Helen of Nowhere

by Makenna Goodman

In the middle of the countryside, a realtor is showing a disgraced professor around an idyllic house. She speaks not only about the home's many wonderful qualities but about its previous owner, the mystifying Helen, whose presence still seems to suffuse every fixture. Through hearing stories of Helen's chosen way of living, the man begins to see that his story is not actually over – rather, he is being offered a chance to buy his way into the simple life, close to the land, that's always been out of reach to him. But as evening fades into black, he will learn that the asking price may be much higher, and stranger, than anticipated. Philosophically and formally adventurous, at once intimate and cosmic in scope, Helen of Nowhere  What must we give up in exchange for true happiness?

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, The United States Of America, American, Contemporary, 21st Century

143 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 29, 2026

Reviews

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This did not work for me, unfortunately. I don't think I've read two books from the same author that feel so different in writing. I liked The Shame for its acerbic humor and charm, but Helen of Nowhere feels like it is trying too hard to be profound.

The plot seems like a hybrid of Mrs. Dalloway and A Christmas Carol in that the events take place over a single day, and our narrator is visited by a ghost who helps him reckon with his life. He is an unreliable narrator who only gives us glimpses into the breakdown of his marriage.

I fear I may be too stupid to really get what this book is trying to say... The main commentary of the book is that the husband takes his wife for granted, exploits their power dynamic, and she performs domestic and professional labour that contributes to his success at the expense of her own. Which is all fine and valid - but not particularly groundbreaking. Nothing brings the disjoint plot elements together, and it could be argued that the ending undermines much of the book's commentary.

Both of Goodman's novels center on the domestic lives of women and how they navigate them in a modern world, but ultimately, I think The Shame is a better execution of it. The writing has some poignant remarks but is bogged down by ambiguity and the inability to commit to a central plot arc.

Thank you to Coffee House Press for the advanced copy.
---
Lucy Dacus gave this 5 stars and that was all the encouragement I needed

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She fell asleep early, exhausted just to have had the sun alive on her face for a time. And then, she got up early to sit on the deck with coffee to watch the fog lift, feel the dew suck back up into the air revealing the green daylight beneath it. To pay attention, you had to spend hours. To see the flight pattern of a bee, you had to sit idly beside a flower. (…)

Helen came to know a different kind of language, a different kind of art. She came to see that there are people who live completely apart from the minds that supposedly trigger seismic shifts in human history. There’s contentment outside of all that, a life that sees no use for it. There are people who don’t feel excluded, who aren’t humiliated by their station in life, who don’t compare themselves to those who may be seen as better, bigger.”

Makenna Goodman is a rare bird.

Her first novel “The Shame” was a stunning portrait of a mother on the run, fueled by fury and obsession. A novel walking the (narrative) line, a speeding object on a straight highway.

Nothing is straight in “Helen of Nowhere”.

An aging disgraced professor (Man) visits a house for sale in the countryside, away from it all, yearning for a renewed lease on life. A mysterious Helen previously owned the house. Enough said.

Go in blind. Don’t think. The sublime writing will carry you through. Scene after scene, you will surf the waves of patriarchy, academia, cities and the natural world, individual agency and social constructs, men and women, the self and all its masks. Capitalism. The Land. Rescued dogs.

A provocative and idiosyncratic novel/play in six acts, six variations on perception, identity, ownership and reinvention, “Helen of Nowhere” feels like a hallucinatory trip through the chakras, from the root to the crown. Or is it the other way around?

A puzzle. An indictment. A reverie.
What will you acquire or give up in order to be?

A rare bird indeed.

[JE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Helen of Nowhere after a strange experience. I attended an author panel where one of the participants was an older author who was once quite relevant. I researched him after the event. He'd won a couple book awards and even had a movie made from one. Without getting into it too much, he was a good writer who'd lost touch with the ways in which authors achieve relevance today.

Sadly, with his latest work, he'd not only tried to keep his status and influence through well-worn means, but doubled down on his role as a sort of spokesperson in an area where truly gifted people could speak with their own voices. This resulted in most reputable publishers not being interested in his most recent book. He did finally find a press who'd take him, but this was likely due to some combination of connections and persistence. I felt sorry for him so I purchased his book, but I couldn't finish it.

As I read the first few pages of Helen of Nowhere, the parallels between the once relevant man at the book event I attended and the man in Goodman's book struck me. I should not be surprised. As the world changes, so are the ways in which we experience authentic stories and voices. But Goodman's story about once esteemed man losing his place made me laugh out loud. I also wondered aloud about my own cruelty.

After all, I'm a man who achieves daily relevance and privilege simply by being a man. The days are coming when this free pass will begin to lose it's value. I think there are many men who fear this transition down to their core. And they're attempting to find ways to recover. Many methods are tragically dark, desperate, and laughable.

For me, the protagonist's recovery at the end of Goodman's novel is among the more reasonable pathways forward. However, as the back cover blurb explains, it remains encumbered by consequence, "He will learn that the asking price may be much higher, and stranger, than anticipated."

(Note: I got an early copy of this book by being a Coffee House Press subscriber.)

[Matt Bender · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn’t clear to me what Goodman was trying to do here until the end. I found it extremely amusing, mostly because of the elaborate set up.

The joke’s set up is basically a modern feminist retelling of Dr. Faustus. In Goodman’s retelling, a ridiculously mysognistic professor tours a country home where he is seduced by a baccanal Helen figure into necromancy. The benefit of the bargain is deeply ironic.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading it, I had no idea where this novel was going to take me, and it was so worth it for the spectacular ending!

I received this book as part of my Coffee House Press subscription for Fall 2025.

[Julia Jenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy smokes. I loved this book. Very cerebral and subtly, darkly funny then just… laugh out loud absurd which is a great combination for me. I loved The Shame for its commentary on the trend of urban to rural migration and as a fellow traveller I’m glad Makenna Goodman is continuing to take on this dynamic in smart and inventive ways. A lot of grappling with identity politics here, and for the most part I thought it was fairly nuanced, and even somewhat sympathetic (though others will probably disagree with this) though the ending pretty much turned that on it’s head. Somewhat heavy handed 🤣 but also literally made me gasp in delight so I’ll forgive that. Anyways can’t wait to re read this. More weird novels in 2026

[Gregory Duke · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

Stylistically leaden and surprisingly lacking in provocation. All the expected blurbs (except my shock at Cusk's (unsurprising given the material) endorsement) are present for a narrative of gender war and empathy and cancel culture and regression and artificial divinity in nature. Boring.

[dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

“i had wondered if there was even a point to existing… but was it just as possible ceasing to exist was the only way to exist truthfully?”

a very thought provoking novel that circles around different points of views of characters that are intertwined with the other in the same way. a lot of the lines will stick with me for life, and to me, thats a book worth reading.

very artistically lyrical and if looking at it through its flawed and existential characters and beautiful prose, this is a story that will stay forever

[Renée Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

No plot just vibes. And the vibes are confusing. I was excited for a book about a disgraced male professor who’s trying to convince us he’s a good guy. But it went left quickly, got weird and pushed me beyond my limit with speculative fiction.

[ritareadthat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. There were definitely some great passages that resonated with me. There are a lot of deeply philosophical type musings being conveyed here. However, I find the writing as a whole just a little too abstract for me. I typically enjoy weird and out there type of books, but this one was a little too much even for me. Hopefully it works for you!

Thanks to Coffee House Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Chloe]

“She realized she valued her life on the day-to-day. A good day meant all was okay, while a bad day was cause for concern. She said she held onto the good days knowing they had been outweighed by the bad days for years. She realized that I thought about the long view, about life over a long period of time, not by moments, but by the concept of it in general; a completed vision of what I hoped it would be in the end.”

[Lillian Weber]

i’m goddamned obsessed with this book. it shifts so perfectly into the weird just by asking questions. what is a good life? honestly sometimes my answer is the same as the books but maybe the joke is on me.

I think the title is really funny. women cause everything just by existing in the same space as men. the only way helen could have not caused a war was to disappear

[Hannah Bonner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange, enthralling, and thought provoking.

[Fiona W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have to confess that I hated this book. Like found its aesthetic choices morally repellent. Loved the first paragraph and the last section. The rest felt overly singsongy. But that’s just me!! I’m still pro experimental writing and glad she made an experiment!

[Cara Blacklock · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT

[Olga · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s an easy, smooth read. I loved the details and the descriptions of nature, the house, and the mysterious Helen. But around the middle to the end, it suddenly shifts into something completely unexpected. It’s hard to explain, it gets a bit confusing, and the ending is so surprising that you almost feel like you need to read it again… and honestly, I’m just not in the mood for that.

[Chris]

This thin novel contains a lot. Is it about finding happiness, or satisfying vanity? The attractions of a rural cabin—and its trying social interactions—are well put. I loved the idea that time does not pass, but rather burrows, coils like a nautilus, tightening.
The book contemplates fame, gender roles, time, intimacies between professionals, between lovers.

[Corrie Liotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

God I LOVE a weird little book. And what a thematically perfect read to pick up right after finishing Katabasis 💀

[zeynep · Rating 3 out of 5]

helen of nowhere follows a man who, dealing with the destruction of both his career and his marriage in interrelated ways, searches for a different way to live. this occurs throughout his process of trying to buy a new house in the country, a house belonging to a ghost-like being named helen. this book was cerebral, for lack of a better way to put it, and i thought that the ending was very clever, but it does not overall feel very cohesive. the latter half was definitely a lot stronger than the former, which got to be a bit tedious to read through, and for all its discussions and exploring i am not sure where, exactly, the book left us. however, all in all, the book was well-written and interesting, and raised some questions i was glad to think about.

thank you so much to coffee house press and edelweiss for the arc!

[Yong Qi · Rating 2 out of 5]

kafkaesque cockroach ending.

[Nomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiny yet mighty.
First of all, I really appreciated the structure of the book. The way the sections are organized makes it easy to follow the characters and move through the story without any confusion. Structurally, the novel begins with the man as the narrator, which works well; we are first immersed in his perspective before gradually encountering other characters who challenge him, converse with him, and attempt to reveal their own truths through him. On a broader level, the novel gave me fleeting impressions of the Buddhist concept of nothingness: quiet, unsettling moments where meaning seems to dissolve rather than resolve.
The man in the book reminded me of a line from Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”: “Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world.” However, Helen of Nowhere presents this idea in a far deeper and more disturbing way. The man is insecure and narcissistic, yet somehow ends up with the most beautiful and intelligent woman in the room. What binds them is not love but lust which makes both of their lives miserable, because love, even when painful, would have been easier in my opinion.
Throughout his life, it seems like he only looked in the mirror at himself but did not look around. As Helen says in the book, “the mirror makes you forget.” Their relationship becomes a clear example of what happens when someone ties their life to an insecure loser who only drags them down, a problem that feels painfully modern and increasingly common as men and women have become relatively equal from a social standpoint.
One line that struck me particularly hard was the idea that we are all equally exceptional and equally doomed. This thought has aligned with my worldview for a long time, and seeing it expressed so simply and beautifully made it linger even longer.
Toward the end, I felt that the man never truly understands or changes, and perhaps he doesn’t have to. Although he seems to believe he has realized everything and wants to get his shit together, still feels hollow, and that, too, feels very real. The ending was surprising in how starkly it conveys that not everyone gets a second chance. Sometimes, quite simply, it is already too late.

[belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

“You had to look at chairs and at tables, and then you would remember, but a mirror made you forget. Inside every person is a landscape, Helen would say. Why look at your reflection in search of the truth? We are more than just our puny selves, and mirrors are all about puniness. All the mistakes we may have made, these are mistakes that come from looking too hard at our reflections. If we had no reflections, we'd see what was in front of us, we'd see many things at once, none of them ourselves.”

“If you look at your spirit as a horse running through a field, you can see that there's just no restrictions, there's just absolute expression without any kind of hesitation. There's just complete expression. The soul, on the other hand—like when a man is soulful, when he's playing jazz and he becomes the music—is how the essence of who we are can come through.”

Fine distinction
Spirit - expression
Soul - essence

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
I will start by saying this book has a lot of interesting quotes that were thought provoking but the plot was a bit too arbitrary for me.

The book follows a man through the lens of various other characters he interacts with in each chapter having him contemplate his life, work, and his marriage.

The best parts of this book were the questions and issues the man brought up about his marriage, why were they incompatible and why did his wife want to leave?

“She realized that while an anchor’s main purpose was to hold a ship in place, it wasn’t meant to solely anchor - it had every right, and in fact demanded to be pulled up from time to time to rest on deck and enjoy the feeling of the open air.”

My main issues of the book were personal, it was a lot of philosophical ramblings of whichever character was in charge of the narrative and then the ending was… a choice I was not expecting.

[Jacob Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two short passages from Helen of Nowhere:


*


Failure. That’s where I was. It’s where I had been. I had to admit this to myself, that I had become unsuccessful, that I was chasing after something unattainable that I had once attained but since misplaced. I had a feeling of having been somewhere, not knowing how to get back, like understanding the route but not the means of transport. Rooted in failure like a root in cement, cemented in failure like a pillar in an ugly house, pillared in my inadequacy which was endless and vast.


*


Imagine that you wrote a book that had been widely praised because it was so relatable and yet touched a nerve that was rarely reachable. Then imagine another writer wrote a book with a similar idea and it eclipsed your book, only it was a more violent version of a person’s search for truth. The media couldn’t stop comparing the two of you, and suddenly, you who had been this visionary were now seen as a hack, because you had been writing about women, but the other writer was a woman.


*

[Axel Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cool book by up-and-coming American author Mackenna Goodman that I can only recommend. Super intriguing, both playful and philosophical in its perspective-switching (or is it?) treatment of male fragility, which is a lot less straightforward than the point-of-view first chapter may suggest. As always with Fitzcarraldo, it helps that the typesetting and overall presentation, here matched bt the author's own aesthetically pleasing paragraphisation, make the book a visual as well as a literary pleasure.

[Naty Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

"... [M]arrying her was the greatest revenge against her brilliance."

This novel is constructed somewhat like a play in sections labeled "acts" with a cast of four (maybe). It is beautifully written, head spinning, and devolves into speculative fiction the further you go. I devoured it.

The construction of the novel itself is unique and each section builds on the last but feels like a stand alone piece in its own right. You love to hate and hate to love The Man.

Say you were a woman.

No, say you were a man.

[s wong · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful prose. Empty and hollow on substance. Started off promising but devolved quickly as the parts moved on. What is the point of this man? Are men just shallow self-absorbed beings that do not know how to love? The ending, when juxtaposed with the beginning seems totally out of place and came out of nowhere as if the author didn’t have a good way to close off and slapped it on for a good laugh. Men are simply no better than that ending. I did have a chuckle over that point.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this DRC from Edelweiss.

I'm glad this one was short. It felt like it was trying hard to be profound, but could've benefitted from some subtlety. The man was just so unlikable from the start in such an obvious way that it felt too over the top. The ending made it a bit more interesting to me, but I'm not sure if that was enough to make the whole thing worthwhile.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m struggling a bit to review this odd little book. I read it for spooky season and it is, in an odd way. The misogynist who goes to see about a house to save his marriage-ish - and then… it’s worth the read and I feel like it has interesting things to say about the academic world at least for women. Loved the ending.

[ashna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was truly gripping, though it was more so in the effect of trying to figure out what was going on and or what the author was trying to illustrate through this strange story. The fantasm woven through this story via Helen’s character is intriguing and exciting. The story is odd, but well written.