A Million Things

By: Emily Spurr

Narrated by: Zenia Starr

Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

“An original and impressively assured debut. A gem of a novel.” (Graeme Simsion, New York Times best-selling author of The Rosie Project)

A soaring, heartfelt debut following 55 days in the life of 10-year-old Rae, who must look after herself and her dog when her mother disappears.

For as long as Rae can remember, it's been her and Mum, and their dog, Splinter; a small, deliberately unremarkable family. They have their walks, their cooking routines, their home. Sometimes Mum disappears for a while to clear her head, but Rae is okay with this because Mum always comes back. 

So, when Rae wakes to Splinter's nose in her face, the back door open, and no Mum, she does as she’s always done and carries on. She tends to the house, goes to school, walks Splinter, and minds her own business - all the while pushing down the truth she isn't ready to face. 

That is, until her grumpy, lonely neighbor Lettie - with her own secrets and sadness - falls one night and needs Rae's help. As the two begin to rely on each other, Rae's anxiety intensifies as she wonders what will happen to her when her mother's absence is finally noticed and her fragile world bursts open. 

A Million Things transforms a gut-wrenching story of abandonment and what it's like to grow up in a house that doesn't feel safe into an astonishing portrait of resilience, mental health, and the families we make and how they make us in return. 

©2021 Emily Spurr (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

BookBrowse Best Debut Winner 2021 

"Spurr delivers a haunting account of a young girl grappling with abandonment in this excellent debut.... Through Rae's devastating yet hopeful interior dialogue, Spurr delicately illustrates the complexity of loss and isolation." (Publishers Weekly) 

"A Million Things draws the reader into an intimate world of unforgettable characters and heartfelt expressions of love and grief. This is a great selection for book clubs who are looking for...a genuinely touching read." (BookBrowse)

“Swept me into its thrall so immediately that I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until I reached the end.... Fresh and slim, this novel pierces like a bullet and soothes like a psalm.” (Amy Jo Burns, author of Shiner) 

Beautiful and heartbreaking

Spurr's storytelling in this book is masterful, very powerfully depicting Ray's situation and emotions without directly telling you what happened. The story flits around the edges of what the reader knows early on is a horrific
event, which makes the gradual unwinding of the plot more suspenseful and agonizing. The story being told from a child's perspective is heartbreaking, and echoes Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird and Frankie from The Member of the wedding. Such a good listen

Absolute eye opener

Reality from a child's eyes of a parent with mental health issues! A real eye opener as a parent! The struggle is real but we have to remember our children!! I would never want my child to go through what this little girl did because of a decision I felt was mine to make. Not all our children are as capable as this little girl was portrayed. My heart goes out to all those who feel this way or have gone through Situations such as this. ♡

Heartbreakingly sweet

Oh sweet Rae and Lettie! What a wonderful, gut wrenching, heartbreaking, but sweet story. I didn’t realize it was YA, but when you have a 10 year old narrators I guess that speaks for items. I can’t imagine how strong Rae was at only 10 and I love the friendship she built with Lettie. I will carry these characters for awhile. (Spoiler alert-another review says the dog dies, he doesn’t!!)

3.5 rounded up

I enjoyed the audiobook reader. This book is told from the perspective of a 10/11 year old, and for the most part it was enjoyable. I did find her internal dialogue to sound more like a 13/14 year old though, which at first bothered me….But then I thought about how she’s intelligent , and , because of her circumstances , has to be more mature than the typical child of that age.

Glad I stayed with it

I am so glad I stuck with this book. For some reason it took a couple of chapters for me to decide to continue to read it. I so enjoyed it. Brought me to tears in the end. Well done.

Great Characters!

The characters in this novel are so good and so rich. They triggered many emotional reactions and I miss them all, now that I’m finished with the story! A true sign of all great characters.

What a story

Love this book and hope the author continues writing as I am very eager to read more. The characters deeply touched me and I just want to thank the author. Great. Work. Congratulations!

For Erika Rose

My daughter read this book and recommended it. I knew there was going through it. It was late being dark. I put it off a bit
You are an amazing writer and what a gift you’re sharing. I’m glad you were OK and glad you have shared your experiences for the story. The strength you gave to Rae it’s a good reminder of perseverance. We lost my niece and her and in your last words of the struggle of mental illness, the shadows, the hard parts of being a parent as she was a mom. She lives in all of us and her two daughters. The oldest eight reminded me so much of Rae.

Great story

Loved it ,the characters are wonderful ,so glad the author found her way to go forward with this book ,thank you Emily

LOVED this book!

First of all, the only reason I purchased this book was because I loved the narrator! She read another book and I fell in love with her voice. This book was poignant. I laughed, I cried and I rooted like hell for Rae and Splinter. It’s been a while since a book moved me like this. Highly recommend!