One Small Thing [Paperback]

Jessica Barksdale Inclan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2004

From the national bestselling author of When You Go Away comes a novel about infertility, parenthood, letting go of expectations-and finding unexpected joy...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Avery Tacconi, the 28-year-old heroine of Inclán's latest (after 2003's When You Go Away), wants everything to be perfect, but life keeps getting in the way of her plans in this endearing story. At first, fertility problems loom large-Avery abandoned a promising career to put more effort into conceiving-but soon enough her husband's secret past takes center stage. It turns out that before Dan straightened up and went to business school, he was a drug addict who got his then-girlfriend, Randi, pregnant without knowing it. Surprise! On a lovely summer night in the California suburb of Monte Veda, Dan gets a phone call informing him that Randi has died and left behind a 10-year-old boy, Daniel, who's probably his son. Avery-who's emotionally scarred from a childhood marred by her father's death and her mother's subsequent depression-shows little compassion for what she perceives as a sordid situation. She returns to work, where she's tempted by a love affair. Avery's bad behavior, especially when contrasted with Dan's superb adaptation to fatherhood, is an unexpected plot point that works. Daniel's arrival in Dan and Avery's home offers Inclán the chance to paint touching and realistic scenes that lift her story above standard soap opera fare. Predictably, Avery comes around in the end, but it's an intriguing-and at times maddening-journey getting her there.
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About the Author

Jessica Barksdale Inclán teaches writing, mythology, and women's literature at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California. She was a 2002-03 recipient of an Artist's Fellowship for Literature from the California Arts Council.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: NAL Trade (April 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451211197
• ISBN-13: 978-0451211194
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,296,987 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jessica Barksdale Inclan's debut novel Her Daughter's Eyes, published in 2001, was the premier novel published under New American Library's new imprint Accent. Her Daughter's Eyes was a final nominee for the YALSA Award for the best books of 2001 and best paperbacks for 2001 and has been published in Dutch and Spanish. Her next novel The Matter of Grace was published in May 2002 and was re-released in a mass market version in May 2004. Her third, When You Go Away, came out April 1, 2003. Her fourth, One Small Thing, was published April 2004, and has been published in Dutch and Spanish. Her fifth, Walking With Her Daughter, was published in April 2005. The Instant When Everything is Perfect was published in February 2006. In June 2006, she published the first in a trilogy from Kensington Books. When You Believe was followed by Reason to Believe and Believe in Me. Being with Him, Intimate Beings, and The Beautiful Being (October 2009) are the novels in her second trilogy. She is a 2002 recipient of the CAC Artist's Fellowship in Literature. Incl'n teaches composition, creative writing, mythology, and women's literature at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, and on-line creative writing courses for UCLA extension. She has studied with Sharon Olds, Anne Lamott, Kate Braverman, Grace Paley, Marjorie Sandor, and Cristina Garcia. Her short stories and poems have appeared in Rockhurst Review, Hotwired, The Salt Hill Journal, Free Lunch, The West Wind Review, The Prairie Star, Gargoyle and many other journals and newspapers. Her short story Open Eyes was given first prize by Sandra Cisneros for El Andar magazine's 2000 writing contest. She co-edited a women's literature/studies textbook Diverse Voices of Women (Mayfield Publishing, 1995). Ms. Inclan has degrees in sociology and English literature from CSU Stanislaus and a Master's degree in English literature from SFSU. Ms. Inclan lives in Oakland, California and is currently at work on her next novel. Find her Kindle books on Amazon, starting with The Wolf at the Window.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Opener!, June 25, 2004

By 

A. Hansen "AH Booklover" (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Small Thing (Paperback)

What an amazing book! I can't imagine not being able to have children. I know that in trying to have my 2nd child it took longer than I wanted and I was so dissappointed. I felt so sorry for Avery. The book examines this husband/wife relationship and how they cope with change. Sometimes I found myself sticking up for Avery and other times sticking up for Dan. Sometimes in an arguement with a spouse you only see your side and block out the other persons point of view. I found myself loving the idea of seeing both sides. It sure opens your eyes! Each of these characters talk to their friends and family more than each other and you just start wishing they would talk together. Then Avery starts to fall for someone else and everything is spinning out of control. All this is happening while Daniel is trying to start his new life with this family. Well, I loved it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One Small Thing, May 19, 2004

By 

Louise Jolly "Bookaholic" (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Small Thing (Paperback)

Jessica's newest book 'One Small Thing' explores fertility, marriage, secrets, the impact of death and estrangement from family. How people cope and struggle with various issues.

Twenty-eight year old Avery wants nothing more than to conceive and have a baby but fertility problems plague her, making her dream fade into the background. She struggles with the emotions that surround her father's death when she was a young girl and her mother's often depressed/emotional state.

Dan, Avery's husband has a past he has never told Avery about until he receives a phone call one day informing him his former girlfriend, Randi, has died and left a ten year old son, Daniel. Is he really Dan's son?

Dan has difficulty explaining his sordid and somewhat addictive past to Avery and she in turn appears to have no feeling or compassion for Dan's situation. Dan has been estranged from his parents for years and struggles to overcome and take the first step toward a reconciliation. Avery, on the other hand, is a woman with many issues, she is short, demanding and expects and desires everything to materialize and happen immediately.

Without giving away any more of the story, I will only say that my favourite character in this novel ended up being Dan, for reasons you will realize once you've read this well-written, often heartbreaking, but real life novel.

Ms. Barksdale Inclan has done it again, with another powerfully written novel. THANK YOU and keep writing!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Her best yet . . ., August 25, 2005

By 

Patricia Kay "author and avid reader" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Small Thing (Paperback)

I really loved this book and think it is Barksdale-Inclan's best yet. Avery isn't her most sympathetic heroine, although what she goes through in trying to get pregnant does make you like her, even though the way she treats Daniel after finding out about him takes away some of that sympathy. That said, the characterization of Avery is just what it should be. She is not an idealized heroine. Instead, she is very human, with many of the flaws humans can have. I thought she overreacted to Dan's past life and his decision not to tell her about it, but I understood where she was coming from and I understood why Barksdale-Inclan wrote her that way. Overall, this is a book that will keep you turning pages far into the night. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.