from the world for what they believe to be his protection. Helen’s involvement will change her own life and helps William to find a kind of redemption and the chance to heal. It is a bittersweet, poignant story, powerful and ultimately hopeful, told with charm and empathy. There is also a strong sense of period and the glimpse into the changing attitudes towards mental health is intriguing.

Another completely absorbing novel from Clare Chambers. Set in 1960s Croyden, Chambers has based some of the narrative round a true event, reported in the Birmingham Gazette in 1953, featuring a man who had not been seen by his neighbours for over 25 years. Chambers’ version of this story has William Tapping living with his aunts who unwisely decide to hide him from society after an incident at his preparatory boarding school. Her portrayal of this man-child decades later is moving yet unsentimental. Because the reader is provided with flashbacks from previous decades, it is easy to appreciate why he thinks and feels as he does.
When he is taken to Westbury Park psychiatric hospital for assessment, through assiduous detective work by the art therapy teacher, Helen Hansford, we meet other characters once important in William’s life – his one-time schoolfriend, Francis, and the latter’s mother. They shed further light on William’s past.
This novel is not solely about the hidden life of William Tapping. The author also shows us how ‘ordinary’ people are adept at hiding important aspects of their lives in the broad light of day if these don’t fit societal expectations. For example, Helen’s affair is a closely guarded secret and her niece, Lorraine, rarely shows her true hopes and desires, knowing that her parents will deem them unacceptable.
Above all, this is a story which validates the importance of kindness and mutual respect in a world where most are more concerned about projecting the right image. I loved seeing how Helen and William grew within the narrative. Without wishing to give away the conclusion, I will say that it is deeply satisfying!
My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Shy Creatures - Clare Chambers

Helen is a art teacher working at a psychiatric hospital having an illicit affair with one of the married doctors when they are called to see a patient William who has been cloistered in his home from when he was a child to an adult with only his aunts for company, He is mute and looks neglected. He is also a talented artist and with slow probing by Helen we get the story of how he came to be living in this state and why no-one knew he lived there. Its a beautifully written and captivating story.

Wow I loved this novel. The moment I started it I was immersed in the era remembering the times so easily through the descriptions that I could have been there. The characters were beautifully drawn Helen, William, Gil, Lorraine and the striking difference between the sets of parents was beautifully captured. The story caught me up and I did not want to leave. Absolutely first rate.

Thanks to Netgalley for a preview copy.

I rattled through this book. It's an easy read though the subject matter isn't simplistic. The writing is expressive and lively and the characters well-drawn. I liked Helen, though I kept telling her (in my head) to get out of that relationship. There is something very human about all the characters and the horror of William's circumstances are easy to imagine. Such things happen.

A great summer read.

I was drawn in to this story from the start. Art therapist, Helen is trying to uncover the story of patient William. Discovered with long hair and beard through his Aunt’s clothes out of the window, William hasn’t been out of the house in over 10 years. His neighbours didn’t know he existed.

As Helen the reasons behind his seclusion, she looks at her own life and relationships.

The novel deals with the power people wield in relationships and how the balance can tip from caring to coercion.

A book I enjoyed, not just because it was set fairly local to where I live, always nice to recognise the places described.

I was interested in this book due to the place name of Westbury Park in Bristol where I grew up not realising it was based on a true story from Bristol.
It is a beautiful book, made me laugh at times and cry. It is warm and wonderful full of sadness but also if absolute joy.

I wasn’t sure to expect from this book after reading the blurb. I think I expected something depressing, but actually there’s something very warm, cozy and reassuring about this book. The afterword which explains that it’s based on a true story but one which the author wanted to give a happier ending helped put the book into context. I really enjoyed sinking into Harry’s world every evening when I picked up my Kindle. A lovely read.

Another five star read from Clare Chambers. This is a sad, yet uplifting novel that will make you laugh and cry. The time that the main part of the story is set, 1964, is a very interesting era in the field of psychiatry and one that I enjoy reading about. Chambers handling of William’s story is very gentle and poignant.

A beautiful book. I have loved previous books by Clare Chambers so I was looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint.
Set in the 1960s mainly in a Mental Health Hospital we follow Helen, an Art Therapist and William, a patient, as their lives come together and each helps and changes the other. Don't want to give away the plot but it is beautifully written and a beautiful story.

Shy creatures by Clare Chambers is a fascinating look at the way in which a childhood trauma can affect someone’s whole life and the changing treatment of mental health conditions in the 1960’s. I found the book to be engaging and thought provoking. Why did someone with as much going for her as Helen settle for so little? How could William’s family isolate him so completely from wider society while telling themselves it was for his own protection? I thought the impact that a school friend’s mother had on William’s whole life, while being completely unaware of this, was very moving. Having previously read ‘small pleasures’ and ‘learning to swim’ by the same author I was anticipating an enjoyable and immersive read and that was exactly what was delivered. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.5 stars

This is my first novel by Clare Chambers and it certainly won’t be my last. It was a beautiful, utterly absorbing read. I fell pretty much instantly in love with William, whom was the main character; his childlike innocence, naive perspective and vulnerability, making him incredibly endearing.

The book centres around a rather idyllic (this is not ‘one flew over the cuckoos nest’!) Westbury Park mental institution in the 1960s, where several employees and old acquaintances become deeply involved with the care and the future of the central character, ‘The Hidden Man’ - William. Helen, whom is the passionate art therapist at the Park, is increasingly drawn to William and his talents - and through this side of the story, we also hear of her disastrous relationship with Gil, a married, leading psychiatrist with anti-establishment views. This for me, was slightly the weaker side of the plot, largely because I was frustrated with Gil’s sickly sweet character and I wanted to respect Helen, but felt she was indeed lowering herself. Nevertheless, I can see the need for this side of the story, within the whole - he just annoyed me profusely!

There are several timelines, through which we look back on William’s mysteriously short school years with his best and only friend Frances, and the following decades he spends apparently unable to leave the closed doors of his guardian aunts’ house. The telling of William’s post school years with his reclusive and eccentric aunts was simply wonderful. But we are constantly led so wonder what occasion led to William’s seemingly voluntary imprisonment for decades in his own home and his now, mutism.

I’m now off to order Clare Chambers’ back catalogue!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for an ARC.

A very special book - its scope in depth and breath is quite wonderful, I had huge expectations picking it up, I'm thrilled to say, I wasn't disappointed, another compelling read from an author with a special spot on my bookshelves!

I don't know what to make of this book! For me it is like a film or series that is enjoyed in the moment but then resigned to the 'watched that' pile. It was a pleasant read, made better by the revelation at the end that it based on a true story. The topics is dealt with, though covered well, have been written about numerous times. Affairs in the 60's, abuse in boarding schools in the 40's, illegitimate children and single sisters during the war all make an interesting novel but not earth shattering.
This is the first book I have read by Clare Chambers and while nice to pass an hour I will not be rushing to buy any more. In saying that I would read them if I came across them.
Thank you to Netgalley and Orion for the ARC.

Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers is a compelling and heartwarmingly poignant read with characters you become invested in and a plot to become engrossed in.

What a wonderful read. This is the absolutely perfect book for summer holidays, purely because you’re going to want the time to finish it as quickly as possible once you’ve started.

All the characters and the sense of time and place are beautifully written and it’s so interesting to see life for young women in each period (the 1920s, 30s, 40s and 60s), with changes in society allowing just a little more freedom over the years.

The main character, Helen, is capable, intelligent and independent but caught up in an affair with a married man at the psychiatric hospital she works in. It is there she comes across William, recently brought in after living for years hidden away and never going out in public. Over the course of the novel, his story unravels backwards as Helen tries to find out more about him and he’s a wonderful character, with his past making sense of his present perfectly. Helen herself is also an excellent character, very believable and sympathetic, and everyone’s behaviour throughout makes sense and is never treated simplistically.

I could happily have spent much longer with these characters. The writing is effortless and the pacing perfect, making it completely engrossing. A truly fabulous book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.