Bookseller Reviews
View all
Beautiful, Magical, and Tender
This novel.. this novel has my entire heart!!
It’s hard to sum up just how much Small Hours made me feel, I loved gradually getting to know the characte... READ MORE
Lost in the Wilds of Family and Foxes
This immersive book explores the intricate dynamics of family relationships and the profound influence of nature on the human experience. It is all about a... READ MORE
An enchanting masterpiece
Having loved Isaac and the Egg after being urged to read it by my wonderful bookselling friends Amoy and Mason, I was thrilled to hear that Bobby Palmer ha... READ MORE
Full of Heart and Soul
I knew I wanted to read this book the moment I found out there was a talking fox. I was not disappointed. The Fox, Jack, Gerry, Hazel, this whole dysfuncti... READ MORE
A brilliant and emotional read!
I am a huge crime thriller reader usually so to read more of a fiction story was refreshing. I have heard so many good things about Small Hours so I had to... READ MORE
Synopsis
'Powerful' JOANNA GLEN
'Beautiful' KATE SAWYER
'A triumph' JENNIE GODFREY
The eagerly awaited new novel from Bobby Palmer, author of the critically acclaimed debut Isaac and the Egg.
If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here's what you'd see:
A father and son, a fox standing between them.
Jack, home for the first time in years, still determined to be the opposite of his father.
Gerry, who would rather talk to animals than the angry man back under his roof.
Everything that follows is because of the fox, and because Jack's mother is missing. It spans generations of big dreams and lost time, unexpected connections and things falling apart, great wide worlds and the moments that define us.
If you met them in the small hours, you'd begin to piece together their story.
'A magical, comforting read that touches on father-son relationships, male mental health and the healing power of nature' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
'A beautiful examination of love and loss' HEAT
'Tender and touching' GLAMOUR
PRAISE FOR ISAAC AND THE EGG
'A tender story of love, grief and the transformative power of friendship' Guardian
'Truly one of the most beautiful stories you will ever read' Joanna Cannon
'Will linger longer after the final page'Independent
'Unique, tender and funny' Pandora Sykes
'A future classic' Clare Mackintosh
'Like nothing I've ever read before' Stylist
'An arresting debut novel about grief in the most wonderfully oblique way' Reverend Richard Coles
'Just magic' Kate Sawyer
Publisher information
- Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
- ISBN: 9781035402656
- Number of pages: 432
- Dimensions: 238 x 162 x 44 mm
- Weight: 660g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allEverything about this book, from the mundane to the fantastical, holds this power that really gets to you as you read it.
I got on the hype train for Bobby's first book, Isaac and the Egg. It wasn't like anything I had read before and at times, just outrageously peculiar. But ... READ MORE
Jack is lost within himself until he meets a fox who helps him see what is important.
Jack was rushing through life in London forgetting his roots and where he is heading. Until that life falls apart and now he does not see a future. His lif... READ MORE
Powerful
Palmer's debut novel, Isaac and the Egg was my book of 2022, so of course, I pounced on his second.
Palmer is a genius with words and has succeeded in f... READ MORE
Sublime!
I was sent a copy of Small Hours by Bobby Palmer to read and review by NetGalley. This is another sublime piece of writing by Bobby Palmer, the author of ... READ MORE
Beautiful
What a beautiful read, magical and such a tender loving story. Father, son and a fox
If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking throu... READ MORE
Moving, complex, emotional
Some reviews are so hard to write, and this is one of them. Another piece of authentic contemporary fiction from the author of Isaac and the Egg. This ti... READ MORE
A beautiful story, highly recommended.
Jack Penwick has spent many years in the city, in his concrete and glass tower, burying himself in work, he’s extremely conscientious, never counting the h... READ MORE
Funny, sad,magical and heartbreakingly beautiful
I didn't actually believe that Bobby Palmer could write another book as moving and beautiful as Isaac and the Egg but he's certainly done just that with Sm... READ MORE
Feelings & emotions
3.5 Stars
Jack Penwick a country boy born and bred has been living in the City, shaken off his small town country living, became a workaholic city dwell... READ MORE
Can’t rate this book highly enough
Can’t rate this book highly enough. Totally believable characters who leave you at the end of the story wishing you could stay with them just a little bit ... READ MORE
3-dimensional, insightful, captivating
Bobby Palmer has done it again.
The characters within Small Hours are endearing, especially in their imperfections and foibles, which only makes them more... READ MORE
Very emotional
This is such a moving read about families and what can happen when communication fails. It’s about Gerry and Hazel and their children Jack and Charlotte. J... READ MORE
Heartbreakingly beautiful
This was another beautifully emotional one from Bobby Palmer, who is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. Small Hours handles the incredibly diffi... READ MORE
Small Hours
⭐️ 3 ⭐️
I absolutely adored Isaac and the Egg, so I couldn’t wait to read Small Hours; unfortunately, it was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
There’s no... READ MORE
His ability to perfectly encapsulate raw human emotions is gorgeous.
I got on the hype train for Bobby's first book, Isaac and the Egg. It wasn't like anything I had read before and at times, just outrageously peculiar. But ... READ MORE
Beautiful
What a beautiful and powerful book!
Isaac and the Egg was one of my book of the year in 2022 and this new novel didn’t disappoint.
Full of wit and e... READ MORE
A touching fable of family and acceptance
Having already read Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer, I knew I was in for something unusual with his follow-up, Small Hours. It is the story of a father a... READ MORE
Emotional & breathtaking
Excuse me while I wipe the tears from my eyes and really take in what I've just read.
Small Hours, written is the follow up book to the brilliant Isaac... READ MORE
Slow read
I struggled with this book. After reading Isaac and the Egg, I was so looking forward to it. However a talking fox from the outset didn’t sit well with me ... READ MORE
A magical book that makes living up to Isaac and the Egg look easy!
Over the course of a few hours, Jack’s carefully-built life starts to fall apart. First, Jack loses his job, and then he encounters a talking fox, surely a... READ MORE
A beautiful story about loss, redemption, estrangement, but mostly love
I loved reading this book. It is a beautiful story about loss, redemption, estrangement, but mostly love. Jack has been called home from the city, where ... READ MORE
Absolutely wonderful
In the city, hard-working, Jack Penwick learns to his shock and horror that his employers, Hugo and Hugh are selling their company with no warning, so it’s... READ MORE
Beautiful!
A solid 5* read! Written from three perspectives - the fox in the wild; the background and dynamics of the Penwick family; and Gerry's state of mind as he ... READ MORE
From the same author as "Isaac and the Egg" but not as powerful
I feel really bad giving "Small Hours" by Bobby Palmer 2 stars when many readers are raving about it and giving it 5 stars. I must have missed something i... READ MORE
Stunning
Excuse me while I wipe the tears from my eyes and really take in what I've just read.
Small Hours is the follow up book to the brilliant Isaac and the E... READ MORE
Delightful
This book by Bobby Palmer, was beautiful to read. Told Partly in poem part in prose, invoking deep feelings within me as the characters became more and mor... READ MORE
It may not be for everyone, but if it is for you, it is guaranteed to be a hit!
Isaac and the Egg was a brilliant read, making me eager to get into this second novel by Bobby Palmer.
Jack is a man who thinks he's got everything he wan... READ MORE
Another great book from Bobby
Bobby Palmer writes with such beauty, it’s almost lyrical. I love the way he writes, which is what tipped me to a 4 star from a 3.5.
I think I was expecti... READ MORE
Father and son
This was far from my usual read but after all the acclaim for Isaac and the egg I was really intrigued to read this. Featuring two main (human) characters,... READ MORE
A moving and quirky read!
Much like Isaac and the Egg, this is a poignant and offbeat read that will get you in the feels!
I realise that a talking fox might not be for everyone... READ MORE
Mesmerising and soulful
“Things aren't set in stone. The smallest creatures undergo the greatest transformations. We are all of us, always, in flux.”
He’s done it again! Just l... READ MORE