All The Good Things by Clare Fisher #BlogTour @claresitafisher @VikingBooksUK

Twenty-one year old Beth is in prison. The thing she did is so bad she doesn't deserve ever to feel good again.

But her counsellor, Erika, won't give up on her. She asks Beth to make a list of all the good things in her life. So Beth starts to write down her story, from sharing silences with Foster Dad No. 1, to flirting in the Odeon on Orange Wednesdays, to the very first time she sniffed her baby's head.
But at the end of her story, Beth must confront the bad thing.
What is the truth hiding behind her crime? And does anyone - even a 100% bad person - deserve a chance to be good?

All the Good Things is a story about redemption and hope for fans of Nathan Filer, Stephen Kelman and Emma Healey

All The Good Things by Clare Fisher is published in hardback on 1 June 2017 by Viking Books, and is the author's first novel. Welcome to my spot on the Blog Tour.

'Write down the good things about life?'

'Exactly.'

'But what it .... I can't think of any?'

If you've never seen a sad smile, you should've seen hers just then, 'You will.'

All The Good Things is short novel at just under 230 pages, but each page is carefully composed and incredibly compelling. It's sometimes a difficult read, there are issues dealt with that are emotionally wearing, yet the author's compassion and insight shines clearly through her writing.

Beth is in prison, serving her sentence after committing a terrible crime. She knows what she did is unforgivable and is prepared for a lifetime of being hated, and hating herself. Her counsellor Erika, has asked her write down all of the good things in her life. For Beth, this seems an almost impossible task, but she begins to remember, and the novel is made up of Beth's memories.

Clare Fisher has very cleverly structured her novel. Each short chapter relates to one of Beth's experiences, and as Beth remembers, the reader begins to understand her. 

All The Good Things is not just emotionally moving and compassionate, it is also littered with humour and with joy. Beth's life experiences have been shocking, and have certainly contributed to her current situation. Her voice is honest and realistic.

Does having done a bad thing always make one a bad person? Clare Fisher takes this question and carefully and patiently gives the reader many things to consider.

An accomplished debut novel, which I'd recommend.

My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review and invited me to take part in this Blog Tour.

Clare Fisher was born in Tooting, south London, in 1987. After accidentally getting obsessed with writing fiction when she should have been studying for a BA in History at the University of Oxford, Clare completed an MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and now works as a bookseller in Leeds.

An avid observer of the diverse area of south London in which she grew up, Clare's writing is inspired by her long-standing interest in social exclusion and the particular ways in which it affects vulnerable women and girls.

All the Good Things is her first novel.

Find out more at www.clarefisherwriter.com

Follow her on Twitter @claresitafisher