at its core flat earth is a coming of age story, following a woman coming to terms with the end of her girlhood as the world teeters on the edge of coat its core flat earth is a coming of age story, following a woman coming to terms with the end of her girlhood as the world teeters on the edge of complete ruin.
it follows avery, a grad student in her 20s who’s struggling with the success of her more privileged best friend, frances, in the new york art scene. avery wants to be a writer but doesn’t ever actually write much (relatable), instead spending her time with older men who treat her badly and taking a job at a startup right-wing dating app.
the writing is very acerbic and meta in the way a lot of these gen z-esque books are. it’s told in fragments, flitting between avery moving through the world and witty social commentary on politics, culture, capitalism, the internet, environmental collapse etc. - basically a satirical comment on the ennui of our current zeitgeist. i read it in about 2 sittings and enjoyed my time with it, highlighting many passages as i read.
2.5. i’ve read a lot of books about obsession, in fact i often gravitate towards them, but this one sadly fell flat.
the story follows alice who has b2.5. i’ve read a lot of books about obsession, in fact i often gravitate towards them, but this one sadly fell flat.
the story follows alice who has been cleaning tom’s flat weekly for a year and has consequently fallen for him, even though they’ve never met. it’s always fun to read from the perspective of an unhinged and obsessive narrator, which was the most enjoyable aspect of this book, but i was left wanting something more by the end. it’s categorised as a mystery/thriller but i didn’t find it that suspenseful, and i was expecting a much bigger/dramatic pay-off. besides her obsessive nature, we don’t really learn much else about alice, and her character backstory wasn’t very developed either. if you’re a fan of the ‘you’ series by caroline kepnes, you might like this one. ...more
3.5 my first maggie nelson! i can’t believe i haven’t got around to reading her work before now, because her writing style is exactly up my street. fr3.5 my first maggie nelson! i can’t believe i haven’t got around to reading her work before now, because her writing style is exactly up my street. from reading this we seem to have a few things in common - dealing with chronic pain, being sent to speech therapy as a child for talking too fast (a habit i still have so it clearly didn’t work). excited to read more of her books after this!
one thing i’ve always enjoyed about emily henry’s romances is that they are not strictly romances. in each of her books, she weaves in an equally as cone thing i’ve always enjoyed about emily henry’s romances is that they are not strictly romances. in each of her books, she weaves in an equally as compelling story between the main romance plot.
in great big beautiful life, this takes the form of margaret ives, a once so-called ‘tabloid princess’ turned reclusive octogenarian who’s finally ready to divulge the secrets of the rich and famous ives family. our protagonist alice scott finds herself on a small island in georgia with the hope of being the writer to pen the book about margaret’s life, only to realise she’s not the only writer chasing the story.
great big beautiful life takes a step in a slightly different direction from henry’s previous work: the narrative structure is very different to her other books, it’s somewhat of a family saga, and even brings in an element of mystery towards the end. i was practically racing through the last few chapters to find out what would happen, which made it all the more exciting. the sections which unfold the ives’ family history are also evidence of henry’s constantly evolving writing, and it was refreshing to read her trying something a little different with this book.
the pacing of the romance does feel quite fast, which might be because the novel isn’t entirely focused on their budding relationship; we spend a lot of time between their scenes unravelling margaret’s story. but then again, alice and hayden are stuck on an island for a month with no one else to hang out with, so maybe it speaks to that.
overall, great big beautiful life is compulsive and incredibly touching - perhaps her most heartfelt yet - with emily henry’s trademark penchant for writing a sexy, tension-filled, and emotional romance. i had a blast reading it.
a bittersweet and touching little novel about unrelenting yearning and the agony of first love. it has hewitt’s typical poetic writing, and the story a bittersweet and touching little novel about unrelenting yearning and the agony of first love. it has hewitt’s typical poetic writing, and the story itself is beautiful in its simplicity.
thank you vintage books for the arc! open heaven comes out in the uk on 24 april 2025. ...more
In a style reminiscent of Dolly Alderton x HBO’s series Girls, this novel explores how friendship dynamics change as you get older, the experience of In a style reminiscent of Dolly Alderton x HBO’s series Girls, this novel explores how friendship dynamics change as you get older, the experience of feeling unmoored in your thirties, and the non-linearity of grief. O’Hare did a great job at differentiating each of the girls in the friendship group, each one had their own voice and fleshed-out background. I also liked how their house was almost a character in itself, its declining state representing the end of an era in their friendship and a reminder that they need to move on for their own sakes.
she's a lamb! follows jessamyn, an aspiring musical theatre actress who is desperate to get her big break and find fame. when she auditions for her reshe's a lamb! follows jessamyn, an aspiring musical theatre actress who is desperate to get her big break and find fame. when she auditions for her regional theatre’s production of ‘the sound of music’, it’s not the lead of maria she gets, but instead the role of a childminder for the group playing the von trapp children. but jessamyn is convinced that this is tactical: the director just wants to keep jessamyn close to the production so that when the lead messes up, she’s right there to step in. jessamyn has to be maria, and she’ll do anything she can to make her dreams come true.
by far the strongest aspect of this book is jessamyn’s voice and characterisation, as a reader you know exactly what kind of person she is from the beginning. jessamyn is the epitome of an unreliable narrator and a deeply unlikeable person, but it is entertaining to get a peek into her inner monologue as she becomes increasingly delusional and unhinged. the climax of the story felt a little rushed, with important events all crammed together, but overall it’s a fast-paced book that feels like a fever dream. if you’re a fan of the film ‘black swan’ or the book ‘boy parts’ by eliza clark, i’d recommend this one.
though not as explicitly dark as her two published novels, eliza clark's first short story collection she's always hungry contains the usual absurditythough not as explicitly dark as her two published novels, eliza clark's first short story collection she's always hungry contains the usual absurdity and grossness clark has become known for.
there’s a range of different oddities to sink your teeth into here: in ‘build a body like mine’, a woman welcomes a parasite into her body to lose weight. ‘the shadow over little chitaly’ is written in the form of google reviews about the bizarre orders people receive from a italian-chinese fusion takeaway. there’s a teenager buying an acne treatment from the dark web, and an immortal female cannibal who rules over a new planet. this collection also showcases clark leaning into the sci-fi genre, with some apocalyptic-themed, speculative fiction scattered throughout. many stories also benefit from the inclusion of internet culture and humour, which was partly what made her previous novel penance so chillingly realistic.
it’s an unsettling if not outright weird collection, but if you’re an eliza clark fan, that’s what you’re here for!
rating: 3.75
thank you faber books for the advanced copy!!...more
mamele follows 50-something edie, who is reflecting on her fraught relationship with her mother throughout her childhood, and how she navigated her qumamele follows 50-something edie, who is reflecting on her fraught relationship with her mother throughout her childhood, and how she navigated her queerness and the complexities of desire when she was younger, which has ultimately left her feeling trapped in her current situation. it’s a short and quick read, i read it in one evening! i’d recommend if you like books about complex mother-daughter relationships. ...more
“no one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister.”
i sat down to read this and then ended up finishing it in a few sittings. ‘shred sisters’ i“no one will love you more or hurt you more than a sister.”
i sat down to read this and then ended up finishing it in a few sittings. ‘shred sisters’ is a raw story about the messiness of human relationships, of sisterhood and family dynamics, and the rippling effects of mental illness. all of the characters are well-crafted, especially the 2 shred sisters themselves, amy and olivia, and their polarity to one another. it’s a very poignant, touching novel, and i’m excited to read more of betsy lerner’s work after this!
thank you to betsy for kindly sending me a copy! ‘shred sisters’ comes out on 1st october 2024....more
4.5. WOW. sally rooney has such a talent for writing about interpersonal relationships and human connection, and it’s something i’ll never tire of rea4.5. WOW. sally rooney has such a talent for writing about interpersonal relationships and human connection, and it’s something i’ll never tire of reading.
intermezzo is the story of two brothers: peter, a successful lawyer in his thirties who is juggling relationships with two different women, and his younger brother ivan, a competitive chess player in his early twenties who begins a relationship with an older woman he meets at one of his tournaments.
it’s hard to talk in depth about this book for fear of spoiling it, but it definitely feels like a step forwards for sally rooney as a literary fiction author. intermezzo contains a much deeper character study into its two protagonists, exploring their family dynamics and how they grapple with navigating their brotherhood in the shadow of their father’s recent death. the scope of the novel feels wider; you really feel like you know these characters and why they are the way they are, why they act the way they do.
intermezzo also has rooney’s trademark political zest: commentary on wage labour, the housing crisis in dublin, monetary power dynamics, religion, existentialism, and discussions of chronic pain (to name a few). another thing i’ve always liked about sally rooney’s novels is how she talks about the internet / social media. it’s present in her books, as it needs to be when writing about young characters navigating the contemporary world, but it’s never too much. her awareness of social media, coupled with her lack of (public) personal accounts, conjures the image of rooney lurking on the periphery of the internet somewhere. she is also a master of dialogue, perfectly weaving in all the intricacies and subtleties of human conversation.
all this to say, it’s another hit from sally rooney & further cements her as my favourite author! (but who’s surprised). thank you SO much @faberbooks for the advanced copy, i’m forever indebted. intermezzo is out on 24 sept 2024!
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update: i got the arc!!! i will be devouring it asap so stay tuned
Blue Sisters tells the story of 3 estranged sisters trying to navigate their complex relationships and personal lives in the wake of their sister’s deBlue Sisters tells the story of 3 estranged sisters trying to navigate their complex relationships and personal lives in the wake of their sister’s death.
Made clear by the title, the core of this novel is just about the unique bond that sisters share. As I was reading this book, I was reminded of a tweet along the lines of ‘you won’t let your sister borrow your clothes, but you’d give them a kidney in a heartbeat’ - which I think just sums up sisterhood perfectly.
Though heavy in subject matter, Blue Sisters makes for a a somewhat ‘fun’ read as it switches between the cities of Paris, London, New York, and L.A., plunging you into a new location as each sister desperately tries to find a sense of home again after their sister’s death.
Mellors doesn’t shy away from discussing the difficult aspects of life, exploring grief and how it manifests differently in each person, especially through the different coping mechanisms of each sister. The novel also largely focuses on addiction, and the determination to break the cycle of addiction within a family.
Blue Sisters has a lot of heart and emotional tenderness, and will relate to anyone who has sisters (I also have 3 so the relatability was high for me). It’s about letting go, moving on, and learning how to live again.
Thank you 4th Estate Books for the arc copy! Blue Sisters is out in the UK on 23 May
tinted with tender melancholy, the premonition follows 19 year old yayoi, who lives with her perfect family yet is plagued by the thought that she hastinted with tender melancholy, the premonition follows 19 year old yayoi, who lives with her perfect family yet is plagued by the thought that she has forgotten something important about her childhood. due to this premonition, yayoi moves in with her mysterious aunt in a quest to uncover her seemingly lost memories.
this novel mainly centres around family; the idea of what constitutes family, the concept of lost and found family. yayoi is struggling with the feeling of displacement in her family with her constant feeling that something is not quite right. just like a typical 19 year old (minus the slight clairvoyance), she is trying to figure out who she is, where she belongs, and where she came from.
the premonition contains depictions of taboo relationships that probably wouldn’t be found in fiction today, but it doesn’t seem done for the sake of shock value, more so to simply fit in with the underlying tone of unease and the conversations around the complexity of relationships/love that runs throughout the novel. i would be interested to find out how readers reacted to this element of the book when it was first released in japan in the 80s.
the premonition is a dreamy, strange, nostalgic little book, with a fluid translation / writing style which is easy to get lost in and read in one sitting.
thank you @faberbooks for the arc - the premonition is out in the uk now!
death valley follows an unnamed narrator, a novelist in her forties who is simultaneously trying to cope with her father’s current hospitalisation in the ICU and her husband’s ongoing illness. needing some time alone and seeking inspiration to finish her novel, she checks into a hotel in death valley, embarking on the nearby hiking trails where she finds a towering cactus which seems to have some mystical properties.
i’m not usually one for magical realism/fantasy, but the way the fantastical elements (the cactus portal, the main character having conversations with inanimate objects and her father as a child etc.) were used as a vehicle for the protagonist to explore and process her grief is something i can appreciate. the protagonist’s foray into the desert allows for an exploration of grief, love and loss, death, family, existential dread, father-daughter relationships, empathy and compassion, survival, and of what it means to love someone who is dying. despite these rather existential themes, the novel is still a fast, easy read due to the companionable, witty voice of the narrator, whose humour offers a touch of lightness.
death valley is a strange but vulnerable novel about feeling lost, but going on and surviving anyway.
Piglet is an impressive and propulsive debut novel following a woman who, after her husband-to-be reveals a shocking betrayal 2 weeks before their wedPiglet is an impressive and propulsive debut novel following a woman who, after her husband-to-be reveals a shocking betrayal 2 weeks before their wedding, is forced on a journey of hungry self-revelation.
Piglet is a tale of simmering female rage, delving into the life of a woman torn between the things she wants in life and the things she thinks she wants. The novel follows the protagonist Piglet, a childhood-nickname in place of her real name, in the lead-up to her wedding as she attempts to balance the wedding organisation, family expectations, work pressure, and her complicated relationship with food.
The novel is led by food, and the exploration of food is really where it shines. Many pages are devoted to decadent descriptions of cooking food, eating food, shopping for food, all of which largely serve as an allegory (particularly towards the end of the novel) for Piglet’s obsession with perfection and the crutch she leans on when feeling like her life is spiralling out of control.
With perfectly-built tension throughout, the novel also explores the spectacle of a wedding and all its esoteric complexities (bringing to mind Jia Tolentino's essay about the wedding industrial complex in her 2019 collection Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion), and the tensions created from class disparities in a relationship and two different families coming together.
Piglet (the character) is unlikeable at times but her deep characterisation allows you to understand her, which is one of the things that made the novel so compelling for me. Here's a woman who's been told to want more from life, but then is criticised for wanting more. Piglet is a character you can’t stand at the start, but by the end of the novel you’re left just wanting to reassure her that everything will be ok.
Thank you Penguin UK / Doubleday for the arc and the amazing PR package! Piglet is out in the UK on 25th January - so make sure you grab a copy to satiate your appetite.