Book Review: Woo Woo by Ella Baxter
A thrilling and eccentric novel about what it means to make art as a woman, and about the powerful forces of voyeurism, power, obsession, and online performance, Woo Woo follows Sabine, a conceptual artist on the verge of a photo exhibition she hopes will be pivotal, as she plunges deeper into her neuroses and seeks validation in relationships—with her frustratingly rational chef husband, her horde of devoted Gen Z TikTok followers, and even a mysterious, potentially violent stalker.
Accompanying her throughout are Sabine’s strange alter egos, from hyper realistic puppets of her as a baby to the ghost of conceptual artist Carolee Schneemann, who shows up with inscrutable yet sage life advice. Ella Baxter approaches the desire to see and be seen that defines both the creative and romantic act with humour, empathy, and a good dose of wildness, driving Sabine to a surreal and compelling climax that forces her—and us—to reconsider what it means to be an artist and a partner.
My Thoughts:Read this week for book club Woo Woo by Ella Baxter is a satirical depiction of Melbourne’s art scene. Its absurdity was hilarious, the main character, Sabine, ridiculous and utterly self-absorbed, obsessed with her own self and filled with a sense of entitlement that bordered on deranged. I’m not sure if I read this novel in line with its intent, but I did enjoy it immensely and laughed out loud over and over. The ending confirmed my dislike of Sabine and my overall sense of confusion about what her husband saw in her. For the most part, I thought she was an immense embarrassment.
This is Ella Baxter’s second novel, I haven’t read her first, New Animal, but I probably will now. I enjoy the way she writes, its visceral, tangible, ignites all of your senses and repels as much as delights. Her overall theme of replacing fear with rage was not lost on me.
Something different that I’m sure should lead to some entertaining book chat.
