Author: Phoebe Stuckes
Publisher: Sceptre
Hardback
One of our books of the year 2024!
Cat says: This dark, queer novel is for fans of Otessa Moshfegh's novels and Michaela Cole's I May Destroy You. A woman is assaulted at a party but can't remember what happened. As the memories come back to her, the trauma seems to seep into the rest of her environment, the bedsit she lives in, the restaurant where she works. This leaking is sometimes supernatural, but often just manifests in day-to-day social injustices we may find familiar - black mould in her rented flat, not being able to get a doctor's appointment. When she meets wealthy and attractive Helene, she is drawn to her not least because Helene knows the man that has assaulted her and is just as angry as her. Her relationship with Helene asks questions about the limits of women's solidarity with each other, taking into account class positions and disparity of wealth. This is poet Phoebe Stuckes’ first novel and she is a major talent, keep an eye on what she does next.