This was a book club pick and it is quite confusing ... a story within a story, with those characters writing a book too. Some commentary letters/feedback on the story with a mirror character in the story.  I had it in both audio and Kindle ... I pushed through the audio, even though I wasn't fully following, then re-read portions which helped to clarify. I was really glad I had the Kindle copy though, as there were discussion questions included, but I appreciated the Q&A with the author even more, as it brought out some interesting things.

It starts out in 1st person/present tense, our author, Winnifred(Freddie) in the library, scoping out some people there for material/characters for her book. She and three others start chatting, when there is a scream ...

Technically, the chapter has concluded, there is a *** and change in font (in print, a pause in audio, I REALLY wished it had been a different voice/narrator, a MALE narrator) and this is Leo, responding to that first chapter. Addressed to Hannah, who is the actual author and what we/the reader just read, is her first chapter (which yes, is about Freddie starting up her book). The letter is written in letter format, 1st person, past tense ... and it was interesting from a book club perspective, as he's giving feedback on that first chapter (perhaps things that might come up in a bookclub discussion). 

The book continues on in this format ... Winnifred's story about writing her story (1st person/present tense) for the start of each chapter, followed by a slight break, and then Leo's letter giving feedback on the chapter we just read.

Leo harps a bit on Australian vs American phrases ... which IS something I would notice! The actual author (Sulari Gentill) is Australian, as is the author Hannah (who we really only see reflected in Leo's letters), as is the author Winnifred (although maybe that wasn't clarified early on, but then is definitely described that way ... after Leo's feedback?) ... Leo is American, and "helping" as the novel (Hannah's and Winnifred's) is based in the U.S. He's doing some research to make it ring true per locations and such. 

Hannah's (and thus Sulari's) novel has the usual "murder mystery" trope of "suspect everyone" and laying out red herrings to lay out those suspicions. I feel like most mysteries, this one included, are pretty convoluted ... just REALLY? Could that/would that, really happen? 

If I'd picked this up on my own ... I think it possibly would have been a DNF? The layers just made it hard to follow. Technically, you COULD skip the LeoLetters; while his suggestions do create some changes/clarifications in the novel, he's kind of his own storyline, quite separate. 

Per Leo - the extra/Q&A gave some insight into a Leo-like inspiration (NOT so crazy!) and how author's need to consider including Covid or not (or just basing all stories in 2019 before it happened). At this point, some years after, I think we're back to "normal" enough. I'm not sure when Ms. Gentill was writing this, but Hannah was writing in early 2020, but I'm not sure if her novel (Winnifred's story) was necessarily set in that same time frame. 

... I tend to take more notes in "book club" books, to have possible topics for discussion. Here ...

*Leo's letters ... reminded me a little of A Woman of Independent Means (I need to re-read) which was ONLY outgoing letters. So a bit of the "in your last letter you wrote that ..." to recap correspondence. 

*Some interesting "book/writing" references ... a bricklayer without drawings, a bus - where people/characters hop on and off, and the author doesn't really know the destination. Tattoos ... like a walking book. 

*Leo's "Australian" catches (we Americans don't say "sleeping rough" or "jumpers") ... True. No mention of alternate spellings though (ie centre, yoghurt, chequerboard) which seems like he would have (some come from Freddie, who is actually established as Australian, but other US characters say some of the other words). 

*A couple political "digs" ... "alien invasion…and not the kind with which our President seems preoccupied!" and “Donald’s there too, above my hip.” “God, I hope you mean the duck,”

*Answering the phone and video call without checking caller ID? Do people do that?

*Peanut Butter and Cheese????

*Australian chocolate


ProFanity x 15