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Careless
Sometimes it's easy to fall between the cracks...
At 3.04pm on a hot, sticky day in June, Bess finds out she's pregnant.
She could tell her social worker Henry, but he's useless.
She should tell her foster mother, Lisa, but she won't understand.
She really ought to tell Boy, but she hasn't spoken to him in weeks.
Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn't come without conditions.
But this isn't a love story...
At 3.04pm on a hot, sticky day in June, Bess finds out she's pregnant.
She could tell her social worker Henry, but he's useless.
She should tell her foster mother, Lisa, but she won't understand.
She really ought to tell Boy, but she hasn't spoken to him in weeks.
Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn't come without conditions.
But this isn't a love story...
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 13, 2021
172 people are currently reading
6,437 people want to read
About the author
Kirsty Capes
8books129followersKirsty Capes is the author of three novels including Careless, which was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022. She lives in Slough, UK, with her golden retriever, Doug.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 455 reviews
April 11, 2022
I will emphasise up front that my low rating reflects (as always) my personal reaction to the book - as I think it is one that many other readers will appreciate both for the under-represented topic (life in the care system) it covers and as they will engage with the two main protagonists plight and particularly the striking central character.
I read this book due to its longlisting for the 2022 Women’s Prize.
I have to say that I normally enjoy the Women’s Prize longlist due to its mix of books from more “book club� to “literary� fiction - I think for almost anyone that reads a large chunk of the longlist it is likely to introduce you to books of a type you would not normally read (whether that’s more mainstream or more experimental).
And I guess that is probably the positive way for me to reflect on the inclusion of this book which to me at least felt very YA fiction - not just in its protagonist but in its voice (first person, present tense), writing style (relatively simplistic) and themes (complex and important), and while that is a familiar genre in my household (I have three daughters between 11 and 15) it is not one I normally read myself (except for a few chapters aloud at night) and would not normally expect to see on the Women’s Prize.
Perhaps for balance though I would say that I admire the author’s fidelity to the voice of her narrator - too many literary authors when writing younger or (in different ways) more naïve narrators seem to imbue them with cutting edge imaginative sensibilities (think for example Sebastian Barry in the otherwise excellent “Days Without End�); however taking this different approach does not really fit a great reading experience for my own tastes.
The narrator of the book is a 15 year old girl Bess, who is living in Shepperton in long term Foster Care (since being a young child) with her foster mother Lisa (who works in an optician), father Rory (an ex serviceman) and their 10 year old birth child Clarissa. Bess we learn was placed into care when her mother (who she has not visited since although one of a string of Social Workers who manage her case has given Bess her address) tried to harm her. The relationship between Bess and Lisa is one of the three pivotal relationships at the heart of the novel - in some ways a typical teenage daughter/Mum tension but fueled with the additional knowledge on both sides that their relationship, despite its tenure, is both not permanent (there is always the underlying but unspoken threat on both sides to end it), not “natural� (Lisa has a temptation very close to - and sometimes above - the surface to refer to Bess’s flawed origins and lack of “gratitude�) and (something the author via Bess seems to stress a lot) fundamentally transactional in nature (in that Lisa and Rory are paid to foster her and expense/invoice their care for her).
Bess is something of an outcast at school - a Goth Girl in a school portrayed as extremely rough and in an area portrayed as the opposite of aspirational. Her academic success seems patchy but she is also fuelled by a desire to be a Film Director - a desire inspired by the famous nearby film studios.
Her only friend is Eshal - a similar outcast at school as the only Asian in the school (universally derided as “a Paki� in ignorance of her English birth and Bangladeshi heritage. Eshal is very successful at school and aiming for a Veterinary college - the one “fly in the ointment� being that she knows her Muslim parents are planning an arranged marriage for her and is completely torn between her respect both for them and for their traditions (and her own deep down faith, despite her own rebellious tendencies) and, on the other side, her desire to have the ability to make her own choices.
The book opens with Bess realising she is pregnant (shortly before her 16th birthday) - and the book ranges back around a year or so from there to show how she met the father: Boy - a 19 year old who she first meets fleeing the site of a joy riding crash into a church (a church Bess later visits albeit she is unable to find the same underpinning of faith as Eshal). Boy she later finds works as Tesco’s and lives (estranged from his parents) a precarious hand to mouth existence with his sister - a single Mum (the baby’s father being in jail).
The book then traces Bess and Eshal’s attempts to navigate Bess’s pregnancy. An initial attempt at a traditional home-made abortion ends with alcohol poisoning, second degree burns and with Eshal’s horrified parents accelerating their plans and then makes Bess and Eshal’s choices increasingly time constrained as well as increasingly conflicted from their foster parents/parents.
I must admit I did not really like a number of aspects of the way that the book developed. The Eshal storyline left me uneasy as I was not sure how appropriated it was - and the resolution in particular seemed both incredibly neat and potentially culturally implausible (another very detailed and informative review on here seems to confirm that). I was unconvinced the authorities would not have done more to trace Boy. While the author is clearly infinitely more qualified than me to talk about living in care and being a care leaver - I did feel that the role of Foster Parents was given a fairly black and white treatment - and I was completely unable to tie it up with a number of people over the years who I have known to foster. And I also found the resolution of Bess’s own dilemma troubling purely for personal reasons.
So overall a competently written book - but one which I was both surprised to see on the longlist and which did not quite work for me (hence my rating).
I read this book due to its longlisting for the 2022 Women’s Prize.
I have to say that I normally enjoy the Women’s Prize longlist due to its mix of books from more “book club� to “literary� fiction - I think for almost anyone that reads a large chunk of the longlist it is likely to introduce you to books of a type you would not normally read (whether that’s more mainstream or more experimental).
And I guess that is probably the positive way for me to reflect on the inclusion of this book which to me at least felt very YA fiction - not just in its protagonist but in its voice (first person, present tense), writing style (relatively simplistic) and themes (complex and important), and while that is a familiar genre in my household (I have three daughters between 11 and 15) it is not one I normally read myself (except for a few chapters aloud at night) and would not normally expect to see on the Women’s Prize.
Perhaps for balance though I would say that I admire the author’s fidelity to the voice of her narrator - too many literary authors when writing younger or (in different ways) more naïve narrators seem to imbue them with cutting edge imaginative sensibilities (think for example Sebastian Barry in the otherwise excellent “Days Without End�); however taking this different approach does not really fit a great reading experience for my own tastes.
The narrator of the book is a 15 year old girl Bess, who is living in Shepperton in long term Foster Care (since being a young child) with her foster mother Lisa (who works in an optician), father Rory (an ex serviceman) and their 10 year old birth child Clarissa. Bess we learn was placed into care when her mother (who she has not visited since although one of a string of Social Workers who manage her case has given Bess her address) tried to harm her. The relationship between Bess and Lisa is one of the three pivotal relationships at the heart of the novel - in some ways a typical teenage daughter/Mum tension but fueled with the additional knowledge on both sides that their relationship, despite its tenure, is both not permanent (there is always the underlying but unspoken threat on both sides to end it), not “natural� (Lisa has a temptation very close to - and sometimes above - the surface to refer to Bess’s flawed origins and lack of “gratitude�) and (something the author via Bess seems to stress a lot) fundamentally transactional in nature (in that Lisa and Rory are paid to foster her and expense/invoice their care for her).
Bess is something of an outcast at school - a Goth Girl in a school portrayed as extremely rough and in an area portrayed as the opposite of aspirational. Her academic success seems patchy but she is also fuelled by a desire to be a Film Director - a desire inspired by the famous nearby film studios.
Her only friend is Eshal - a similar outcast at school as the only Asian in the school (universally derided as “a Paki� in ignorance of her English birth and Bangladeshi heritage. Eshal is very successful at school and aiming for a Veterinary college - the one “fly in the ointment� being that she knows her Muslim parents are planning an arranged marriage for her and is completely torn between her respect both for them and for their traditions (and her own deep down faith, despite her own rebellious tendencies) and, on the other side, her desire to have the ability to make her own choices.
The book opens with Bess realising she is pregnant (shortly before her 16th birthday) - and the book ranges back around a year or so from there to show how she met the father: Boy - a 19 year old who she first meets fleeing the site of a joy riding crash into a church (a church Bess later visits albeit she is unable to find the same underpinning of faith as Eshal). Boy she later finds works as Tesco’s and lives (estranged from his parents) a precarious hand to mouth existence with his sister - a single Mum (the baby’s father being in jail).
The book then traces Bess and Eshal’s attempts to navigate Bess’s pregnancy. An initial attempt at a traditional home-made abortion ends with alcohol poisoning, second degree burns and with Eshal’s horrified parents accelerating their plans and then makes Bess and Eshal’s choices increasingly time constrained as well as increasingly conflicted from their foster parents/parents.
I must admit I did not really like a number of aspects of the way that the book developed. The Eshal storyline left me uneasy as I was not sure how appropriated it was - and the resolution in particular seemed both incredibly neat and potentially culturally implausible (another very detailed and informative review on here seems to confirm that). I was unconvinced the authorities would not have done more to trace Boy. While the author is clearly infinitely more qualified than me to talk about living in care and being a care leaver - I did feel that the role of Foster Parents was given a fairly black and white treatment - and I was completely unable to tie it up with a number of people over the years who I have known to foster. And I also found the resolution of Bess’s own dilemma troubling purely for personal reasons.
So overall a competently written book - but one which I was both surprised to see on the longlist and which did not quite work for me (hence my rating).
February 15, 2023
a coming-of-age story centred around topical issues such as the broken care system, teenage pregnancy and racism, careless follows fifteen-year-old best friends bess and eshal. the former falls pregnant by an individual older than her and is terrified of how her foster family will react, wanting more for herself beyond the confines of where she lives and the life her foster mother pictures for her. the latter dreams of more than an arranged marriage and to grow beyond the hostility the area they live in bestows upon her, with no idea how to communicate this to her family. together, both deal with more beyond their years, growing up faster than they should.
overall, this is a heavy story that alongside exploring the issues mentioned earlier, cements the idea of just how important those you surround yourself with in your teenage years are to you, no matter where you all go next.
"so we lie very still, our fingers intertwined, the skin on the palms of our hands calloused but not broken, and we look up.�
- 3.5 stars!
overall, this is a heavy story that alongside exploring the issues mentioned earlier, cements the idea of just how important those you surround yourself with in your teenage years are to you, no matter where you all go next.
"so we lie very still, our fingers intertwined, the skin on the palms of our hands calloused but not broken, and we look up.�
- 3.5 stars!
April 1, 2022
I liked this quite a bit more than I thought I would.
3.5* rounded up because it's a debut.
3.5* rounded up because it's a debut.
March 21, 2021
4� A Raw, Thought Provoking, Gritty & Enthralling YA Read. A Page Turner!
Wow I finished reading this book 2 days ago and after processing the book I feel ready to write my thoughts on this wonderful and heart-rending story.
First of all I want to start by saying this book is very much a story of two halves. The first being a young teenager who falls in love and her story on meeting "The Boy" then the Second half is where I became completely Enthralled and this book for me became a page turner!
The second half is the story of Bess, and how she deals with the aftermath of finding out she's pregnant, to the fraught relationship she has with her Foster Mum and how she grows up and takes charge of her life.
Lucky for Bess she has best friend Eshal by her side, who has her back the whole time. As does Bess when Eshal's parents try and persuade her to have an arranged married.
This book has many trigger warnings, mild drug use, Foster care, abortion, attempted home abortion, rape, racism, arranged marriage and cultural difference.
The first half of the book felt very much like I was reading a teen YA read, the language and characters all very fitting to the theme. Bess being just 15 when she met "The Boy" who was a good few years older, it wasn't exactly a love story, but at 15 you fall in love quick and your whole world revolves around the boy you love.
The story is told by Bess and how she meets him and how she ends up pregnant.
Careless really isn't your typical YA read it's Raw and Poignant and deals with difficult subjects.
To be honest it took me by surprise just how much this book effected me.
My heart went out to Bess so much. Those who were supposed to love and protect her (her Foster Mum), turned on her and that really got my blood boiling. I was elated when she finally got a social care worker who respected and cares for her.
As I said before the second half of the book was thought provoking, raw, emotional, yet somehow triumphant.
If you like reading very gritty, hard hitting, raw, emotional YA Books, with well written complex characters and important issues addressed then I highly recommend you pick up a copy now!
As they say... don't judge a book by it's cover...but for me it was more the case of.... don't judge a book by it's first half!
Thank you to Orion Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
You can Find this Review and all my Other Reviews on My Blog :-
Wow I finished reading this book 2 days ago and after processing the book I feel ready to write my thoughts on this wonderful and heart-rending story.
First of all I want to start by saying this book is very much a story of two halves. The first being a young teenager who falls in love and her story on meeting "The Boy" then the Second half is where I became completely Enthralled and this book for me became a page turner!
The second half is the story of Bess, and how she deals with the aftermath of finding out she's pregnant, to the fraught relationship she has with her Foster Mum and how she grows up and takes charge of her life.
Lucky for Bess she has best friend Eshal by her side, who has her back the whole time. As does Bess when Eshal's parents try and persuade her to have an arranged married.
This book has many trigger warnings, mild drug use, Foster care, abortion, attempted home abortion, rape, racism, arranged marriage and cultural difference.
The first half of the book felt very much like I was reading a teen YA read, the language and characters all very fitting to the theme. Bess being just 15 when she met "The Boy" who was a good few years older, it wasn't exactly a love story, but at 15 you fall in love quick and your whole world revolves around the boy you love.
The story is told by Bess and how she meets him and how she ends up pregnant.
Careless really isn't your typical YA read it's Raw and Poignant and deals with difficult subjects.
To be honest it took me by surprise just how much this book effected me.
My heart went out to Bess so much. Those who were supposed to love and protect her (her Foster Mum), turned on her and that really got my blood boiling. I was elated when she finally got a social care worker who respected and cares for her.
As I said before the second half of the book was thought provoking, raw, emotional, yet somehow triumphant.
If you like reading very gritty, hard hitting, raw, emotional YA Books, with well written complex characters and important issues addressed then I highly recommend you pick up a copy now!
As they say... don't judge a book by it's cover...but for me it was more the case of.... don't judge a book by it's first half!
Thank you to Orion Publishing and Netgalley for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
You can Find this Review and all my Other Reviews on My Blog :-
September 3, 2024
Careless is a coming of age story that maps the journey of two 15-year-old friends—Bess and Eshal—the former pregnant by an older Boy and the latter dealing with daily racism and talks of an impending arranged marriage. Set in the late 90s, Careless is a discomfiting read that deals with several issues like racism, teenage pregnancy, and broken care system, which are still relevant today.
Bess’s predicament is clear from the tone of the opening chapter as she learns about her pregnancy and is worried about breaking the news to her foster family and Boy, the father of the child. We see her make stupid and harmful decisions with her best-friend Eshal
Bess is a flawed character, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her as several toxic people surrounded her. Her foster family is a sad reminder of many families exploiting orphans solely for monetary benefits. Her relationship with Boy is a major red flag as we see her all moon-eyed, always feeling inferior and looking for his validation. And from their interactions, Boy comes off as a manipulative jerk. And then shit happened. I’m happy that the author did not romanticise their relationship.
Including Eshal and her Bangladeshi background seemed natural, and I adored their friendship, despite the flaws in said relationship. Both girls are far braver than they credit themselves with. The author handled the issues of racism and religion sensitively. I also appreciated how the author portrayed Eshal’s conflicting thought process of wanting to get married to not disappoint her parents and wanting to marry out of love. Many Asian women can relate to this.
oncoming rant (including spoilers)�
However, I do have a slight problem with how the author handled ‘forced marriage� and swept it under the rug of ‘miscommunication.� The author included a discussion on family honour and shame, but there are some painful nuances she overlooked. A boy with a similar background to Eshal gets disowned by his family after he marries a foreign girl, but it will never be as simple as ‘disownment� for women. In patriarchal mindsets, the repercussions of disobedience have always been harsher for women and the author failed to grasp the seriousness of this issue. In strict cases, if a woman dared to elope or marry someone outside their religion (or caste), and bring shame to their family, the consequences range from societal humiliation, malicious gossip, and murder. More often than not, the men in her family will hunt her down and bring her to judgement either in private or in the presence of their community—where do you think honour killings come from?
Though Eshal’s case is not as severe, I find it highly implausible that Eshal’s parents are so accepting when she declares she will marry a non-Bengali boy in the future directly to their face. Perhaps Eshal’s parents love her enough to become woke out of the blue, but I do not see any direct proof of such strong parental love (with the exceptions of Bess’s observations in the novel, which are simply not reliable and insufficient to provide a concrete picture). With matters of nuptials, Asian parents are masters of persuasion and emotional blackmail. There will be a redundant cycle of conversations involving duty to family, respecting the traditions, lamentations like ‘we can’t break our promise, blah blah� and the ever-present question ‘what will our relatives think of us?�
To go against a fixed engagement, one must have a potent excuse, and since the parents proceeded with the engagement despite knowing Eshal’s goals of higher education, it is surprising that her declaration did not meet the expected resistance.
We should also note the conversation between Bess and Eshal’s brother.
Where’s Eshal?
She’s in Bangladesh with my mum.
What? Why?
She’s being introduced to someone. A potential match.
A potential husband, you mean?
Look � Bess � I know what happened. My mother said you’re not supposed to be here.
I thought your parents weren’t kicking off the matchmaking for Eshal until after your wedding?
Well � after the stunt you two pulled � they’ve decided to speed it up.
Since the lack of satisfactory evidence of the characters inner thoughts, I’m taking the liberty to extrapolate on the connotations of the above conversation and establish the rationale behind the hasty engagement.
Since abortion is illegal in Bangladesh unless the mother’s life is in danger, and considering that Bess might have died in their home because of Eshal’s stupidity, I can understand her parent’s rightly justified disappointment in their actions. A heavy reprimand, educating them about the dangers of self-medication, and maybe grounding them for a few months seems to be the logical course of action. Since they prevented Bess and Eshal from meeting each other, I cannot understand why this incident acted as a trigger to hasten the matchmaking process and cartwheeled to engagement. I think Eshal’s parents are smart enough to know that engagement doesn’t curtail stupidity.
Another plausible cause might be that Eshal’s parents are afraid of Bess’s influence on their daughter(and maybe are of the opinion that Bess’s wayward ways will corrupt Eshal) as pre-marital pregnancies are a taboo in their culture. If so, we can say that by engaging their daughter, they are counting on the fact that the engagement will act as a timely reminder and deter her from debauching herself and shaming their family. I’m more inclined to believe this.
Proceeding further...
Anwar, you know how sick that is, right? She’s sixteen years old. She doesn’t need to be in Bangladesh picking out her husband!
Bess, look, don’t get involved.
He steps past me and unlocks the front door.
You know she doesn’t want it, right?
He turns around and frowns at me.
Don’t be ridiculous. Of course she wants it. And even if she didn’t, it’s not just about her. This is our cultural heritage. It’s tradition. I don’t expect you to understand that.
This conversation solidified my previous opinion that the entire issue between Eshal and her parents is downplayed. As someone whose culture is highly similar to Eshal’s, and given the era, I find it almost humorous that Eshal’s parents had a sudden change of mind only after social services come knocking on their door. And you want me to believe these orthodox people suddenly changed their thinking? Nah. Eshal leaving her parent's house would've been more realistic
P.S: I revised my thoughts and yes, I do blame the author for not handling the nuances of a culture in which most women simply don't have the luxury of saying NO. When a simple research tells you more about the reality of women in such cultures, it is a shame that an author chose to whitewash the cultural consequences for women daring to go against societal norms. Just because the author is unfamiliar with the said culture, it does not remove her from culpability.
CW: rape, racism, induced abortion, abortion, physical and emotional abuse.
Bess’s predicament is clear from the tone of the opening chapter as she learns about her pregnancy and is worried about breaking the news to her foster family and Boy, the father of the child. We see her make stupid and harmful decisions with her best-friend Eshal
Bess is a flawed character, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her as several toxic people surrounded her. Her foster family is a sad reminder of many families exploiting orphans solely for monetary benefits. Her relationship with Boy is a major red flag as we see her all moon-eyed, always feeling inferior and looking for his validation. And from their interactions, Boy comes off as a manipulative jerk. And then shit happened. I’m happy that the author did not romanticise their relationship.
Including Eshal and her Bangladeshi background seemed natural, and I adored their friendship, despite the flaws in said relationship. Both girls are far braver than they credit themselves with. The author handled the issues of racism and religion sensitively. I also appreciated how the author portrayed Eshal’s conflicting thought process of wanting to get married to not disappoint her parents and wanting to marry out of love. Many Asian women can relate to this.
oncoming rant (including spoilers)�
However, I do have a slight problem with how the author handled ‘forced marriage� and swept it under the rug of ‘miscommunication.� The author included a discussion on family honour and shame, but there are some painful nuances she overlooked. A boy with a similar background to Eshal gets disowned by his family after he marries a foreign girl, but it will never be as simple as ‘disownment� for women. In patriarchal mindsets, the repercussions of disobedience have always been harsher for women and the author failed to grasp the seriousness of this issue. In strict cases, if a woman dared to elope or marry someone outside their religion (or caste), and bring shame to their family, the consequences range from societal humiliation, malicious gossip, and murder. More often than not, the men in her family will hunt her down and bring her to judgement either in private or in the presence of their community—where do you think honour killings come from?
Though Eshal’s case is not as severe, I find it highly implausible that Eshal’s parents are so accepting when she declares she will marry a non-Bengali boy in the future directly to their face. Perhaps Eshal’s parents love her enough to become woke out of the blue, but I do not see any direct proof of such strong parental love (with the exceptions of Bess’s observations in the novel, which are simply not reliable and insufficient to provide a concrete picture). With matters of nuptials, Asian parents are masters of persuasion and emotional blackmail. There will be a redundant cycle of conversations involving duty to family, respecting the traditions, lamentations like ‘we can’t break our promise, blah blah� and the ever-present question ‘what will our relatives think of us?�
To go against a fixed engagement, one must have a potent excuse, and since the parents proceeded with the engagement despite knowing Eshal’s goals of higher education, it is surprising that her declaration did not meet the expected resistance.
We should also note the conversation between Bess and Eshal’s brother.
Where’s Eshal?
She’s in Bangladesh with my mum.
What? Why?
She’s being introduced to someone. A potential match.
A potential husband, you mean?
Look � Bess � I know what happened. My mother said you’re not supposed to be here.
I thought your parents weren’t kicking off the matchmaking for Eshal until after your wedding?
Well � after the stunt you two pulled � they’ve decided to speed it up.
Since the lack of satisfactory evidence of the characters inner thoughts, I’m taking the liberty to extrapolate on the connotations of the above conversation and establish the rationale behind the hasty engagement.
Since abortion is illegal in Bangladesh unless the mother’s life is in danger, and considering that Bess might have died in their home because of Eshal’s stupidity, I can understand her parent’s rightly justified disappointment in their actions. A heavy reprimand, educating them about the dangers of self-medication, and maybe grounding them for a few months seems to be the logical course of action. Since they prevented Bess and Eshal from meeting each other, I cannot understand why this incident acted as a trigger to hasten the matchmaking process and cartwheeled to engagement. I think Eshal’s parents are smart enough to know that engagement doesn’t curtail stupidity.
Another plausible cause might be that Eshal’s parents are afraid of Bess’s influence on their daughter(and maybe are of the opinion that Bess’s wayward ways will corrupt Eshal) as pre-marital pregnancies are a taboo in their culture. If so, we can say that by engaging their daughter, they are counting on the fact that the engagement will act as a timely reminder and deter her from debauching herself and shaming their family. I’m more inclined to believe this.
Proceeding further...
Anwar, you know how sick that is, right? She’s sixteen years old. She doesn’t need to be in Bangladesh picking out her husband!
Bess, look, don’t get involved.
He steps past me and unlocks the front door.
You know she doesn’t want it, right?
He turns around and frowns at me.
Don’t be ridiculous. Of course she wants it. And even if she didn’t, it’s not just about her. This is our cultural heritage. It’s tradition. I don’t expect you to understand that.
This conversation solidified my previous opinion that the entire issue between Eshal and her parents is downplayed. As someone whose culture is highly similar to Eshal’s, and given the era, I find it almost humorous that Eshal’s parents had a sudden change of mind only after social services come knocking on their door. And you want me to believe these orthodox people suddenly changed their thinking? Nah. Eshal leaving her parent's house would've been more realistic
P.S: I revised my thoughts and yes, I do blame the author for not handling the nuances of a culture in which most women simply don't have the luxury of saying NO. When a simple research tells you more about the reality of women in such cultures, it is a shame that an author chose to whitewash the cultural consequences for women daring to go against societal norms. Just because the author is unfamiliar with the said culture, it does not remove her from culpability.
CW: rape, racism, induced abortion, abortion, physical and emotional abuse.
June 25, 2021
As soon as I read the first chapter I knew this would become a favourite of the year. I became completely compelled by Kirsty’s writing. Her attention to detail for the characterisation of our teen main character Bess is simply stunning.
This is a narrative surrounding life in care and the nuances that are often left out of popular discourse. It also covers teen pregnancy, the trials of navigating sex as a young person with no support, mental health, racism, and the strength of female friendship.
I urge everyone to pick up this wonderful debut novel that explores topics that are so underrepresented in fiction. I loved how everything was fleshed out and she explored the nuances and grey areas of life in care. Kirsty’s writing is just beautiful and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.
Read if you like:
👭 coming of age stories about teenage girls
👭 discourse about the care system
👭 female friendship & found family narratives
This is a narrative surrounding life in care and the nuances that are often left out of popular discourse. It also covers teen pregnancy, the trials of navigating sex as a young person with no support, mental health, racism, and the strength of female friendship.
I urge everyone to pick up this wonderful debut novel that explores topics that are so underrepresented in fiction. I loved how everything was fleshed out and she explored the nuances and grey areas of life in care. Kirsty’s writing is just beautiful and I can’t wait to see what she comes out with next.
Read if you like:
👭 coming of age stories about teenage girls
👭 discourse about the care system
👭 female friendship & found family narratives
June 7, 2022
quite frankly this is a perfect book. I wanted to reread it the second I finished the last page
March 12, 2022
This is a fabulous novel. It’s much more literary fiction than young adult. The category is misleading, I suppose because Bess, the protagonist, is only 15 years old. That's like saying The Catcher in the Rye is young adult.
Bess is pregnant at 15 and can’t tell her foster parents. "I can’t remember a time � except maybe when I was tiny, at the very beginning, when I first came to live with them � that Mum hasn’t been irritated with me. It’s like I can’t do anything right. I think she’s way too harsh on me." Bess realizes her foster parents love her conditionally, unlike their “blood� daughter Clarissa. "Clarissa is ten and the sparkling, legitimate, blood-related daughter of the family...I’m the Other Child." Bess's social worker Henry is "useless." Bess must get through her ordeal with the help of her best friend, Eshal, a Pakistani girl whose parents are in the process of arranging her marriage to a stranger.
The novel is told in the first person, present tense by Bess. In this way, the reader gets deep inside her head and feels her ambivalence about her foster parents, the mother in particular, and the predicament in which she finds herself. Capes really captures the intense emotions of a teen girl challenged by her circumstances: foster parents who don't truly love her, an unexpected pregnancy from statutory rape, and the foster care system itself.
The novel is rife with symbolism which makes it feel much more like literary fiction than a young adult novel. Of course, there is "Boy", who could be anyone and shows the susceptibility of young girls to the allure of older men (he's 19), even though he treats Bess with disdain. And there is the film studio that's adjacent to Bess's home. Stage H always looms in the background for Bess, reminding her that she wants to go to film school, a difficult endeavor in light of her pregnancy. "The shadow of Stage H looms over him from behind the barbed-wire fence."
The relationship between Bess and Beshal is beautiful. Beshal has her own challenges with her parents and racism and it's wonderful to watch as they support each other and forge a path to adulthood. The girls are humiliated by others in their school. "Hey, Hannah, look who it is, Paki Girl and Demon Goth."
I can’t say much more without giving the plot away. Suffice it to say that the book was thoroughly engaging and deserves to be on the long list for the women’s fiction prize. I hope it makes it to the short list.
Bess is pregnant at 15 and can’t tell her foster parents. "I can’t remember a time � except maybe when I was tiny, at the very beginning, when I first came to live with them � that Mum hasn’t been irritated with me. It’s like I can’t do anything right. I think she’s way too harsh on me." Bess realizes her foster parents love her conditionally, unlike their “blood� daughter Clarissa. "Clarissa is ten and the sparkling, legitimate, blood-related daughter of the family...I’m the Other Child." Bess's social worker Henry is "useless." Bess must get through her ordeal with the help of her best friend, Eshal, a Pakistani girl whose parents are in the process of arranging her marriage to a stranger.
The novel is told in the first person, present tense by Bess. In this way, the reader gets deep inside her head and feels her ambivalence about her foster parents, the mother in particular, and the predicament in which she finds herself. Capes really captures the intense emotions of a teen girl challenged by her circumstances: foster parents who don't truly love her, an unexpected pregnancy from statutory rape, and the foster care system itself.
The novel is rife with symbolism which makes it feel much more like literary fiction than a young adult novel. Of course, there is "Boy", who could be anyone and shows the susceptibility of young girls to the allure of older men (he's 19), even though he treats Bess with disdain. And there is the film studio that's adjacent to Bess's home. Stage H always looms in the background for Bess, reminding her that she wants to go to film school, a difficult endeavor in light of her pregnancy. "The shadow of Stage H looms over him from behind the barbed-wire fence."
The relationship between Bess and Beshal is beautiful. Beshal has her own challenges with her parents and racism and it's wonderful to watch as they support each other and forge a path to adulthood. The girls are humiliated by others in their school. "Hey, Hannah, look who it is, Paki Girl and Demon Goth."
I can’t say much more without giving the plot away. Suffice it to say that the book was thoroughly engaging and deserves to be on the long list for the women’s fiction prize. I hope it makes it to the short list.
July 24, 2021
Careless - Kirsty Capes
Bess finds herself 15 and pregnant to nineteen year old rebel, ‘Boy�. She is a foster child in a long term care placement with parents who love her� really. But as we read on we discover how complicated the situation is. A lot of pressure is put on Bess to do the right thing�. But what is the right thing? Who’s decision is this?
Careless touches on some big themes such as parental attachment, role modelling, acceptance, consent, and pushing boundaries within family, friendships and relationships. Bess and Eshal’s friendship is was incredible special and very significant. Eshal’s story also had many important themes to it like cultural expectations and racism, as she and her family were often the victim of racial slurs and oppression.
As we learnt more about the characters and how complex they were, I found myself feeling so conflicted by everyone. One minute I was sympathetic and the next angry or disappointed - and in this alone, really takes you back to being a teen!
This book reminds us of how hard, awkward and confusing being a teenager is. Testing new freedoms, pushing boundaries and realising the shocking truths of what the big wide world is really like.
I felt like the title ‘Careless� was really significant had many different meanings. There was being young and careless- not having to worry about all adult responsibilities yet, being careless and making mistakes or ending up in a tricky situation, and also being care-less as in having no one to care for you when the going gets tough.
Careless is the ultimate coming of age novel that explores all of the ups and downs of being a teen. The random, British, dry humour at times picked me up when the mood of the book was low. And throughout there was serious Meg Mason vibes (amazing author who I am an absolute super fan of).
I just loved this book so much!!
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are quite a few triggers and sensitive topics throughout especially around (but definitely not limited to) teenage pregnancy. If you want to know more before reading- feed free to DM me.
Purchased from @booketybookbooks and read as the July pick for the Bookety Book Club 💕
Bess finds herself 15 and pregnant to nineteen year old rebel, ‘Boy�. She is a foster child in a long term care placement with parents who love her� really. But as we read on we discover how complicated the situation is. A lot of pressure is put on Bess to do the right thing�. But what is the right thing? Who’s decision is this?
Careless touches on some big themes such as parental attachment, role modelling, acceptance, consent, and pushing boundaries within family, friendships and relationships. Bess and Eshal’s friendship is was incredible special and very significant. Eshal’s story also had many important themes to it like cultural expectations and racism, as she and her family were often the victim of racial slurs and oppression.
As we learnt more about the characters and how complex they were, I found myself feeling so conflicted by everyone. One minute I was sympathetic and the next angry or disappointed - and in this alone, really takes you back to being a teen!
This book reminds us of how hard, awkward and confusing being a teenager is. Testing new freedoms, pushing boundaries and realising the shocking truths of what the big wide world is really like.
I felt like the title ‘Careless� was really significant had many different meanings. There was being young and careless- not having to worry about all adult responsibilities yet, being careless and making mistakes or ending up in a tricky situation, and also being care-less as in having no one to care for you when the going gets tough.
Careless is the ultimate coming of age novel that explores all of the ups and downs of being a teen. The random, British, dry humour at times picked me up when the mood of the book was low. And throughout there was serious Meg Mason vibes (amazing author who I am an absolute super fan of).
I just loved this book so much!!
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There are quite a few triggers and sensitive topics throughout especially around (but definitely not limited to) teenage pregnancy. If you want to know more before reading- feed free to DM me.
Purchased from @booketybookbooks and read as the July pick for the Bookety Book Club 💕
March 13, 2022
Wir treffen in dem Buch auf Bess, die in einer Imbisstoilette einen Schwangerschaftstest macht und feststellt, dass dieser positiv ausfällt. Es ist das Jahr 1999, sie ist 15 Jahre alt und der Vater des ungeborenen Kindes hat sich seit Wochen nicht bei ihr gemeldet oder auf ihre Anrufe reagiert. Darüber hinaus ist das Verhältnis zu ihrer Pflegemutter gerade noch angespannter als sonst und die einzige, der sie sich anvertraut, ist ihre beste Freundin Eshal. Die allerdings hat gerade auch ihre eigenen Sorgen, mit Eltern die sie nach Tradition ihrer Herkunft, in eine arrangierte Ehe führen möchten.
Bei diesem Buch ist das passiert, was ich als Leserin am meisten liebe: Ein Buch wird entdeckt (im diesem Fall auf der Longlist für den Women's Prize for Fiction 2022) und löst sofort den Impuls aus, alles andere liegen zu lassen und es zu kaufen und zu lesen. Hier war es für mich die absolut richtige Entscheidung, denn es hat mich vollkommen überzeugt.
Die Autorin war selber im Kinder-und Jugendhilfe System untergebracht und kennt daher die Probleme, die die Strukturen dort mit sich bringen aus eigener Erfahrung. Man merkt in jeder Zeile, die Empathie für die Hauptfigur und kommt dieser auf diese Weise sehr nah. Es wird unglaublich gut ein Verständnis für die Situation bei den Lesenden geweckt. Die Geschichte wirkt durchgehend authentisch und realitätsnah. Das Verhalten aller Charaktere wird sehr nachvollziehbar, auch mit allen Ambivalenzen, gezeichnet und schlüssig dargestellt.
Auf intensive Weise leuchtet die Autorin die Grenzen des Care-Systems aus, die sich genau so auf das deutsche System übertragen lassen. Das Kernproblem wird nur allzu deutlich: Bedingungslose Liebe, wie sie insbesondere Kinder und Jugendliche dringend brauchen, bekommt man nur sehr schwer woanders her, als von den leiblichen Eltern.
Darüber hinaus werden anhand der Geschichte von Bess Freundin Eshal das Thema Rassismus und der Umgang damit gut in die Geschichte eingeflochten. Auch wird am Beispiel dieser Familie, mit viel Respekt und Feingefühl, auf das Dilemma eingegangen, sich zwischen eigenen Wünschen und den Erwartungen der Familie aufgerieben zu fühlen.
Ein sehr gutes Buch, für das ich auf eine Übersetzung ins Deutsche hoffe, damit es hier noch mehr LeserInnen erreichen kann.
Bei diesem Buch ist das passiert, was ich als Leserin am meisten liebe: Ein Buch wird entdeckt (im diesem Fall auf der Longlist für den Women's Prize for Fiction 2022) und löst sofort den Impuls aus, alles andere liegen zu lassen und es zu kaufen und zu lesen. Hier war es für mich die absolut richtige Entscheidung, denn es hat mich vollkommen überzeugt.
Die Autorin war selber im Kinder-und Jugendhilfe System untergebracht und kennt daher die Probleme, die die Strukturen dort mit sich bringen aus eigener Erfahrung. Man merkt in jeder Zeile, die Empathie für die Hauptfigur und kommt dieser auf diese Weise sehr nah. Es wird unglaublich gut ein Verständnis für die Situation bei den Lesenden geweckt. Die Geschichte wirkt durchgehend authentisch und realitätsnah. Das Verhalten aller Charaktere wird sehr nachvollziehbar, auch mit allen Ambivalenzen, gezeichnet und schlüssig dargestellt.
Auf intensive Weise leuchtet die Autorin die Grenzen des Care-Systems aus, die sich genau so auf das deutsche System übertragen lassen. Das Kernproblem wird nur allzu deutlich: Bedingungslose Liebe, wie sie insbesondere Kinder und Jugendliche dringend brauchen, bekommt man nur sehr schwer woanders her, als von den leiblichen Eltern.
Darüber hinaus werden anhand der Geschichte von Bess Freundin Eshal das Thema Rassismus und der Umgang damit gut in die Geschichte eingeflochten. Auch wird am Beispiel dieser Familie, mit viel Respekt und Feingefühl, auf das Dilemma eingegangen, sich zwischen eigenen Wünschen und den Erwartungen der Familie aufgerieben zu fühlen.
Ein sehr gutes Buch, für das ich auf eine Übersetzung ins Deutsche hoffe, damit es hier noch mehr LeserInnen erreichen kann.
March 23, 2022
QOTD: Let's be honest here, do you have a book in mind where you think it should not be nominated for any major book prizes?
I am frustrated and cannot fathom why good books such as Assembly (by Natasha Brown) or Fault Lines (by Emily Itami) can be overlooked by the Women's Prize for Fiction! Yet, such a mediocre book managed to snatch a spot.
Careless is narrated by 15-year-old Bess, who is living with her foster parents. The story opens with Bess discovering that she is pregnant. She couldn't tell anyone: her social worker Henry, her foster mother Lisa (whereby Bess and Lisa's relationship is strained), her boyfriend Boy, and her best friend Eshal (the only Asian in the school, also an outcast at school like Bess). While retracing Bess's relationship with Boy, the story also follows Bess and Eshal's attempts to deal with Bess's pregnancy.
I will be short and blunt with this review. Careless reads like a mediocre YA fiction with poor and shallow characterization. While the author attempts to explore complex themes such as teen pregnancy, the complications faced by children under foster care, and racism (in particular, discrimination towards Asians), these themes were explored in a very surfaced manner. This is a shame I was made to understand that the author is a qualified "care leaver" and she is supposed to be able to explore these issues with ease. Not to mention that the dialogues between characters are cringy and awkward. I am further not convinced with Eshal's storyline and I do think that the incorporation of her character smells "marketing" to me as the issue of "Asian hate" is also not fully explored. Perhaps I am not the target audience for this book as I thought that a book that is longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction should at least attain some literary quality. Not going to provide any rating for this one as I am truly frustrated and disappointed with the Judges' pick for this book.
I am frustrated and cannot fathom why good books such as Assembly (by Natasha Brown) or Fault Lines (by Emily Itami) can be overlooked by the Women's Prize for Fiction! Yet, such a mediocre book managed to snatch a spot.
Careless is narrated by 15-year-old Bess, who is living with her foster parents. The story opens with Bess discovering that she is pregnant. She couldn't tell anyone: her social worker Henry, her foster mother Lisa (whereby Bess and Lisa's relationship is strained), her boyfriend Boy, and her best friend Eshal (the only Asian in the school, also an outcast at school like Bess). While retracing Bess's relationship with Boy, the story also follows Bess and Eshal's attempts to deal with Bess's pregnancy.
I will be short and blunt with this review. Careless reads like a mediocre YA fiction with poor and shallow characterization. While the author attempts to explore complex themes such as teen pregnancy, the complications faced by children under foster care, and racism (in particular, discrimination towards Asians), these themes were explored in a very surfaced manner. This is a shame I was made to understand that the author is a qualified "care leaver" and she is supposed to be able to explore these issues with ease. Not to mention that the dialogues between characters are cringy and awkward. I am further not convinced with Eshal's storyline and I do think that the incorporation of her character smells "marketing" to me as the issue of "Asian hate" is also not fully explored. Perhaps I am not the target audience for this book as I thought that a book that is longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction should at least attain some literary quality. Not going to provide any rating for this one as I am truly frustrated and disappointed with the Judges' pick for this book.
January 25, 2022
"Careless" é um livro que aborda temas pertinentes como a gravidez na adolescência, pais adoptivos, casamentos arranjados e relações tóxicas. Bess é uma adolescente de quinze anos gravida e sem suporte emocional. Sua mãe adoptiva é sempre demasiado dura com ela. O sistema trata-a como um objecto. A única com que ela pode confiar é a sua melhor amiga Esh, que também enfrente os seus próprios problemas ( como o facto dos pais quererem-lhe arranjar um noivo).
Ao longo da jornada de Bess conhecemos o modo como ela conheceu Boy, e como essa relação ainda a tornou mais instável. Também entendemos, que ao contrário da família de Esh onde existe amor e compreensão, na família adoptiva de Bess existe uma constante tensão entre esta e a mãe. No qual ela utiliza-se dos sistemas sociais como uma ameaça, e a acusa em relação a todo. Revolta-nos o modo como esta adolescente é abandonada e a tomar decisões inconsequentes. Mas a culpa não é dela, mas sim dos pais que deviam estar ao seu lado.
Este é uma narrativa que podia bem ser a realidade de muitos adolescentes, e da qual considero ser uma leitura importante para alguns compreenderem como é importante evitarmos relacionamentos com pessoas que mal conhecemos.
Ao longo da jornada de Bess conhecemos o modo como ela conheceu Boy, e como essa relação ainda a tornou mais instável. Também entendemos, que ao contrário da família de Esh onde existe amor e compreensão, na família adoptiva de Bess existe uma constante tensão entre esta e a mãe. No qual ela utiliza-se dos sistemas sociais como uma ameaça, e a acusa em relação a todo. Revolta-nos o modo como esta adolescente é abandonada e a tomar decisões inconsequentes. Mas a culpa não é dela, mas sim dos pais que deviam estar ao seu lado.
Este é uma narrativa que podia bem ser a realidade de muitos adolescentes, e da qual considero ser uma leitura importante para alguns compreenderem como é importante evitarmos relacionamentos com pessoas que mal conhecemos.
July 30, 2021
Excellent, I loved this book. I like the title, not just careless behaviour, a world which couldn’t care less, a need for a different care system, the importance of having people who care about you and others. Clever writing, hard to put down too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2021
this is just fantastic, I can barely fault it, read it
March 17, 2022
Bess is fifteen years old when she finds out she's pregnant. Although she's been in a long-term foster care placement since she was four, she's never felt that she truly belongs to her foster family, and her boyfriend, Boy, has gone AWOL. The only person she can really rely on is her best friend Eshal, but Eshal has problems of her own - she's worried that her Bangladeshi Muslim family are going to encourage her into an arranged marriage she does not want. Careless,Kirsty Capes's debut novel, starts with Bess's discovery of her pregnancy and then flashes back to explore her relationship with Boy and friendship with Eshal, before moving forward along the original timeline.
First things first: I enjoyed Carelessmuch more than I expected to. This is a book about teenagers that could be read by teenagers, but I wouldn't class it as YA and it doesn't seem to have been sold as such. This is a relief. My problems with YA have never been that it's written for a teenage audience but about the conventions and stereotypical assumptions that have become wrapped up with writing for that audience.Carelessavoids these tropes. I'd place it alongside Shappi Khorsandi'sNina Is Not OK,which deals sensitively and thoughtfully with alcoholism and sexuality. LikeNina,Carelessis a dark and painful read - but this certainly should not exclude it from an adolescent as well as an adult readership.
Bess is a compelling protagonist. The book cleverly moves from the relative lightheartedness of early scenes with Eshal, watching the raft race at Shepperton Village Fair and chucking rubbish at an enemy's raft, to much more harrowing scenes later on, which helps us to see Bess as a person and not just as a suffering statistic. Her world, too, is vividly evoked. Capes shuns generic council estate settings and allows us to really see the Studios Estate where Bess lives, in its everyday beauty and ugliness: 'From my bedroom window on the estate, I can see the park, with two big horse chestnut trees on the green where the parakeets roost... And the long sloping sides of the reservoir, just beyond the farmer's fields... I can see the River Ash Woods, where everyone goes to fly-tip and inject heroin. And then the tin houses,which are what everyone calls the pre-fabs, from after the Second World War'.
However, I didn't think the structure of the novel served Capes's purposes particularly well.By positioning all that comes before the positive pregnancy test as flashback, the reader is simply waiting for Carelessto catch up with itself. This messes with the pacing and also draws attention away from the most important element of the novel - the friendship between Bess and Eshal. I've been seeing this thriller device - pulling a scene from the middle and putting it at the beginning - more and more in books that are not thrillers. I suspect it is often advised by agents and editors, but it doesn't work well for me as a reader. ForCareless,certainly, I would have appreciated more time to get to know Bess before the book starts to revolve around her pregnancy.
There are also a few duff notes. I agree with this reviewer that Eshal's plotline is too neatly concluded, although I imagine this came from Cape's over-cautiousness in tackling this subject as a white writer. Bess's voice generally works very well, but occasionally she feels like a mouthpiece for important things that Capes wants to say about the experience of being in care that probably wouldn't come out of the mouth of a 1990s teenager. For example: 'There's something wrong with being in care, the caresystem,and it's making us into atransaction... It's not right, how we're treated like a job. There's too much emotional labour involved.'Having said that, I thought that Cape's handling of the reasons behind Bess entering foster care in the first place was exceptional. She tells the reader just enough so we can guess at what happened but allows us to understand it through the fragmented lens of Bess's trauma, or what we might identify as complex PTSD.
So, a flawed book, for me, but one which I think deserves its Women's Prize longlisting, and which certainly achieves what it's trying to do much better than the other two novels on the list I've read so far. I doubt it will be shortlisted - the quote from Pandora Sykes on the cover makes me think it was the pet pick of a single judge - but I'm glad that I read it. 3.5 stars.
First things first: I enjoyed Carelessmuch more than I expected to. This is a book about teenagers that could be read by teenagers, but I wouldn't class it as YA and it doesn't seem to have been sold as such. This is a relief. My problems with YA have never been that it's written for a teenage audience but about the conventions and stereotypical assumptions that have become wrapped up with writing for that audience.Carelessavoids these tropes. I'd place it alongside Shappi Khorsandi'sNina Is Not OK,which deals sensitively and thoughtfully with alcoholism and sexuality. LikeNina,Carelessis a dark and painful read - but this certainly should not exclude it from an adolescent as well as an adult readership.
Bess is a compelling protagonist. The book cleverly moves from the relative lightheartedness of early scenes with Eshal, watching the raft race at Shepperton Village Fair and chucking rubbish at an enemy's raft, to much more harrowing scenes later on, which helps us to see Bess as a person and not just as a suffering statistic. Her world, too, is vividly evoked. Capes shuns generic council estate settings and allows us to really see the Studios Estate where Bess lives, in its everyday beauty and ugliness: 'From my bedroom window on the estate, I can see the park, with two big horse chestnut trees on the green where the parakeets roost... And the long sloping sides of the reservoir, just beyond the farmer's fields... I can see the River Ash Woods, where everyone goes to fly-tip and inject heroin. And then the tin houses,which are what everyone calls the pre-fabs, from after the Second World War'.
However, I didn't think the structure of the novel served Capes's purposes particularly well.By positioning all that comes before the positive pregnancy test as flashback, the reader is simply waiting for Carelessto catch up with itself. This messes with the pacing and also draws attention away from the most important element of the novel - the friendship between Bess and Eshal. I've been seeing this thriller device - pulling a scene from the middle and putting it at the beginning - more and more in books that are not thrillers. I suspect it is often advised by agents and editors, but it doesn't work well for me as a reader. ForCareless,certainly, I would have appreciated more time to get to know Bess before the book starts to revolve around her pregnancy.
There are also a few duff notes. I agree with this reviewer that Eshal's plotline is too neatly concluded, although I imagine this came from Cape's over-cautiousness in tackling this subject as a white writer. Bess's voice generally works very well, but occasionally she feels like a mouthpiece for important things that Capes wants to say about the experience of being in care that probably wouldn't come out of the mouth of a 1990s teenager. For example: 'There's something wrong with being in care, the caresystem,and it's making us into atransaction... It's not right, how we're treated like a job. There's too much emotional labour involved.'Having said that, I thought that Cape's handling of the reasons behind Bess entering foster care in the first place was exceptional. She tells the reader just enough so we can guess at what happened but allows us to understand it through the fragmented lens of Bess's trauma, or what we might identify as complex PTSD.
So, a flawed book, for me, but one which I think deserves its Women's Prize longlisting, and which certainly achieves what it's trying to do much better than the other two novels on the list I've read so far. I doubt it will be shortlisted - the quote from Pandora Sykes on the cover makes me think it was the pet pick of a single judge - but I'm glad that I read it. 3.5 stars.
May 11, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up for this exceptionally profound and thought-provoking book with beautifully flawed characters and a compelling narrative voice. I love how this sharp novel probes the not-so-subtle differences between chosen and adopted families � multiple puns intended � but the � um � ‘beef-pork� mix-up has held me back from giving it four or five stars.
March 8, 2025
I liked this much more than I thought I would - very good for a debut, with a great central character who actually thinks and talks like a 15 year old.
May 28, 2023
It is a heartwarming, sad, and emotional story about how all feelings and relationships are not like love stories with beautiful and predicted ending. 15 year old Bess finds out shes pregnant and her life comes more complicated, full of tangles and obstacles and she has noone to trust or talk with. And of course, Bess's stepmother did not help the girl to smooth out situations but made everything definitely more difficult.
June 12, 2024
Hi hi hi.
Tldr: I would recommend this to someone who is okay with realistic, grounded PG topics and
would find interest in experiencing the perspective of those topics from the lens of an actually unpopular teenage girl.
Anyways an interesting read to be my first completed book of 2024.
Picked this one up a while ago but a cancelled flight + delays gave me enough time to binge read the entire book over a couple days and if I could sum up the book in a couple words
I would use Teenage rebellion. Though it would hardly do it justice to sum it up in just two words.
In "Careless" we follow a young 15-year old girl called Bess and her experiences with
young love, teenage pregnancy and growth. Though Teenage pregnancy is the only the first of many, and occasionaly sensitive,
experience's we get to read upon. With our protagonist we get to see someone going through the foster care system,
the struggles and expectations of a 2nd generation immigrant and what healthy love really looks like. The journey to how she ultimately handles
these different experiences was captured in a grounded and believable way, Bess doesn't always handle things perfectly and she makes plenty of
mistakes but that's only to be expected. She's not a fantasy YA protagonist, she's an outcast but otherwise run of the mill teenager trying to
find her place in the world and I think it definitely captures that teenage rebelliousness element very well which I appreciated. What I particularly enjoyed was that while I myself have never been a 15 year-old girl and will probably never
I fully understand the world view of one I still found the book relatable at times. Which helped when at the beginning, I found besties Bess and Esh
rather abrasive, but by the end I was fully by their side with my complete support. It made seeing their every triumph feel good and their every fall
feel bad. Importantly throughout Bess' character growth it never feels like she loses her sense of self. It feels like her character is built upon,
the consistency is there but she's a better person for it, which should be expected from any good book covering character arcs its appreciated nonetheless.
That's about it really. I can see why it received the Woman's prize for fiction in 2022 and I look forward to reading more from Kirsty Capes.
Tldr: I would recommend this to someone who is okay with realistic, grounded PG topics and
would find interest in experiencing the perspective of those topics from the lens of an actually unpopular teenage girl.
Anyways an interesting read to be my first completed book of 2024.
Picked this one up a while ago but a cancelled flight + delays gave me enough time to binge read the entire book over a couple days and if I could sum up the book in a couple words
I would use Teenage rebellion. Though it would hardly do it justice to sum it up in just two words.
In "Careless" we follow a young 15-year old girl called Bess and her experiences with
young love, teenage pregnancy and growth. Though Teenage pregnancy is the only the first of many, and occasionaly sensitive,
experience's we get to read upon. With our protagonist we get to see someone going through the foster care system,
the struggles and expectations of a 2nd generation immigrant and what healthy love really looks like. The journey to how she ultimately handles
these different experiences was captured in a grounded and believable way, Bess doesn't always handle things perfectly and she makes plenty of
mistakes but that's only to be expected. She's not a fantasy YA protagonist, she's an outcast but otherwise run of the mill teenager trying to
find her place in the world and I think it definitely captures that teenage rebelliousness element very well which I appreciated. What I particularly enjoyed was that while I myself have never been a 15 year-old girl and will probably never
I fully understand the world view of one I still found the book relatable at times. Which helped when at the beginning, I found besties Bess and Esh
rather abrasive, but by the end I was fully by their side with my complete support. It made seeing their every triumph feel good and their every fall
feel bad. Importantly throughout Bess' character growth it never feels like she loses her sense of self. It feels like her character is built upon,
the consistency is there but she's a better person for it, which should be expected from any good book covering character arcs its appreciated nonetheless.
That's about it really. I can see why it received the Woman's prize for fiction in 2022 and I look forward to reading more from Kirsty Capes.
September 2, 2022
This is a book that’s really got inside my head. The characters are so well formed that they feel so real and relatable. I did struggle with the lack of speech marks at the start but I was able to see past that soon after. Definitely a book that won’t be forgotten and I’m looking forward to reading more by the author.
February 22, 2024
I’m confused by the relatively low rating of this book because I thought it was really good. I’m going to write this review before reading others because I don’t want to taint my opinion. I have to admit I partly read this book because I share my first name with the author and I’ve never read a book by a Kirsty before lol.
It took me a while to get into it because my brain kept drifting off into life admin. Once I finally got stuck in though, about 1/4 of the way through, I was really sucked in. The story was upsetting but then equally touching. When I put it down my reaction was “that. was. really. good.�
It took me a while to get into it because my brain kept drifting off into life admin. Once I finally got stuck in though, about 1/4 of the way through, I was really sucked in. The story was upsetting but then equally touching. When I put it down my reaction was “that. was. really. good.�
March 24, 2023
So glad I finally had a chance to read this. I loved it. It felt very genuine and Bess was written in such a real way. She felt like a real teenager. Sometimes frustrating but believable and interesting. I loved her friendship with Eshal and it was heartbreaking to read about most of her other relationships. But somehow the story stayed fairly hopeful in the midst of everything. I was always curious where things would go and I’m happy with how it ended.
April 15, 2022
5 stars 100% but should definitely definitely have trigger warnings
November 24, 2021
Careless is a hectic heartfelt novel that makes us question what family really means. Bess is 15 and has lived in foster care for most of her life. She dreams of making movies like the ones she loves to watch with her best friend Eshal. But she ends up pregnant and doesn’t know what to do. And Eshal no longer wants the marriage her parents are arranging for her. Will their friendship save them from their families?
I interviewed Kirsty for my show on BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland--The Big Scottish Book Club. You can check the interview out online now.
In many way, this is a classic coming-of-age story and Kirsty has a very deep personal connection to its themes. The novel is not purely autobiographical but she is clear it draws odeeplyn her own experiences of foster care. She explainsin her introduction to the novel: care-experienced people begin life with a set of statistical disadvantages: more likely to go to prison, become mentally ill or have drug-alcohol problems. 20 times more likely to die before age 25. And most experienced abuse and trauma before. Yet, she explains, looked after children and young people are viewed w/ suspicion and as a drain instead of being shown compassion and given support.
‘It took me a long time to come to terms w/ my care experience and writing this has been cathartic.� Kirsty chose a novel rather than a memoir saying: 'Through Bess - my flawed, feisty, fearless heroine- I want to change the popular narrative of the care experience.�
She certainly changes the narrative in Careless. It's destined to be a TV series and has been optioned so watch it out for it there too.
I interviewed Kirsty for my show on BBC iPlayer and BBC Scotland--The Big Scottish Book Club. You can check the interview out online now.
In many way, this is a classic coming-of-age story and Kirsty has a very deep personal connection to its themes. The novel is not purely autobiographical but she is clear it draws odeeplyn her own experiences of foster care. She explainsin her introduction to the novel: care-experienced people begin life with a set of statistical disadvantages: more likely to go to prison, become mentally ill or have drug-alcohol problems. 20 times more likely to die before age 25. And most experienced abuse and trauma before. Yet, she explains, looked after children and young people are viewed w/ suspicion and as a drain instead of being shown compassion and given support.
‘It took me a long time to come to terms w/ my care experience and writing this has been cathartic.� Kirsty chose a novel rather than a memoir saying: 'Through Bess - my flawed, feisty, fearless heroine- I want to change the popular narrative of the care experience.�
She certainly changes the narrative in Careless. It's destined to be a TV series and has been optioned so watch it out for it there too.
June 9, 2021
Fifteen-year-old foster child Bess finds out she's pregnant in a kebab shop toilet. It's so hot outside and as she waits for friend Eshal to arrive, her sandshoes are sticking to the tarmac. When Eshal shows up Bess decides she can't tell Eshal her news straightaway. She doesn't tell Henry, her social worker, or her foster mum, Lisa, either. Eshal has her own issues - she is an Asian girl with aspirations to become a vet but is anxious at the prospect of an arranged marriage. Meeting up with Eshal, her soulmate, later, Eshal guesses that Bess is expecting a baby.
The main topics are dealt with considerately and as someone who left their teenage years quite some time ago, bought back memories of the feelings that are experienced in those turbulent angst-ridden years. I could certainly relate to the relationship between Bess and Boy, the father of Bess's baby. Bess is besotted with Boy but as his attention wavered I was able to recognise Bess’s thoughts and feelings. This book was thought-provoking début by Kirsty Capes, as well as being an absorbing read from start to finish. The writing was very good, and the plot well developed. A very worthy read.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Orion Publishing via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.
The main topics are dealt with considerately and as someone who left their teenage years quite some time ago, bought back memories of the feelings that are experienced in those turbulent angst-ridden years. I could certainly relate to the relationship between Bess and Boy, the father of Bess's baby. Bess is besotted with Boy but as his attention wavered I was able to recognise Bess’s thoughts and feelings. This book was thought-provoking début by Kirsty Capes, as well as being an absorbing read from start to finish. The writing was very good, and the plot well developed. A very worthy read.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Orion Publishing via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.
June 30, 2021
What a magnificent read. It left me with tears in my eyes and hope in my heart, especially from the final line of the book which was just perfectly apt. This book is going to linger with me for quite some time. It’s about Bess, a young teen in long term foster care. Her story, her troubles with her foster family, her tumultuous first relationship and her darling of a best friend who has her own struggles. The author herself was in foster care and the way she writes just unfolds the heart of what it is like to be in care so tenderly and truthfully, it is both heartbreaking and stunning and never preachy. As a foster carer myself it was a really important read. Her foster family is flawed and yet ... aren’t we all? And the system is broken but what is the solution? When systems break but there is only flawed if well intentioned people behind it? But most of all - what does it mean for a child to be conditionally loved? How does it feel? How do you push yourself through that when you feel utterly alone in this world? You can’t imagine it if you aren’t in it.... but this author opens a window to that feeling and oh. What a privileged insight. What an incredible writer. I can’t recommend this book enough.
March 6, 2021
An interesting story about troubled teenage years. The main character, a foster child, finds that's she pregnant by a feckless boyfriend. She has little family support or social support.
The main topics are dealt with in a careful manner, and as someone who left their teenage years a long time ago, bought back memories of the strength of the feelings that are experienced in the hormone-driven and oft turbulent years for young girls especially.
I think this would be a good read for teenagers and young adults. I found that about half way through I had had enough of reliving my teenage years. That's a personal criticism though. I just don't think that in my late 50's I am the ideal audience for this novel.
Although it was good I didn't feel that it lived up to the expectations created by the publishers blurb.
The main topics are dealt with in a careful manner, and as someone who left their teenage years a long time ago, bought back memories of the strength of the feelings that are experienced in the hormone-driven and oft turbulent years for young girls especially.
I think this would be a good read for teenagers and young adults. I found that about half way through I had had enough of reliving my teenage years. That's a personal criticism though. I just don't think that in my late 50's I am the ideal audience for this novel.
Although it was good I didn't feel that it lived up to the expectations created by the publishers blurb.
May 12, 2021
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
I honestly wasn’t sure if I would relate to a YA book about teenage pregnancy, but Kirsty’s wonderful writing style and character development made it a page turner for adults to enjoy too.
The story starts with Bess� positive pregnancy test and then takes us through Bess� upbringing in the care system and her complicated relationships with her foster family, the baby’s father and her social worker. Luckily Bess has her best friend Eshal and they truly depend on each other to help them through some quite dark times. The book covers many topics which some kind find triggering but the author does so sensitively and from a young persons perspective.
An emotional, gripping read that I would definitely recommend.
I honestly wasn’t sure if I would relate to a YA book about teenage pregnancy, but Kirsty’s wonderful writing style and character development made it a page turner for adults to enjoy too.
The story starts with Bess� positive pregnancy test and then takes us through Bess� upbringing in the care system and her complicated relationships with her foster family, the baby’s father and her social worker. Luckily Bess has her best friend Eshal and they truly depend on each other to help them through some quite dark times. The book covers many topics which some kind find triggering but the author does so sensitively and from a young persons perspective.
An emotional, gripping read that I would definitely recommend.
September 15, 2021
I read this book as I'd heard a lot of buzz about it, and I really did enjoy it. It took me a bit to get into it, but it was well written, with stories that somehow felt familiar despite not being.
Really fantastic and interesting read
Really fantastic and interesting read
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