Many thanks to Knopf for the complimentary advance copy! I loved loved loved this book! I didn’t pick it up right away, because I felt as if I had my fill recently of twenty-somethings muddling through life and making mistakes, i.e. books that are compared to Normal People. (I have a theory that all ‘new adult’ literary fiction is compared to Sally Rooney in the way that every psychological thriller in the aughts was compared to Gone Girl. I digress…) But I am SO GLAD all the rave reviews had me downloading it to my Kindle.
I enjoy Rooney’s work, but O’Donoghue’s did not read similarly to me, as the drama felt juicy, there’s a romance element, and the tone is more exuberant than introspective. Most importantly, it is narrated by the main character from her vantage point in the future, where she is wizened and somewhat settled. I love this type of narrative device, because of the intense curiosity it engenders of how this messy character can possibly evolve. And it is such a satisfying redemption story.
I laughed, I cringed, swooned and held my breath, wondering what would happen next. It was such a wild ride of friendships and falling out, affairs and misunderstandings, breakups and makeups.