Matt McAvoy Book Review

Even though not at all my cup of tea, this was an utterly engaging book which I read in a few gripped sessions.  There is no denying the quality of Hazel Ward; her writing is articulate, vivid and raw, drawing the reader into the characters’ lives like the script of a soap (a good one, not Eastenders).  All of this, despite the fact that I actually found Netta Wilde to be a particularly irritating personality, like the friend you try to put off meeting, because you pretty much know what the single conversation will be about for the entire time.  There is a darkness in Netta, and less than wholesome backstory, though Being Netta Wilde does veer away from the more despicable elements in our society – it isn’t that type of family drama; in less uptight times than now (about three years ago!) this would have been defined as “chick-lit”.  More specifically, to be honest, unless you’re a fan of family and relationship fiction from the point of view of a divorced woman, it is something of an effort to absorb 360-odd pages of inward analysis and single-minded reflection.  If this is your preferred genre, though, then it is fair to say that Netta’s odyssey is a really decent read, and you’ll struggle to find many better.

Other than events prior to the narrative, this does tend to pretty much stick to the formula of the genre – a la Richard Curtis, perhaps – whereby all the pieces land in perfect formation.  These books are like a jigsaw, in that you can already see the finished picture, it is just a case of which order the scenes are going to take shape: the perfect outcome; the perfect apology; the perfect clever retort – books in this genre are hindsight fantasy, which is of course their appeal to their readership.  Being Netta Wilde will certainly appeal to Netta Wildes the world over, but other readers might find the patient, unassuming and liberal virtues of Netta a touch idealistic.

But it is a fine book, to be sure, written exceptionally well by a high-quality author, if strictly for fans of the formula.  If you consider yourself to be one of them, then I definitely advise giving it a go.