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The Whimsical Life of Iris Shuester
Iris Shuester may come off as an artsy millenial who has a degree, working at a coffee shop, chasing a dream in the literature world, but here down in the pits of Portland, that's only on the surface. As Iris struggles to find her niche in life, she is regularly being haunted by flashbacks and dubbed crazy by the society she lives in. It could be due to the fact that she is slightly off in the head. It also may be because of her drinking problem and constantly hearing voices. Iris must make a decision soon for her fate, as she realizes the strange things happening around her may not be fiction afterall.
242 pages, Paperback
Published June 21, 2017
1 person is currently reading
481 people want to read
About the author
Emily Hodson
4 books106 followersEmily Hodson is the author of 4 finished pieces: Pretty Unlikely and Pretty Gutsy of her Pretty Unlikely Trilogy project, The Whimsical Life of Iris Shuester, and her latest dystopian thriller, Medicate Me.
Currently she is working on finishing, editing, publishing, and co-narrating her own audiobook of Medicate Me, with voice actor George Brandenburg. 2nd book Inject Me, of the Medicate Me sequel, out soon.
You can find her on Instagram @emilyhodson_author
Threads @emilyhodson_author
Facebook: Emily Hodson Author
Business inquiries or fan mail: emilyhodson.author@gmail.com
Currently she is working on finishing, editing, publishing, and co-narrating her own audiobook of Medicate Me, with voice actor George Brandenburg. 2nd book Inject Me, of the Medicate Me sequel, out soon.
You can find her on Instagram @emilyhodson_author
Threads @emilyhodson_author
Facebook: Emily Hodson Author
Business inquiries or fan mail: emilyhodson.author@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 31, 2018
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A none too bright Millennial has all sorts of weird encounters with people and with aliens.
Tries too hard to be funny.
A none too bright Millennial has all sorts of weird encounters with people and with aliens.
Tries too hard to be funny.
October 15, 2017
Hey all...message from the author:
There have been a lot of people asking me where to buy this book. Though it is complete, a friend pointed out a few minor flaws in the book that i would like to perfect. Once that is done, I will launch it on sale worldwide for people to buy and also throw a few GoodReads giveaway :)
PLEASE NOTE: If you click on buy a copy on "Amazon," someone is apparently selling my book for 48 whopping dollars...that is NOT me, as I will only be listing it at $9.99 in the USA, other countries will vary. I do NOT recommend buying from that person on Amazon...don't know why anyone would sell a novel for $48 !!!! It's appalling lol also not sure how they got ahold of my book!!!!!
Anyways, I appreciate everyone's patience.
There have been a lot of people asking me where to buy this book. Though it is complete, a friend pointed out a few minor flaws in the book that i would like to perfect. Once that is done, I will launch it on sale worldwide for people to buy and also throw a few GoodReads giveaway :)
PLEASE NOTE: If you click on buy a copy on "Amazon," someone is apparently selling my book for 48 whopping dollars...that is NOT me, as I will only be listing it at $9.99 in the USA, other countries will vary. I do NOT recommend buying from that person on Amazon...don't know why anyone would sell a novel for $48 !!!! It's appalling lol also not sure how they got ahold of my book!!!!!
Anyways, I appreciate everyone's patience.
November 12, 2017
“The Whimsical Life of Iris Sheuster” by Emily Hodson is a chameleonic tale about a young woman who has been a chronic misfit her entire life. Her constant companion and irritant is what she realizes is her imaginary friend, Eliawa, an alien creature whom only she can see and hear. Iris has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and is a self-destructive alcoholic who seems to sabotage her life at every turn.
An outcast since birth with an abusive, alcoholic father, an arrogant, condescending sister and a clueless, doting mother, Iris Sheuster has a terrible time growing up, teased and mocked by her classmates and cruelly beaten by her father who makes it clear that he wishes she’d never been born. Her memories contain flashes of pyrokinesis, which she dismisses as yet more schizophrenic hallucinations.
These details are revealed in flashbacks as we join Iris as she’s about to graduate from Portland State University with a major in English and a minor in journalism. She’s an aspiring science fiction novelist who has been submitting and receiving rejections from publishers for several years now, with each stinging rejection initiating another bout with the bottle. Her relationships with men are mostly one-night stands via Tinder. Her only reliable companion is, pathetically, her kitten, Stella.
A chance meeting in a bar leads Iris into a healing, restorative connection with a man who seems to be just what she needs to turn her life around.
The novel has passages of great pain and sorrow as well as much wry, well-observed humor. Much of the novel is driven by youthful existential rage and angst over Iris’s cruel fate in life and while it seems that the tale is about the sad life of a woman circling the drain there comes a moment of genuine surprise in the last 60 pages that makes all the pain and suffering worth the ride.
“The Whimsical Life of Iris Sheuster” is an original and unique vision and an alternate explanation of reality.
An outcast since birth with an abusive, alcoholic father, an arrogant, condescending sister and a clueless, doting mother, Iris Sheuster has a terrible time growing up, teased and mocked by her classmates and cruelly beaten by her father who makes it clear that he wishes she’d never been born. Her memories contain flashes of pyrokinesis, which she dismisses as yet more schizophrenic hallucinations.
These details are revealed in flashbacks as we join Iris as she’s about to graduate from Portland State University with a major in English and a minor in journalism. She’s an aspiring science fiction novelist who has been submitting and receiving rejections from publishers for several years now, with each stinging rejection initiating another bout with the bottle. Her relationships with men are mostly one-night stands via Tinder. Her only reliable companion is, pathetically, her kitten, Stella.
A chance meeting in a bar leads Iris into a healing, restorative connection with a man who seems to be just what she needs to turn her life around.
The novel has passages of great pain and sorrow as well as much wry, well-observed humor. Much of the novel is driven by youthful existential rage and angst over Iris’s cruel fate in life and while it seems that the tale is about the sad life of a woman circling the drain there comes a moment of genuine surprise in the last 60 pages that makes all the pain and suffering worth the ride.
“The Whimsical Life of Iris Sheuster” is an original and unique vision and an alternate explanation of reality.
March 12, 2018
As someone with mental health issues ,this book is like a behind the scenes look at my life ,the author as got down and dirty on a taboo issue even today people still shy away from. had all those feeling the voices, the paranoid moments, the imaginary people in my head this book made me laugh and cry in equal amounts , thanks Emily for having the guts to write a book like this.
March 5, 2018
Such a wonderful story. These pages are filled with a raw, beautiful and painful depiction of mental illness. But also mystery and fantasy. Hope and loss. This is very different from any other stories I have read, through imagination and writing style. I don't think it'll be a good match for everyone, but for those who it does suit, it'll be a breath of fresh air.
If you like any of the above themes, I would highly recommend giving this book a try.
If you like any of the above themes, I would highly recommend giving this book a try.
March 29, 2020
"Iris Shuester has fallen through the cracks of society. Struggling to get her University degree, she works part time at Starbucks, can hardly afford her rent, her cat is her only friend in the world and her family live across the other side of the country. But that's OK because she doesn't get on terribly well with them either. Oh, and she's an alcoholic.
Her dreams in life are both short and long-term. She'd like to meet a guy who will actually love her and she wants to become a famous Science Fiction writer. Neither are looking easy to achieve as she is almost a recluse and her manuscript is continually rejected by publishers.
Floating through her non-descript life, a bottle often close at hand and the occasional one
night stand that she always feels embarrassed about, Iris endures an apparition from her past. Her 'invisible' childhood friend, Eliawa, an alien that she has always spoken to but over the years has become nothing but annoying. Anyway who has an invisible alien friend when they are 24?
Iris' life reads as depressingly as a character from Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London. Just an existence, passing the time until death. Through no real intent of her own, a chance meeting whilst out on yet another bender, gives her life an upside. But still, she cannot rid herself of her childhood acquaintance, Eliawa.
Iris finds her life starting to get some meaning and although he is still there, she is learning to suppress Eliawa. 90% of her life remains the same, Starbucks, rejection letters and the like but her life has become more tolerable and just perhaps her future will be that of a normal girl, not one like she has been her entire life.
It is when
this new sunshine in her life becomes enmeshed with her past that Iris' true meaning becomes apparent. There are reasons she keeps family distant, reasons Eliawa won't leave her, reasons why she never gets anywhere in life and reasons why she shouldn't trust.
Emily has written a surprising and intriguing novel. One that will keep you guessing until the end. It is face paced, character-driven and well worth a read. Full of pop culture, relevant to today, she has engaged the reader's feelings of empathy and sorrow through to hatred and disgust.
For more details check out the Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/thewhimsical..."
Her dreams in life are both short and long-term. She'd like to meet a guy who will actually love her and she wants to become a famous Science Fiction writer. Neither are looking easy to achieve as she is almost a recluse and her manuscript is continually rejected by publishers.
Floating through her non-descript life, a bottle often close at hand and the occasional one
night stand that she always feels embarrassed about, Iris endures an apparition from her past. Her 'invisible' childhood friend, Eliawa, an alien that she has always spoken to but over the years has become nothing but annoying. Anyway who has an invisible alien friend when they are 24?
Iris' life reads as depressingly as a character from Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London. Just an existence, passing the time until death. Through no real intent of her own, a chance meeting whilst out on yet another bender, gives her life an upside. But still, she cannot rid herself of her childhood acquaintance, Eliawa.
Iris finds her life starting to get some meaning and although he is still there, she is learning to suppress Eliawa. 90% of her life remains the same, Starbucks, rejection letters and the like but her life has become more tolerable and just perhaps her future will be that of a normal girl, not one like she has been her entire life.
It is when
this new sunshine in her life becomes enmeshed with her past that Iris' true meaning becomes apparent. There are reasons she keeps family distant, reasons Eliawa won't leave her, reasons why she never gets anywhere in life and reasons why she shouldn't trust.
Emily has written a surprising and intriguing novel. One that will keep you guessing until the end. It is face paced, character-driven and well worth a read. Full of pop culture, relevant to today, she has engaged the reader's feelings of empathy and sorrow through to hatred and disgust.
For more details check out the Facebook page; https://www.facebook.com/thewhimsical..."
February 3, 2018
I won this book through @GoodReads giveaway.
When I started reading this novel, I thought it is good and I was sure it will get even better with every page. Unfortunately I was wrong. At some point the story started to fall apart and I lost my interest. I love sci-fi. But this story with aliens just didn't work for me.
I finished the novel, but at the end it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Synopsis:
Iris is different. She struggles with schizophrenia, paranoia and few other illnesses. It was never easy for her and her own family couldn't understand her. Her father hated her all life, and Iris had only one friend, who was part of her imagination.
But Iris was trying to do, what she loved the most. Write. Struggling to keep her job, while also having alcohol problem, Iris' life seem to just fall apart.
Than she starts to date Darin.
When I started reading this novel, I thought it is good and I was sure it will get even better with every page. Unfortunately I was wrong. At some point the story started to fall apart and I lost my interest. I love sci-fi. But this story with aliens just didn't work for me.
I finished the novel, but at the end it just wasn't my cup of tea.
Synopsis:
Iris is different. She struggles with schizophrenia, paranoia and few other illnesses. It was never easy for her and her own family couldn't understand her. Her father hated her all life, and Iris had only one friend, who was part of her imagination.
But Iris was trying to do, what she loved the most. Write. Struggling to keep her job, while also having alcohol problem, Iris' life seem to just fall apart.
Than she starts to date Darin.
August 28, 2023
I received this as a Read 2 Review. As I am aware that there will be a 5-year revamped special edition from the author, I still wanted to go ahead with the read to review to see the earlier version. I have to say that I have never read a story quite like this one.
It's a bold story and a topic a lot of authors don't really touch in terms of getting into the mental health scene. Hodson delivers the story in a morose tone for a lot of the book but there are some surprising pleasant (unpleasant) twists and turns, making me as the reader want more until the end.
I don't want to giveaway anything, because it's hard not to give something away in a review when the book is that compelling and interesting. Props to the author for tackling heavy subjects, while also adding some alien stuff in the mix
It's a bold story and a topic a lot of authors don't really touch in terms of getting into the mental health scene. Hodson delivers the story in a morose tone for a lot of the book but there are some surprising pleasant (unpleasant) twists and turns, making me as the reader want more until the end.
I don't want to giveaway anything, because it's hard not to give something away in a review when the book is that compelling and interesting. Props to the author for tackling heavy subjects, while also adding some alien stuff in the mix
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews