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
told in vignettes, playboy is a short novel (translated from the french) about queerness, gender, privilege, family, money, but ultimately desire,3.75
told in vignettes, playboy is a short novel (translated from the french) about queerness, gender, privilege, family, money, but ultimately desire, and what it means to abandon life as you know it to fully follow your desires. the writing felt a little choppy at times, but that may just be an impact of the translation. but it’s a quick read, and i’m interested in reading more by this author. ...more
so so good! i didn’t know before reading this that eve baltasar was a poet, but you can really tell by her prose. definitely going to read the other bso so good! i didn’t know before reading this that eve baltasar was a poet, but you can really tell by her prose. definitely going to read the other books in this triptych....more
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
just as good as everyone’s been saying it is. an incredibly vulnerable and moving memoir following page’s experience with his gender identity throughojust as good as everyone’s been saying it is. an incredibly vulnerable and moving memoir following page’s experience with his gender identity throughout his life and his journey to coming out as transgender. i’ve always been a fan of page’s films, so it was interesting to get a peek into his career as well. reading this made me so happy for elliot that he’s finally at the place he was always meant to be, and is who he was always meant to be....more
just finished this at the airport and loved!! will write a proper review soon, but this will definitely fill that sally rooney void in terms of both tjust finished this at the airport and loved!! will write a proper review soon, but this will definitely fill that sally rooney void in terms of both the writing style and the relationship dynamics. ...more
Biography of X is a fictional memoir detailing the life of the eccentric and elusive artist X, as told by her widow. As the widow interviews many of tBiography of X is a fictional memoir detailing the life of the eccentric and elusive artist X, as told by her widow. As the widow interviews many of the people that crossed paths with X during her life of constant identity switches and disguises, she uncovers a trail of secrets, lies, and betrayals, and is left wondering if she, or anyone, really knew X at all.
What impressed me the most about this novel was simply how inventive it is. Though fiction, it reads like non-fiction, and is littered with quotes, photographs, and artefacts backed up with footnotes to books, articles etc – all of which are also fake. Not only that, Lacey also plants this story in an alternative reality of the USA where the country split into 2 territories after WW2: the progressive northern territory and the oppressive south. While this gives the story a dystopian flair, it also gives Lacey the room to stretch her creativity further, weaving a narrative so rigorous that it starts to feel real. I was simply enthralled by it.
mrs s is a very slow-burn, atmospheric novel - a great example of a ‘no plot just vibes’ book done well. the setting of an all-girls boarding school imrs s is a very slow-burn, atmospheric novel - a great example of a ‘no plot just vibes’ book done well. the setting of an all-girls boarding school in the english countryside aids the dark academia aesthetic, which feels like the perfect choice for this story.
the writing is stunning, poetic and melancholic, and the novel is laced with a vague sense of claustrophobia which keeps it compelling despite the fact that nothing much happens. it is ultimately a novel about desire: queer desire, desire to be understood, desire to connect, but mainly, the desire for a young woman to define her own identity....more
finally! a romance with actual good banter! a male love interest who isn’t a cringe ‘golden retriever/soft boy’ type! fun humour! emotional depth!
i sfinally! a romance with actual good banter! a male love interest who isn’t a cringe ‘golden retriever/soft boy’ type! fun humour! emotional depth!
i started to lose hope with all the mediocre romances i’ve been reading, so thank god i found this one. the main character’s names aren’t my favourite, but i’m willing to look past it. if you’re a fan of emily henry and/or sarah hogle, give this a read....more
i love a sleeper hit! i always enjoy books that explore questionable relationships and power dynamics, so i should’ve known i’d love this one. i wa4.5
i love a sleeper hit! i always enjoy books that explore questionable relationships and power dynamics, so i should’ve known i’d love this one. i was unsure at first, but once i got into it, i found it practically impossible to put down again.
i know it’s becoming a little redundant to call a book ‘sally rooney-esque’ as almost every book is marketed that way now, but this book really gives the vibes of if frances and bobbi from rooney’s conversations with friends lived in boston in their thirties, and frances was dating an older, rich male choreographer.
for such a relatively short novel, songsiridej manages to fill the pages with sharp prose and such gripping character relationships and dynamics. the novel is a new kind of coming-of-age story, following our unnamed narrator at the start of her thirties as she attempts to figure herself out, while simultaneously losing herself to her desires. the novel’s main focus is on queer identity, and exploring what happens to that identity when it becomes mixed up with the dynamics of heterosexuality and patriarchal power.
the tagline of this book is ‘does falling in love mean eviscerating yourself?’ - and that sums it up perfectly....more
this is another classic coming-of-age story following natalie, an 18 year old who moves to toronto for university and begins a secret relationship3.5
this is another classic coming-of-age story following natalie, an 18 year old who moves to toronto for university and begins a secret relationship with a mysterious older woman. it perfectly captures the confusion and intensity of going away to university and trying to figure out who you are as an adult. i found the whole ‘fish out of water’ experience of moving from a small town to studying in a big city aspect very relatable, it really reminded me of when i moved away for university.
the story felt a little rushed at the end for me, but i enjoyed the writing and the overall mood, so will be looking out for what this author does next....more
told in rhyming couplets, this short novel follows a young woman as she embarks on her first queer relationship. reflecting on her previous boyfriend told in rhyming couplets, this short novel follows a young woman as she embarks on her first queer relationship. reflecting on her previous boyfriend and the woman she’s now seeing, the book follows along on a series of vignettes exploring queerness, power, loss, freedom, desire, identity, art, love, and at its core - relationships. it begs the question whether we are shaped by every relationship we have, whether we are vessels which hold the ghosts of all our previous lovers inside of us.
couplets is a fast-paced, cerebral, and creative little book which plays with the form of both the novel and poetry. you can easily fly through it in one sitting.
thank you @faberbooks for the advanced copy! couplets is out in the uk on 2 march 2023....more
big swiss is a kooky, funny, and very gripping romp of a novel, exploring the differences in processing trauma, a humorous look at new age psychology/big swiss is a kooky, funny, and very gripping romp of a novel, exploring the differences in processing trauma, a humorous look at new age psychology/therapy, and queerness. the absurd but witty humour and the characterisation definitely stand out as the strongest aspects of the book. while reading you’re constantly teetering on the edge of entertainment and discomfort, and it may not work for everyone, but it worked for me. i couldn’t put it down as soon as i started it.
naoise dolan offers a fresh take on the marriage plot for her second book the happy couple, penning an ensemble novel following an engaged couple, celnaoise dolan offers a fresh take on the marriage plot for her second book the happy couple, penning an ensemble novel following an engaged couple, celine and luke, and three members of their wedding party: the bride’s sister, the best man, and one of the guests. the book kicks off with celine and luke having just gotten engaged, with the rest of the novel following each of the five character’s perspectives on the lead up to the wedding day.
through each perspective, dolan is able to examine the complexity of modern relationships, especially in relation to marriage, monogamy, and queerness. the novel casts an inquisitive eye on marriage and its place in a modern context, posing a number of questions: what are the intentions of marriage, who does it benefit, does marriage as an institution even have a place in our every-changing world where our identities are constantly in flux?
the happy couple is full of dolan’s sharp dialogue, dry wit, and usual astute social and cultural observations, some of which feel reminiscent to those explored in sally rooney's beautiful world, where are you. while i don’t want to constantly compare these two authors as i know they are often mentioned in the same sentence when discussing ‘millennial authors’, i think the similar themes of their books speak to the collective anxieties of the modern world - we’re all confused and messy and not really sure what’s going on, but it’s comforting to read characters that are too.
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read this in a couple hours - rtc but i love a fast-paced novel about messy people being messy...more
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