Life Drawing

by Emily Lighezzolo

Hypothetically, would you want to live forever but invisible, or a short life seen? Hypothetically, would you give up wine forever or sex for ten years? Hypothetically, would you show a friend someone else' s nude? Maisie and Charlie meet at a life drawing session as she' s the model, he' s an artist. Their immediate connection carries them across two decades as they navigate the slippery dynamics of friendship, estrangement and family. Maisie' s story is every woman' s, and Emily Lighezzolo' s bold debut interrogates the collision of art and gaze, desire and consent, muse and meaning. This is a love story. At its a woman' s body – seen, touched, loved, hated, commodified and reclaimed. Life Drawing is an award-winning and unflinching novel for our times.

Genres: Novels, 21st Century

359 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Bert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sally Rooney better watch her back because Emily is coming for her gig.

A complex, prickly and extremely readable debut from an author who clearly knew exactly the story and vibe she wanted to create. Fans of Sally Rooney will feel right at home here, though this somehow feels even more real, even BETTER!

Divided into three parts, each section revisits these characters at different points in their lives. I kept being reminded of the Before Sunrise trilogy while reading.

Great work, Emily!

[Jaclyn]

Maisie has an incredibly complicated relationship with her body and it affects how she moves through the world, her relationships, her mental health, her desires. Her attempts to reclaim her body, her power, her agency are often heartbreaking. If we’re aiming for body neutrality, Life Drawing shows how far we are. This book transports you back to those university share house days and Brisbane comes to life here with the city a character in its own right. Lighezzolo writes with compassion and her prose is clear eyed. I will be pressing this book into the hands of young people, especially those starting uni and tafe but also their parents. It amazes me how much we have to figure out about ourselves in this life and how little time we have to do it.

[Natasha Lester]

A strikingly bold debut novel that turns an unflinching gaze towards love and women's bodies. Written with both compassion and evocative prose, Emily Lighezzolo's book tackles contemporary issues head-on through the eyes of her two expertly drawn main characters.
I received an advance copy from the publishers

[Bella Skene · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible debut novel! As a Brisbane girl, I could feel the atmosphere through the screen and Maisie’s uni days are parallel to many. Emily wrote Maisie and Charlie’s story beautifully and truly encapsulated the trying relationship between a young woman and her body and sexuality and I loved the exploration of this as she grew older. Wonderfully written, cannot wait for book club now!

[jassie lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Approach this book with caution, definitely a heavy one with some triggers towards the end. Honestly a beautiful, honest and gut wrenching debut, and definitely worth your time.

This might be a terrible review because I almost can’t even begin to process my thoughts and feelings. Emily Lighezzolo’s ‘Life Drawing’ is filled with characters you detest and love at the same time - at least I did. Maisie and Charlie feel like people I’ve met before (maybe it’s all the brissy characterisation). Lighezzolo’s prose in this novel is striking and raw, not sugarcoating the parts that are meant to leave you with a sour taste in your mouth. I don’t know if I could say I wholeheartedly enjoyed this book - several parts had me putting the book down to stare at the ceiling after reading them. But I know it was what I’d call a GOOD book because it made me giddy, angry, hurt, disgusted, relieved, and more within the span of 300-ish pages. And the part of Lighezzolo’s writing that struck me in the heart the most was its honesty. I picked up this book expecting a love story, and put it down after experiencing the vastness of emotional intensity that comes with being a woman and having a body. Maisie’s story truly exemplifies the distance that exists between women in modern society and achieving body neutrality, and draws into the light the way we so often view and use our own bodies through and as result of outside gazes.

Despite being marketed and described primarily as a love story between Maisie and Charlie, I would say Life Drawing is a raw telling of the vulnerability, discomfort, and injustice that exists in experiencing womanhood in modern society (amongst other hearty themes) and the way those in our lives with somewhat different experiences may navigate this discomfort with or against us. I believe this novel will resonate with so many people and is TRULY worth your time.

[Kiwiflora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very profound and quite unexpected. I took it to read based on a recommendation that it was sort of in the same vein as Normal People - young love and its struggles - but better. As neither of us thought Normal People was as good or amazing as everyone else seems to think it was/is, I took it reluctantly. But it has turned out to be a deeply moving, incisive and beautifully written novel. Narrated by Charlie, a slightly awkward young university student, quietly trying to find his feet. He loves to draw, not necessarily seeing himself as an artist, more as an outlet. He begins to attend a life drawing class where he is dazzled by the young woman who is the sitter. Maisie has a very complicated relationship with her body, her self-esteem, the public Maisie vs the private Maisie. It is very much an unrequited love on Charlie's part for some time, Maisie never allowing herself to see the what sort of young man is in her view. The years pass, life happens, and still Maisie and Charlie merge in and out of each other's lives, the good bits and the bad bits. It is set in current day, but it could be any young person's experience of first love, of young adults finding themselves sexually, learning to love themselves, dealing with the horrible objectification that has come with being a beautiful young woman. I am sure the themes apply equally well to young men, but this story has been written with a young woman in mind, and will be relate-able to many readers. You don't have to be young to read this, I am not, and perhaps that is better. As an older reader you have gone through stuff yourself, you also realise that every young body is beautiful, even if it's wearer doesn't think so. Yet. if you have young women in your life, this has terrific themes for discussion and sharing of views. As well as being a beautiful story.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an amazing debut, beautifully written and beautifully constructed, with characters you just want to reach out and hug (and possibly shake) at the same time. For me, it's the perfect mix of messy, complex characters and steamy romance - each character has been treated with such care, and you really feel as if you go on a journey with these characters. The settings too, feel pulled from reality, I felt as if I'd been there myself- these uni bars, these sharehouses. There's humour and banter and friendship but there's also some really deep themes around body image and self-esteem, all handled so beautifully and with such precision. It's an emotionally complex read for sure and I fell in love with it.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a huge reader, but I finished this book in a weekend. I genuinely couldn’t put it down. The story is so compelling that I constantly needed to know what would happen next. The characters are complex and engaging, and I found myself really invested in their journeys.
The book also explores themes that felt very relatable to me as a woman who has struggled with body image. The way the female body is described and captured throughout the story is raw and honest, yet written with such empathy and beauty.
Overall, this was an incredibly compelling read and one I would absolutely recommend to anyone interested in reflecting on their relationship with their body or looking for a story with emotionally rich characters.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Would definitely recommend.

[Rabita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life Drawing focuses on the difficult and complicated relationship women have with their bodies. Disappointingly, Life Drawing’s answer to self-acceptance appears to be romantic love and validation from the male gaze. While I was initially drawn in by the main characters’ awkward and endearing fumble through college life and young love, my interest waned. The college section felt too long. My interest picked up at the tail end with the exploration of parenthood. Overall, I found the character development lacking and narrowly focused on the two main characters’ relationship with each other and scarce character development attributable to external events.

[Giota · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally write reviews, but this is an extraordinary debut novel from a new Australian talent. It's explores the life and love of Charles and Maisie at three keys points in life; when they meet in a share house at uni, in their late 20s, and in their 30s. Beautiful exploration of young love, and how it evolves over time and stay, and also how one's perceptions change.

People have compared her writing to Sally Rooney, but I think it's more nuanced and insightful than that. Highly recommend.

[Jessy Franks · Rating 4 out of 5]

One for any woman who has ever felt at war with their body. How much time goes down the drain when we obsess over getting thinner, leaner, smoother, smaller? When we watch our own instagram stories on a loop to see how it would be perceived by others perspective? What happens when we continually objectify ourselves and then realise we won’t be fuckable forever?
Maisie and Charlie are both such complex & layered characters and I loved reading about their commitment to finding their way back to each other ❤️

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw, Real, and Rewarding

I always knew any book that Emily Lighezzolo wrote would be brilliant, and Life Drawing definitely comes to that party. Maisie's story is a revealing commentary on the battle most women fight with their bodies, their body image, and the relationship between their bodies and the men they choose (or don't choose) to share them with.

Loved it. And I love Charlie, too xx

[Sarah Ritchie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait to read another book by Emily. This debut novel was great.

[Peter Mathews · Rating 1 out of 5]

A tedious soap opera with not a profound thought in sight.

[Gavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. So impressive for a first novel. The sense of time and place is incredible - University days and shared houses. Cleanly focused on Maisie and Charlie who are wonderfully drawn and developed (and who are both at times incredibly annoying and incredibly warm/lovable). Drawn with compassion by the author. Profound consideration of a woman's body - how she views/uses it over time; how society (particularly men) view/use it. Unflinching. Brilliant.