About Back Trouble
On the brink of forty, newly single with a failed business, Philip thought he’d reached an all-time low.
It only needed a discarded chip on a South London street to lay him literally flat. So, bedbound and bored, Philip naturally starts to write the story of his life.
But between the mundane catalogue of seaside holidays and bodged DIY, broken relationships and unspoken truths, more surprises are revealed, both comic and touching, than Philip or his family ever bargained for.
Perhaps there will even be a happy ending.
Format: Paperback (224 pages) Publisher: Arrow Books
Publication date: 3rd January 2002 Genre: Contemporary Fiction
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My Review of Back Trouble
I absolutely adored Clare Chambers’ novel Small Pleasures. [Related post: Book Review – Small Pleasures] It made me keen to explore more of her backlist so I added this and another of her books, A Dry Spell, to my reading list for my personal Backlist Burrow reading challenge. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and A Dry Spell is still patiently waiting in my TBR pile.
Philip, the book’s rather hapless hero, has a ton of problems on his plate. The failure of his business means he fears every knock on the door may be a bailiff, his relationship with his girlfriend Kate seems as if it might be at an end, and his relationship with his rather bombastic father is strained. His life has been one of serial underachievement and a reluctance to commit. ‘I was addicted to the idea of transition – in jobs that couldn’t last, in temporary accommodation, in transient relationships.’
Philip’s enforced period of immobility provides the motivation he needs to embark on – finally – writing a book: the story of his life. He is determined to recount events with total accuracy, noting ‘After all, this is an autobiography, not fiction’. Excerpts from his autobiography alternate with more recent events in his life, particularly the course of his relationship with Kate.
The author has unerring eye for the little details of domestic life. If you are a child of the 1960s, many of Philip’s memories of his early years will strike a chord – Friday bath nights, the unvarying weekly menu of familiar dishes, the annual holiday in seaside guest houses. Episodes are described with humour and often a touch of the absurd. But there also some touching scenes.
Although Back Trouble doesn’t have the emotional heft of Small Pleasures, it’s still an enjoyable read with some amusingly eccentric characters and an engaging protagonist. And it’s ending is certain to leave you with a warm feeling.
In three words: Well-observed, engaging, funny
Try something similar: Everyday Magic by Charlie Laidlaw
About Clare Chambers
Clare Chambers’ first job after leaving university was working with Diana Athill at André Deutsch. They published her first novel Uncertain Terms in 1992. Clare is also the author of Back Trouble, Learning to Swim, A Dry Spell, In A Good Light, The Editor’s Wife and Small Pleasures.
She lives with her husband in south-east London.
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