Kit

by Megan Barker

'In both its open-throated exclamations and its concentrated meditations on myriad forms of pain and joy [...] Kit reaches places other books don't.' - Max Porter

'An extraordinary experience ... It is work and voices like Megan's we have to fight for.' - Maxine Peake

Megan and Kit met in their early twenties. Their friendship was intense, wild and true.

Years later, when Kit becomes desperately unwell, Megan tries to pull her old friend back from the precipice, navigating the difficulties of revisiting a relationship conceived in the great freedom of youth, whilst attempting to remain fully present in the messy beauty of her family life.

Kit is a story of the sumptuous complication - and precariousness - of life and relationships. It describes a call to intimacy in a state of emergency. It is a story of one life disrupted as another moves toward its end.

Told in a spare, winding prose-poem, with a voice reminiscent of Max Porter, Elizabeth Smart, Kae Tempest and Rebecca Watson, Kit is a splintered, powerful work of empathy, friendship and unconditional love.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

Published July 6, 2023

Reviews

[Tom Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, playful, heart-breaking, life-affirming work of art.

[Paperback Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was tender and thoughtful (and required a lot of thought to process)
Not sure what to rate this so will settle on a 3

[amelie · Rating 2 out of 5]

why was she swearing at her children

[Christianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart wrenching and beautiful in a soft flowing prose. Read it in one sitting.

[Kit Cosimo · Rating 3 out of 5]

of course the book with my name is all about grief...

(i stumbled upon this on spotify which was great bcos maxine peake narrated it but not great bcos now its 2am and im crying)

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would comment on how young this reads, and how unrealistic the love is that gets written about at the beginning. But that sounds silly even reading those remarks, because this is exactly how love feels and appears to the young at heart, and Barker gets plaudits for that. What surprised me as a failing for the text was the language - the cadence, the words used, their feel and sense just weren't what I needed, or what I expected from a poetess. The narrative never grabbed me anywhere - heart, soul, brain - and I just felt myself reading through it, almost without any emotional spark or interest. It wasn't awful, just not all that memorable either, with similar topics done better elsewhere.

[Anna Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading Kit, Megan Barker's first book. I read the book really slowly as there is so much to it, so much to take in, so many parts that took me by surprise and made me laugh out loud and so many parts that are heart warmingly lovely, even though so very full of pain. I loved Megan's use of language, her openness, her ideas, her thoughts; as other reviews have written, it is so 'raw,' 'extraordinary.'
Kit was the Guardian's Book of the day, The Observer's Book of the week and the Guardian's Audio book of the week; accolades so well deserved.
I can't wait to read another book by this author - such talent.

[Liselotte Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Min "jag läser inte poesi"-stance blir svagare och svagare för varje sådan här roman jag läser. (Det är till och med på grund av poesin jag väljer att läsa dem?)
Men never mind, det är en roman, också. En väldigt fin sådan.
Språket (där var vi igen...) borde leda till en femma, men det är också språket (poesin) som ger en viss distans; jag känner inte riktigt att jag känner för de två vännerna, såsom jag borde. Moder- och äktenskap är äkta porträtterat, men den smärta vänskapen ger går av någon anledning inte rakt in i hjärtat.
Men det är nog mer jag än Barker, och boken är riktigt snygg.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I own this book.

Kit and Meg have been best friends for years. Their friendship is intense but devastatingly true. When Kit becomes unwell, Meg tries to bring him back from the brink, to incorporate her into the family she has made for herself. This story is told in moments, not everything is documented, but what is narrates a friendship of deep love and deep pain. It's playful, but bittersweet. I loved the way the messiness is incorporated into the good moments, how we see Meg tackle the highs and lows.

I will 100% look for more from this author.

[Reem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won’t lie this was my first forage into a book written in poetry and prose after a very very long time. Thus the experience of it was a nice one definietly. I think this book has some of the laugh out loud and beautiful lines of poetry… almost like the little innocent imaginative flatulences squeezed out (😉) amidst the dark and heartbreaking plot line itself. I think I settled for a 3.5 (If only Goodreads let me do it) because while the writing itself was beautiful, I don’t think it blew me out of the water?

[Sarah Van de kamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. THIS BOOK! This is some of the best poetry I've read in awhile. I felt so drawn the descriptions and emotion at the beginning of the book and the way that it unfolds into narrative is so well done. BEAUTIFUL. I sobbed at multiple parts. I laughed too. What strikes me most is how much raw love KIT contains. This is love this is love this is love -- in the wake of hardness and complexity and grief -- this is Love.

[Sean Auraist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Auraist substack is a recommendation service that identifies the best-written books from prize shortlists, end-of-year lists, and major reviews. Kit was one of our picks for the best-written literary fiction books of the summer. Read an extract at https://auraist.substack.com/p/litera.... Subscriptions are currently free.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Open, immediate and raw. The book rocks you back on your feet, you want to test through it.The use of language delights and surprises! The book is a gem. I will treasure my copy, and I’m looking forward to more work from this author.

[Ffion Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn in to the beautiful writing in this poignant and raw story which focuses on friendship, motherhood,marriage and everything in between. I finished it in one evening and haven't been able to get it out of my mind since. A truly special book.

[Sheena Wan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning, raw and moving. A must-read.

[Linda Fitzsimmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly absorbing and beautifully written. Moving, funny and uplifting.

[A T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautifully crafted and formatted. im a sucker for some prose-poetry!!!

[Anna Sinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow. No words. So much power and empathy. Books like this make me love people.

[Edward Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it aloud and loved it.