There but for the by Ali Smith opens with a London couple hosting a dinner party. Between the main course and dessert, one of their guests, a man they have only just met, goes upstairs and silently locks himself in the spare bedroom.  He leaves a short note outside the door, “Fine for water but will need food soon. Vegetarian, as you know. Thank you for your patience”, otherwise he gives no reason for his actions.

This one act of defiance of social norms has an increasingly large ripple effect as his unwanted residence continues. With a web of beautifully drawn characters, all connected however tenuously to this one man, the story slowly unfolds. From Brooke Bayoude, a 9 year old “cleverist”, to 94 year old May Young, each of Smith’s characters has a genuine and engaging voice.

If you like novels with a hard, fast plot then this perhaps this isn’t for you, but I strongly urge you to give this quiet masterpiece a chance. With its clever wordplay and philosophical challenges, this is a novel to savor and think about.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  18 religious exclamations; 4 mild obscenities; 2 religious profanities; 2 scatological words; 2 anatomical terms. 14 F-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore: Second hand reports of death by natural means and illness; death of a child; several reports of violence in the past from stories and newspaper reports; report of a suicide; child abuse suggested (no details); a teacher bullies a pupil and grabs her arm roughly.

Sex/Nudity:  A character talks about masturbation; two men kiss; youthful sexual relations are remembered by an old woman (no details); two adults have an extra-marital affair (some descriptions of nudity).

Mature Subject Matter:

Death, Illness, Suicide, Infidelity, Separation, Homosexuality, Homophobic views.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drink wine with dinner.  Adults and a teenager smoke.