As Little As Nothing

“A buoyant and affecting portrait of four disparate souls striving to become their true selves on the cusp of major social change.” — Kathleen Winter, author of Undersong

“With intimacy, acuity, and grace, Pamela Mulloy captures the complex inner lives of her characters, who yearn to become themselves as England lurches into war.” — Jack Wang, author of We Two Alone

It is 1938 and rumours of a coming war are everywhere. On a quiet morning in September outside a small town in England, a plane crashes and four people are brought together in the aftermath. Miriam, a young woman devastated by multiple miscarriages, rises from her bed and hurries to the scene. There she meets Frank and together they pull the wounded pilot, Peter, from the wreckage. Miriam soon meets Frank’s aunt Audrey, the family rebel, who has refused to marry and travels the country as a reproductive-rights activist.

It is Frank who teaches Miriam to fly. As Miriam prepares to co-pilot with Frank in a prestigious air race from London to Manchester, she uses flight to escape from confronting her inability to bear children. Miriam is also drawn into Audrey’s activism, and the women dig in even as the looming war threatens to set back their cause.

Rich with historical detail, As Little As Nothing beautifully explores themes of resistance, the strength of new bonds, and the various ways we reinvent ourselves.

Pamela Mulloy’s debut novel, The Deserters, was published in 2018 and shortlisted for the ReLit Award. She is the editor of The New Quarterly and director of the Wild Writers Literary Festival. She has lived in Poland, England, and the U.S., and currently resides in Kitchener, ON, with her husband and daughter.