Ordinary Hazards by Anna Bruno

Simon & Schuster

9781471184888

272pp

I’ve had this book on my shelf for ages, and finally decided to pick it up on a whim because I liked the cover. It tells the story of Emma, over the course of one night in her hometown dive bar, and how she came to be there. As we slip between the now and her memories of how she ended up drinking alone, the night comes to a dramatic conclusion.

As Emma cycles through love, grief, and loss, we learn about her and Lucas, their life together, and the heartbreaking reason they divorced. Meanwhile, the dive bar fills up and empties of regulars, students, and other characters that all come to impact on her life.

This book renders human life down to all its foibles and complications. It looks at those split-decision moments and how they can have repercussions for years after, and at the careful planning that never seems to go to plan. It tells the story of Emma, but also of the raft of characters that have come in and out of her orbit.

But things spiral out of control, and as the book comes to its terrifying conclusion, we get a sense of helplessness and inevitability. Even as our heart breaks, we are given moments of hope. We are cycled through the full spectrum of human emotion.

The only thing I will say is that the ending was slightly disappointing; left open-ended it feels like there should have been more. It’s a quick read at 272 pages, but could have been another 50 pages and had a more satisfying conclusion. But I guess that’s the messiness of human life: things aren’t wrapped up neatly.

I enjoyed this book, however, precisely because of its messiness and vagueness. It felt authentic. I liked and disliked Emma, I felt compassion and revulsion for the other characters. Even Lucas wasn’t perfect. The complexity of human emotion is gathered up and displayed exactly as it is, with no sugar-coating. A deeply philosophical novel, with enough action to get your heart racing.