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Kingfisher
An electrifying debut novel about grief, power and desire—and the tangles in between that make up a life.
When a creative writing academic becomes infatuated with his colleague—the poet—his fascination soon begins to threaten his relationship with his partner, Michael. Michael is beautiful. Michael is safe. But the poet is everything he isn’t; she has everything he wants. While he writes about steel and sex, she dreams about the movements of swallows. While he tends to his budding career, she writes from her big, white house in the woods.
Meanwhile, his homophobic and spiteful mother—who cast a shadow over his childhood —is continuing to make his life difficult. As he is pulled back and forth between these two different worlds, his fixation on the poet, his Kingfisher, grows into something more powerful. She becomes his sole focus. He is hypnotized.
But when simultaneous illnesses threaten to destroy the precarious reality he clings to, he’s forced to question what he can and cannot take from someone.
When a creative writing academic becomes infatuated with his colleague—the poet—his fascination soon begins to threaten his relationship with his partner, Michael. Michael is beautiful. Michael is safe. But the poet is everything he isn’t; she has everything he wants. While he writes about steel and sex, she dreams about the movements of swallows. While he tends to his budding career, she writes from her big, white house in the woods.
Meanwhile, his homophobic and spiteful mother—who cast a shadow over his childhood —is continuing to make his life difficult. As he is pulled back and forth between these two different worlds, his fixation on the poet, his Kingfisher, grows into something more powerful. She becomes his sole focus. He is hypnotized.
But when simultaneous illnesses threaten to destroy the precarious reality he clings to, he’s forced to question what he can and cannot take from someone.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 3, 2025
61 people are currently reading
1770 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
March 8, 2026
a perceptive, funny, and tender novel. it went in a different direction from my initial impression of it, but i liked that shift. beautiful, soothing writing that sucked me in from the first page.
February 22, 2025
I don’t think I have the words for how much I love this book yet
March 15, 2026
4.25⭐ That was exceptional for a debut. more thoughts to come!
December 2, 2025
Stunning but devastating debut. I must admit it felt slightly unfinished… though I may just be someone who prefers not to have loose ends when I finish the last page. (Very curious about the overheard phone call and who was on the other line?) I look forward to reading more from this author someday.
March 13, 2026
Literally not once did this book go in a direction I was expecting. I do think if it had gone the way it initially seemed, I would have enjoyed this more, but nonetheless very unique, very nuanced, and very grey.
I've read interviews with the author and her message time and time again seems to be that there isn't anything in particular she wants her reader to take away from the book, but that she wants them to feel strongly about it. This is evident to me, because while reading I just kept thinking what is the fucking point of this? But I still felt strongly pulled along.
What I think I'm taking from this is that there is an inevitable impact on your life that each person you know carries, and something else i can't really put into words
Also I love the avian imagery and language, but I do think that this aspect wasn't expanded to its fullest.
I've read interviews with the author and her message time and time again seems to be that there isn't anything in particular she wants her reader to take away from the book, but that she wants them to feel strongly about it. This is evident to me, because while reading I just kept thinking what is the fucking point of this? But I still felt strongly pulled along.
What I think I'm taking from this is that there is an inevitable impact on your life that each person you know carries, and something else i can't really put into words
Also I love the avian imagery and language, but I do think that this aspect wasn't expanded to its fullest.
April 16, 2025
Just finished this book, and it's left me staring out my bedroom window, not wanting lunch.
It's poetry. It's descriptive. It's beautiful. It made me laugh a good few times. The author relates everything to smell which I'm obsessed with, some I don't get , some feel like how did she get that moment related to smell so perfectly.
The start frustrated me not knowing anyone's names but I grew to love it and knew them so well as characters that didn't end up needing to know.
It made me think, love the writing, and wish I could have made the chat she did in Ripon.
Obsessed and feel like I will definitely read it again in life which I don't feel often.
It's poetry. It's descriptive. It's beautiful. It made me laugh a good few times. The author relates everything to smell which I'm obsessed with, some I don't get , some feel like how did she get that moment related to smell so perfectly.
The start frustrated me not knowing anyone's names but I grew to love it and knew them so well as characters that didn't end up needing to know.
It made me think, love the writing, and wish I could have made the chat she did in Ripon.
Obsessed and feel like I will definitely read it again in life which I don't feel often.
August 28, 2025
This was fantastic and really different to what I expected. Tried it out as the author is local to me.
The audiobook is beautifully read. So many interesting, different characters and so real - the details of food you can manage when on chemo or Hettie’s strong tea.
Loved getting into the main character’s head, his relationships with his parents, Michael, The Poet and Jessica - I loved The Poet and Jessica.
(If anyone reading this knows - I really want to know what the penguin classics book with joy on the cover was - maybe it was referenced earlier but with an audiobook it’s hard to find).
The audiobook is beautifully read. So many interesting, different characters and so real - the details of food you can manage when on chemo or Hettie’s strong tea.
Loved getting into the main character’s head, his relationships with his parents, Michael, The Poet and Jessica - I loved The Poet and Jessica.
(If anyone reading this knows - I really want to know what the penguin classics book with joy on the cover was - maybe it was referenced earlier but with an audiobook it’s hard to find).
August 13, 2025
The writing in this is beautiful but it reminds me so much of Normal People in the way that I just do not get most of the characters or they feel too nuanced for me.
March 12, 2026
Would you love me if I was a bird?
Yes. He does.
Yes. He does.
March 12, 2026
Very smooth, beautiful, poetic writing, but I just couldn’t really feel anything for any of the characters. Felt quite Sally Rooney-esque. May have liked it more if it HAD SPEECH MARKS. Hate this trend.
August 17, 2025
4.5 this was so fucking good, like sally rooney but I hated it less?? I wrote a big long review on @thebookmark_mcr but god I love poetic fiction wrap me in your arms
December 17, 2025
I love the writing in this book. I don’t always understand the characters or their behavior but that’s ok. There was. Lot bout this book I liked.
March 7, 2026
This is 200 pages split into 50 chapters, which means short chapters, some only a paragraph or two long, and I really like a short chapter as they help the story flow more. This book had a lot of work to do because it had no speech marks and I cannot stand books with no speech marks, and I'm inclined to hate books that have no speech marks, so year, I needed the story and characters to do a lot of heavy lifting and I think it was too big an ask. I'm not a prude in any way, and sex scenes do have their place in literature but it felt odd in this. It was like she was in competition with herself as to how many references to sex she could put in, whether it worked in context or not, like she had to prove it was a grown-up book by repeatedly mentioning penises...penii? I can acknowledge the writing is beautiful but it felt like she was more focussed on that than actually making the plot interesting or giving us any character depth.
March 14, 2026
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
I only read this because it was on the 2026 Women's Prize longlist and I was able to get with an Audible credit. It turned me off at the beginning and if not reading in audio, I suspect I would have put it aside. However, it improved as it went on. The young man at the center of the story was struggling with himself. He had significant mother issues. He matured as the book progressed, mostly due to his relationship with the poet and by the end of the book seemed to have righted himself and come to terms with his relationship with his mother, be it a bit late. I am not a fan though of the careless drug use.
I only read this because it was on the 2026 Women's Prize longlist and I was able to get with an Audible credit. It turned me off at the beginning and if not reading in audio, I suspect I would have put it aside. However, it improved as it went on. The young man at the center of the story was struggling with himself. He had significant mother issues. He matured as the book progressed, mostly due to his relationship with the poet and by the end of the book seemed to have righted himself and come to terms with his relationship with his mother, be it a bit late. I am not a fan though of the careless drug use.
March 15, 2026
My heart 💔
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March 10, 2026А book that made me feel present in the settings alongside the characters. I loved the characters—they felt very grounded and real. I appreciated how their normality left room for depth without any forced grandeur. It reminded me of Cunningham’s Day, Swift’s Mothering Sunday, and Chopin’s The Awakening. Such resolute delicacy.
January 30, 2026
This was an extremely enjoyable story that was hard to put down and the last image literally knocked me off my feet. Complex relationship dynamics were yum!
I feel like the bird imagery felt a bit shoehorned in towards the end though? My only critique!
I feel like the bird imagery felt a bit shoehorned in towards the end though? My only critique!
August 17, 2025
Another book club read.
I think that of all the 2025 book club reads, this is the best so far. Somewhere in the league of Bunny- but less of the (excuse my French) mindf*ck that I experienced reading that book. We’re seeing the same unreliable / not likeable narrator who doesn’t really take initiative, but in a softer way. This guy is more convincing, but I still don’t get him, exactly.
I quite liked the themes of obsessive love and the way that they manifest in this book. In fact, there’s quite a few expressions of what love could be- some genuine and some less so. And I really enjoyed the dissecting and analysing that in the discussion we had on Thursday.
The true rating I’d give this book is a 3.75 / 3.8.
I think that of all the 2025 book club reads, this is the best so far. Somewhere in the league of Bunny- but less of the (excuse my French) mindf*ck that I experienced reading that book. We’re seeing the same unreliable / not likeable narrator who doesn’t really take initiative, but in a softer way. This guy is more convincing, but I still don’t get him, exactly.
I quite liked the themes of obsessive love and the way that they manifest in this book. In fact, there’s quite a few expressions of what love could be- some genuine and some less so. And I really enjoyed the dissecting and analysing that in the discussion we had on Thursday.
The true rating I’d give this book is a 3.75 / 3.8.
May 1, 2025
I thought this was a stunning debut novel. I was immersed in it from the start and found myself visualising the characters and scenes as the descriptions were so beautifully written. Interesting perspectives on love, grief, age gap relationships. Very interested to see what this talented young novelist produces next
December 25, 2025
I thought the story was okay, interesting, but I loved (!) the way it was written. It felt sort of soothing to read, even though the story itself isn't a soothing story. It did feel a bit unfinished, like someone else also said in the review, but I would still recommend this book anyway. Very well written and a pleasure to read!
March 10, 2026
Nueva lectura de la longlist de los Women Prize y un libro muy difícil de definir o explicar su trama. La historia sigue a un escritor académico en plena crisis de identidad. Él que mantiene una larga relación con Michael, un hombre que se encarga de los gastos de la casa y de los gatos médicos de la madre del protagonista. El protagonista no tiene un empleo fijo y no logra triunfar en su faceta como escritor. Él conoce a una poeta, que trabaja en su misma oficina, ella con puesto fijo. Él enseguida se siente atraído por ella, por su personalidad y quiere poseerla. Eso a pesar de que quiere a su pareja, un hombre bueno, dulce. Cariñoso, pero siente que la poeta tiene lo que le falta a Michael, y Michale tiene lo que le falta a ella. La relación de él y Michael se deteriora poco a poco, en parte por la actitud y comportamiento del propio protagonista, que se va alejando de Michael y porque éste también empieza a expandir su mundo más allá de su pareja. El protagonista acaba comportándose de una forma egoísta ya que no va a ver con buenos ojos, y le va a doler el orgullo que su pareja rehaga vida. Se podría decir que su comportamiento es del típico perro del hortelano: “Que ni come ni deja comer.”
Además, la vida de este protagonista es más compleja aún. Siente celos de su madre, que se llama Hette, que está disfrutando en vida del dinero de su padre, y siente que no quiere dejarle nada en vida porque le odia. Además, su madre es homófoba, y no acepta la relación de él con Michael, a pesar de que finge ante Michael llevarse bien con él y escuchar sus consejos. La salud de ella se deteriora.
Un punto en común entre Hette y la amiga poeta del protagonista es la enfermedad. Ambas van a ver mermadas sus facultades físicas. Aunque la actitud del protagonista es diferente en ambos casos. Mientras se aleja de su madre, debido a la incapacidad de afrontar el proceso de duelo, él se encarga de los cuidados de la poeta, para quien trabaja y cuida la casa.
Otro aspecto que resalta de este protagonista son sus celos. Tiene celos de su madre porque dispone de la herencia de su padre, mientras él no puede mantener un trabajo estable. También tiene celos de la nueva pareja de Michael, algo curioso ya que él también tiene una relación con la poeta, algo que desconoce Michael. Y se cela también de la gente cercanas a la poeta, ya que siente que se la pueden quitar o que ella puede sentir algo más profundo de lo que siente por él. Le aterra la soledad y no sabe digerir bien un rechazo. En cuanto pasa por un momento se refugia en el alcohol. Y no lleva bien el fracaso. Siente celos del éxito ideal de la poeta ya que él no consigue publicar sus poemas y no recibe la atención, que cree merecer.
El retrato que hace del cáncer y de cómo afecta a la poeta, al trabajo y a cómo sentirse como mujer, me parece muy interesante. Ella, una mujer de éxito, necesitar encontrar la estabilidad y reconciliarse con su propio cuerpo, con ella misma. Ella necesita sentirse deseada y amada. Esa necesidad es la que la lleva a conectar con el protagonista.
En cuanto al estilo, narración en primera persona, con un estrilo que mezcla humor con el drama. La forma de establecer la conexión con los personajes recuerda un poco a Sally Rooney. A medida que te sumerges en la historia, no puedes evitar querer saber más del protagonista y su entorno.
Una novela interesante y que merece la pena leer. Es una historia divertida y que en cierta forma retrata la complejidad de las relaciones humanas
Además, la vida de este protagonista es más compleja aún. Siente celos de su madre, que se llama Hette, que está disfrutando en vida del dinero de su padre, y siente que no quiere dejarle nada en vida porque le odia. Además, su madre es homófoba, y no acepta la relación de él con Michael, a pesar de que finge ante Michael llevarse bien con él y escuchar sus consejos. La salud de ella se deteriora.
Un punto en común entre Hette y la amiga poeta del protagonista es la enfermedad. Ambas van a ver mermadas sus facultades físicas. Aunque la actitud del protagonista es diferente en ambos casos. Mientras se aleja de su madre, debido a la incapacidad de afrontar el proceso de duelo, él se encarga de los cuidados de la poeta, para quien trabaja y cuida la casa.
Otro aspecto que resalta de este protagonista son sus celos. Tiene celos de su madre porque dispone de la herencia de su padre, mientras él no puede mantener un trabajo estable. También tiene celos de la nueva pareja de Michael, algo curioso ya que él también tiene una relación con la poeta, algo que desconoce Michael. Y se cela también de la gente cercanas a la poeta, ya que siente que se la pueden quitar o que ella puede sentir algo más profundo de lo que siente por él. Le aterra la soledad y no sabe digerir bien un rechazo. En cuanto pasa por un momento se refugia en el alcohol. Y no lleva bien el fracaso. Siente celos del éxito ideal de la poeta ya que él no consigue publicar sus poemas y no recibe la atención, que cree merecer.
El retrato que hace del cáncer y de cómo afecta a la poeta, al trabajo y a cómo sentirse como mujer, me parece muy interesante. Ella, una mujer de éxito, necesitar encontrar la estabilidad y reconciliarse con su propio cuerpo, con ella misma. Ella necesita sentirse deseada y amada. Esa necesidad es la que la lleva a conectar con el protagonista.
En cuanto al estilo, narración en primera persona, con un estrilo que mezcla humor con el drama. La forma de establecer la conexión con los personajes recuerda un poco a Sally Rooney. A medida que te sumerges en la historia, no puedes evitar querer saber más del protagonista y su entorno.
Una novela interesante y que merece la pena leer. Es una historia divertida y que en cierta forma retrata la complejidad de las relaciones humanas
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March 8, 2026here's the setup: the narrator is a writer, queer, a pretty boy, a 'trophy boyfriend'. he finds himself with the desire to fuck his older female colleague who is referred to as 'the poet' and he can (guilt free) because he and his boyfriend are in a poly relationship.
i wouldn't say he's infatuated with her, it's more he's projecting all of his unresolved issues. this book is pretty much a psychological exploration of why he's chosen her. just be warned, he splits women into two groups (good/bad) here's an example of some of his thoughts:
about his mother: "Part of me couldn’t be bothered to see her, to listen to her rubbish, but another part of me rather relished the prosect of seeing her weakened."
about his student: "She’d had one of her stupid sound poems published in a journal that had previously rejected my own work... While she talked, I thought about what would happen if I punched her"
the good ones he likes he fucks
he's such a tool that early on you may want to stop reading but if you keep going it is good. to recommend it to another reader they'd have to be cool with drugs/sex in the vein of american psycho, as the narrator does lead a hedonistic lifestyle involving drugs, expensive restaurants, weekends away, indiscriminate sex with random strangers, etc.
in the second half he sort of has a redemption arc which was strangely unsatisfying. in a nutshell,
this would have kind of a niche readership but it is literary with a strong clear voice. anyhoo. hope this helps someone; the reviews on goodreads up until now have been vague AF and personally i got a shock when i started reading this not knowing some of the basics...
i wouldn't say he's infatuated with her, it's more he's projecting all of his unresolved issues. this book is pretty much a psychological exploration of why he's chosen her. just be warned, he splits women into two groups (good/bad) here's an example of some of his thoughts:
about his mother: "Part of me couldn’t be bothered to see her, to listen to her rubbish, but another part of me rather relished the prosect of seeing her weakened."
about his student: "She’d had one of her stupid sound poems published in a journal that had previously rejected my own work... While she talked, I thought about what would happen if I punched her"
the good ones he likes he fucks
he's such a tool that early on you may want to stop reading but if you keep going it is good. to recommend it to another reader they'd have to be cool with drugs/sex in the vein of american psycho, as the narrator does lead a hedonistic lifestyle involving drugs, expensive restaurants, weekends away, indiscriminate sex with random strangers, etc.
in the second half he sort of has a redemption arc which was strangely unsatisfying. in a nutshell,
this would have kind of a niche readership but it is literary with a strong clear voice. anyhoo. hope this helps someone; the reviews on goodreads up until now have been vague AF and personally i got a shock when i started reading this not knowing some of the basics...
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March 14, 2026Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026, 5/13. This is the winner. Throw the other books away.
I disagree with all the criticisms of this book. Not that this is a perfect book, but it’s not not perfect for the things people are seeming to take issue with. Since when are literary fiction readers put off by an imperfect main character? Since when is this not cause for celebration? Let’s get back to our roots, people.
That being said, my criticisms of this book are probably just that I hate when an author makes me read about polyamory or open relationships, it makes me feel like all the air in my body is being sucked out.
I love the narrator’s relationship with his mum. Not that it’s a good one, it’s fucking awful. But it’s such a realistic depiction of living underneath someone who has such power over you for so long, and suddenly feeling the balance of power shift. The writing is disconcerting and uncomfortable around it. I like that he never forgave her. I like that the people around him think it was the wrong thing to do, but his resentment didn’t allow him to be swayed. Not that it’s right, but it’s just very realistic. I think this is why a lot of people find the main character irritating, the fact that he wants to stew in his resentment forever as opposed to letting go and forgiving and evolving.
Personally, I think that by doing this, the author depicts so clearly how fear can turn to anger, then hate, then resentment. Even so long after his mother, the cause of the fear, is gone.
The narrator is a person who thinks that if they just stay as still as possible, he won’t have to look at the things happening around him. But staying still is just another way to punish himself. I understand that that’s a jarring thing to read about. You want a novel to flow, you want him to change and improve. He does, in a way, but I guess not in the way a lot of people were hoping for. Personally I think his whole deal was very human, especially in the way he’s almost consistently always doing the wrong thing.
Final thoughts? Not much besides the concept of putting your abusive homophobic mothers ashes in the bedroom so she can watch you bring men home.
I disagree with all the criticisms of this book. Not that this is a perfect book, but it’s not not perfect for the things people are seeming to take issue with. Since when are literary fiction readers put off by an imperfect main character? Since when is this not cause for celebration? Let’s get back to our roots, people.
That being said, my criticisms of this book are probably just that I hate when an author makes me read about polyamory or open relationships, it makes me feel like all the air in my body is being sucked out.
I love the narrator’s relationship with his mum. Not that it’s a good one, it’s fucking awful. But it’s such a realistic depiction of living underneath someone who has such power over you for so long, and suddenly feeling the balance of power shift. The writing is disconcerting and uncomfortable around it. I like that he never forgave her. I like that the people around him think it was the wrong thing to do, but his resentment didn’t allow him to be swayed. Not that it’s right, but it’s just very realistic. I think this is why a lot of people find the main character irritating, the fact that he wants to stew in his resentment forever as opposed to letting go and forgiving and evolving.
Personally, I think that by doing this, the author depicts so clearly how fear can turn to anger, then hate, then resentment. Even so long after his mother, the cause of the fear, is gone.
The narrator is a person who thinks that if they just stay as still as possible, he won’t have to look at the things happening around him. But staying still is just another way to punish himself. I understand that that’s a jarring thing to read about. You want a novel to flow, you want him to change and improve. He does, in a way, but I guess not in the way a lot of people were hoping for. Personally I think his whole deal was very human, especially in the way he’s almost consistently always doing the wrong thing.
Final thoughts? Not much besides the concept of putting your abusive homophobic mothers ashes in the bedroom so she can watch you bring men home.
March 15, 2026
I’m reading this because it’s on the women’s prize longlist for fiction, so I was surprised to find that our protagonist is a queer man in a same-sex relationship falling in love with an older woman he can’t be bothered to name but only calls “the poet”.
I can’t tell if we’re being progressive or regressive by including this much internalized misogyny in the women’s prize longlist.
Needless to say I thought women’s fiction centered mostly around women’s stories(?) was that wrong?
The first sentence is literally : “I can pinpoint, almost to the second, when I realized I wanted to fuck her.”
It’s so disappointing that a woman has written a story where the main character is a man and the woman is only used as a tool for him to process his life circumstances. It felt like he was using her as a stand in for his horrible mother. (Because of course it’s always the mothers fault right?)
The mother was also an absolute caricature of a miserable old woman. And it lacked any and all nuance to make her and their relationship believable. Having a very strained relationship with my own mother, I feel that the author missed the mark here. If the mom is horrible 100% of the time on all fronts, it doesn’t explain why the son loves her so much. But the connection between them is never explored, just assumed for some reason. And it doesn’t even begin to touch the complexity of a relationship like that. That the author herself has said that her own mother is a saint might be why this isn’t believable.
All in all, I was very disappointed by this. I’m disappointed that this is supposedly the best of women’s stories by female authors - a secondary or cruel side character to a man as the main character. Does this book even pass the bechdel test?
I can’t tell if we’re being progressive or regressive by including this much internalized misogyny in the women’s prize longlist.
Needless to say I thought women’s fiction centered mostly around women’s stories(?) was that wrong?
The first sentence is literally : “I can pinpoint, almost to the second, when I realized I wanted to fuck her.”
It’s so disappointing that a woman has written a story where the main character is a man and the woman is only used as a tool for him to process his life circumstances. It felt like he was using her as a stand in for his horrible mother. (Because of course it’s always the mothers fault right?)
The mother was also an absolute caricature of a miserable old woman. And it lacked any and all nuance to make her and their relationship believable. Having a very strained relationship with my own mother, I feel that the author missed the mark here. If the mom is horrible 100% of the time on all fronts, it doesn’t explain why the son loves her so much. But the connection between them is never explored, just assumed for some reason. And it doesn’t even begin to touch the complexity of a relationship like that. That the author herself has said that her own mother is a saint might be why this isn’t believable.
All in all, I was very disappointed by this. I’m disappointed that this is supposedly the best of women’s stories by female authors - a secondary or cruel side character to a man as the main character. Does this book even pass the bechdel test?
March 9, 2026
This is one of those books that leave me with a complicated answer to whether or not I liked it.
I think the book is written beautifully. I underlined a sentence per paragraph until I just gave up because it kept interrupting the flow of the read, but it has such beautifully poetic phrases that I want to imprint into my soul for all eternity.
However, when it comes to how the story itself moved me, touched me, made me feel anything at all: pain, joy, sadness, despair...I cannot say it managed any of it, even though the words were exquisite.
I don't think I've ever read something like this: beautifully written but lacking in emotion. The writing feels very deep and soulful but the outcome, the overall story is devoid of feeling.
I did not *feel* his love for her, regardless of him mentioning it. His friend talks about the poet not loving him, but even his reaction to that is so bland and monotone that I can't help think he didn't either, no matter his claim of the opposite.
I did enjoy it overall, not sure about the longlist for Woman's prize for fiction though. I really do think a good editor would have guided the author to put more emotion into the main character for a slamdunk.
I think the book is written beautifully. I underlined a sentence per paragraph until I just gave up because it kept interrupting the flow of the read, but it has such beautifully poetic phrases that I want to imprint into my soul for all eternity.
However, when it comes to how the story itself moved me, touched me, made me feel anything at all: pain, joy, sadness, despair...I cannot say it managed any of it, even though the words were exquisite.
I don't think I've ever read something like this: beautifully written but lacking in emotion. The writing feels very deep and soulful but the outcome, the overall story is devoid of feeling.
I did not *feel* his love for her, regardless of him mentioning it. His friend talks about the poet not loving him, but even his reaction to that is so bland and monotone that I can't help think he didn't either, no matter his claim of the opposite.
I did enjoy it overall, not sure about the longlist for Woman's prize for fiction though. I really do think a good editor would have guided the author to put more emotion into the main character for a slamdunk.
March 13, 2026
A devastating read. I was expecting a lot of sexuality exploration and was hit with a grief nuke that was better than anything I could've predicted. It is a feat to offer me a male narrator who's honestly pretty unlikable and misogynistic from the get go, and take me on a journey to unravel him to the point I'm genuinely so sad for him. The progression of his relationship with women in general is very interesting to me, and his desperate, all-encompassing and at times pathetic love for Kingfisher is so tasty. I love the presence and shadow his parents cast on his life and relationships, and I love the moment he finds Hetty's final resting place. What an incredible exploration of a person's relationship to power and control. Insane debut novel.
April 4, 2025
I loved this book. Kelly writes prose poetically and with sensory details that really bring it to life. She captures the complexities of human relationships in an unusual way, through the medium of characters who aren't always likeable but she still makes you care about them. Well, some of them. There's a pervading sense of melancholy in which people don't always get what they think they want. And humour too. A very perceptive first novel. I can't wait to read what comes next!
April 12, 2025
I defy you to read the opening line and not to be drawn irresistably into the emotionally complex world that the author has deftly created. The characters are beautifully drawn. You'll love some of them, despise others, but above all you'll believe them (and might feel that some of them remind you of someone...) It's an incredibly touching tale of the challenges of love in all its guises. Highly recommended.
April 17, 2025
Compelling, emotional, stylistically unique; it's not your average short novel. Exploring the issues of grief, sexuality, love and service, with several complex and layered characters to dissect, love and loathe. The gravity of the story and how it makes you feel while reading it, really belie it's 200-something page count; I'd really recommend you try to read it all in one go, as that's how rollercoasters are supposed to be experienced.
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