In Case of Emergency

Written By Linda Malek

In Case of Emergency by Poorna Bell

Reviewed by Linda
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Thank you @penguinrandomhouse for this copy!

I really enjoyed this book and I thought the author did a great job of getting into the minds and hearts of the characters. This is definitely a book where you’ll want to leave whatever you're doing and get back into it.

Welcome to Bel's world. A single, successful working exec in London but very lonely. Make no mistake, the "single" part is of no importance here, as this isn't a romance novel (despite being branded as such) and the main protagonist isn't on a frenzied quest to find a partner.
At 36, Bel has already come of age, but she has pressed the reset button on her life following a near-fatal accident. She realises that she doesn't have anyone she can call to the point where her next of kin, is her ex-boyfriend from 4 years ago.
At this point, Bel re-examines all aspects of her life starting with who her real friends are, where they've gone, why she’s pushed her loving family away, and why she's still in a job that only allows her to succeed if she conforms.

A lot of Bel's issues are self-inflicted but she is aware of this and works through her varying emotions. This saves Bel from being a jarring character, and instead a relatable one. Step 1 of reshaping her life means reaching out to an old high school friend, Ama, who provides Bel with the companionship and the mirror she needs to reflect.

The book ramps up when Bel is forced to confront her family about her accident and address her estrangement from them. Bel is the daughter of Indian immigrants, dealing with the 1st gen issues we've all had, and growing up in predominantly white Dartford, played its part. We see Bel at her most vulnerable about her difficult relationship with her own ethnicity everywhere she goes. The author explored this aspect with tact and the right level of detail.

There is so much range here but despite the heavy themes, none feel over or underdone, and omitting the extra drama at the end, the read felt light and enjoyable. A perfect book club pick IMO!

Linda Malek

I've always had the urge to set up a forum and voice my thoughts after each read, but never had the confidence to do so alone. 18 months ago, I got my fellow book-loving friends involved and formed The Candid Book Club! Aside from having an exponentially growing to-read pile and deteriorating shortsightedness, we've been lucky to have been invited to publisher events and have attended several talks with our favourite authors (Thank you and long may they continue!) To take a break from the pressures of PhD Chemistry, Jess and I exchanged books all the time and in my youth, I was that kid with the first editions of Harry Potter having already read Gulliver’s travels and some Charles Dickens. At work, my desk is a library and luckily for me I sit next to another bookworm Jack who entertains all the photo-taking. I'm suffering from a chronic case of wanderlust (age-related crisis) so books which are set as far away from home as possible tend to float my boat: Middle East, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Asia...you name it. But if it's got anything to do with Egypt then I'm all over it. So you get the drift...I read all the time, everywhere (on the tube mostly), everyday, a book a week, and very quickly I'm onto the next! And then sometimes there is a book that stops me in my tracks, makes me want to swallow the pages whole, and have it next to me at all times, with some sentences staying with me forever: Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts, anything by Khaled Hosseini, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo (absolute gem of a woman), A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, The Good Immigrant edited by Nikesh Shuklaand and anything by Naguib Mahfouz.

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