The New Me Paperback – Big Book, 13 June 2019

Okay, first things first, there are books which need you to think a bit outside of the box and engage your darkest sense of humour when reading - "The New Me" is definitely one of them. If you read and enjoyed Ottessa Moshfegh - don't hesitate, you will find "The New Me" entertaining and full of self-deprecating sarcasm and hilarious observations of everyday "office" life and life outside of the said office.It's endearing and liberating to know some women are brave enough to write these books which depict things that some (or, perhaps, a majority) of the readers are not brave enough to admit feeling or experiencing themselves. The familiarity of some of the situations could be sickening or, really, a joy.

This is a beautifully written, cutting yet sympathetic novel about a woman whose life is not going how she thought it would. Butler has an incredible knack for description that makes the everyday and mundane seem frightening and absurd. My only caveat is that it is almost too accurate a depiction of the pettiness and misery of office work and unemployment, and of slowly spiralling mental health problems caused by loneliness. If your life is going badly at the moment, I would advise reading something more hopeful and less brutal.

Read this on a short flight, after a recommendation on The High Low. Very quotable and relatable (at times) the main character isn’t that likeable but I find it refreshing.

Gift chosen by neice for xmas.

Such a bore, maybe its an artistic thing for the sake of the story, but I couldn’t stand reading this