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Self-Worth
True love or easy money — which would you choose?
Fresh from graduating with her master’s in philosophy, Anna is shocked when a career counsellor tells her she has ‘no special skills’. Desperate for work and financial independence, she accepts a thankless job at a TV talk show. She might be making minimum wage, but at least she has her boyfriend Lulu, the love of her life, to come home to at night.
But one day Lulu starts throwing up cash — thousands of euros in just a few days — hurtling the twenty-something couple into unforeseen wealth. Having spent their lives proudly rejecting consumer society, they suddenly find themselves rich, and Anna is loving every minute of she gets a designer bag, they vacation in Tahiti, they throw wild parties in their fancy new apartment.
As Anna grows accustomed to a life of luxury, Lulu’s health suffers, and she what would be worse, losing him or losing the money?
In Self-Worth newcomer Emma Tholozan delivers a raw, brutally funny portrait of a generation without ideals.
Fresh from graduating with her master’s in philosophy, Anna is shocked when a career counsellor tells her she has ‘no special skills’. Desperate for work and financial independence, she accepts a thankless job at a TV talk show. She might be making minimum wage, but at least she has her boyfriend Lulu, the love of her life, to come home to at night.
But one day Lulu starts throwing up cash — thousands of euros in just a few days — hurtling the twenty-something couple into unforeseen wealth. Having spent their lives proudly rejecting consumer society, they suddenly find themselves rich, and Anna is loving every minute of she gets a designer bag, they vacation in Tahiti, they throw wild parties in their fancy new apartment.
As Anna grows accustomed to a life of luxury, Lulu’s health suffers, and she what would be worse, losing him or losing the money?
In Self-Worth newcomer Emma Tholozan delivers a raw, brutally funny portrait of a generation without ideals.
130 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
April 27, 2026
“I wanted to be priceless, but I kept putting a number on myself.”
Self-Worth by Emma Tholozan is sharp, strange, and just a little bit unhinged in the best way. We follow a narrator who is completely consumed by money, image, and what it means to be worth something in a world that constantly assigns value to women like a price tag. It’s obsessive, uncomfortable, and honestly? Kind of hypnotic.
I felt like I was being pulled deeper and deeper into her mindset the more I read, watching that line between control and chaos blur in a way that’s both fascinating and a bit disturbing. It has that offbeat, almost surreal tone where you’re not always sure whether to laugh or wince, so naturally I did both.
Also, can we talk about the cover? Because it’s doing A LOT and somehow perfectly captures the vibe of the book. Glossy, provocative, a little confronting. Exactly what’s inside.
It’s not a “plot heavy, everything neatly tied up” kind of read. It’s more of a vibe, a character study, a slow spiral into obsession and self perception. If you like books a little weird, a little biting, and very introspective, this one will absolutely get under your skin. Unsettling, clever, and oddly addictive. Perfect for this weird book loving girl.
I Highly Recommend.
4.5
Self-Worth by Emma Tholozan is sharp, strange, and just a little bit unhinged in the best way. We follow a narrator who is completely consumed by money, image, and what it means to be worth something in a world that constantly assigns value to women like a price tag. It’s obsessive, uncomfortable, and honestly? Kind of hypnotic.
I felt like I was being pulled deeper and deeper into her mindset the more I read, watching that line between control and chaos blur in a way that’s both fascinating and a bit disturbing. It has that offbeat, almost surreal tone where you’re not always sure whether to laugh or wince, so naturally I did both.
Also, can we talk about the cover? Because it’s doing A LOT and somehow perfectly captures the vibe of the book. Glossy, provocative, a little confronting. Exactly what’s inside.
It’s not a “plot heavy, everything neatly tied up” kind of read. It’s more of a vibe, a character study, a slow spiral into obsession and self perception. If you like books a little weird, a little biting, and very introspective, this one will absolutely get under your skin. Unsettling, clever, and oddly addictive. Perfect for this weird book loving girl.
I Highly Recommend.
4.5
April 25, 2026
We had been sold the concept of the philosopher king, a prominent place in society, but Plato had it all wrong. You can explain the nuance between justice and equity? That’s great, but we need someone to stop the shelves, so that won’t help. Next!
Self Worth (2026) is translated by Emma Ramadan from the original Le rire des autres (2024) by Emma Tholozan.
It is the latest book from the ever-stimulating Asymptote Book Club "dedicated to world literature in translation that partners with top independent publishers on both sides of the Atlantic" - this book from Scribe Publications, a rather larger indy that those often featured.
This is a very quick read - a deliberately over-the-top indictment of consumer capitalism - but perhaps also (although I'm less sure this was the intent) of academic-elite overproduction.
The book club's introduction to / review of the book can be found here and an interview with the translator here.
Our narrator Anna graduates with a Masters in Philisophy, only to realise that the next stage for her and her classmates is not a PhD, but a trip to the job centre, where, after an interview the careers counselor asked me if I had any specific skills. I was a specialist in contemporary ontology, my 150 page thesis as proof. Also, I knew by heart the first 10 axioms of Spinoza's Ethics. Slightly embarrassed, Marjorie checked the box for 'no special skills'.
She ends up working on a TV show as the warm-up, prompting the live audience to cheer, laugh or boo. But her luck transforms when she meets her boyfriend Charles-Lucien who she decides she will call Lulu (like Beckett's prostitute? he replies). 'Lulu' is a repairman for all appliances, and when he moves in to her cramped Parisian flat brings two love birds which they inevitably name Vladimir and Estragon.
But their economic fortunes are transformed when Lulu literally starts to vomit cash. For him it's an affliction, both physically and emotionally (he'd rather repair an old appliance than buy a new one) but Anna embraces their new-found fortune, shopping for designer goods and arranging a holiday to Tahiti, where Lulu wants to understand the impacts of colonialism while she stays on the beach.
And it's there, inevitably, that Lulu's personal cash-machine starts to dry up - but as their economic status mean-reverts, Anna resorts to desperate means to extract what cash might remain.
A bit too on-the-nose and simplistic for my taste - 2.5 stars rounded to 2.
Scribe
Scribe has been operating as a wholly independent trade-publishing house for more than 40 years. What started off in 1976 as a desire on publisher Henry Rosenbloom’s part to publish ‘serious nonfiction’ as a one-man band has turned into a multi-award-winning company with more than 25 staff members in two locations — Melbourne, Australia and London, England — as well as a scout in New York, and a dedicated publicity and marketing team on the ground in the US.
Self Worth (2026) is translated by Emma Ramadan from the original Le rire des autres (2024) by Emma Tholozan.
It is the latest book from the ever-stimulating Asymptote Book Club "dedicated to world literature in translation that partners with top independent publishers on both sides of the Atlantic" - this book from Scribe Publications, a rather larger indy that those often featured.
This is a very quick read - a deliberately over-the-top indictment of consumer capitalism - but perhaps also (although I'm less sure this was the intent) of academic-elite overproduction.
The book club's introduction to / review of the book can be found here and an interview with the translator here.
Our narrator Anna graduates with a Masters in Philisophy, only to realise that the next stage for her and her classmates is not a PhD, but a trip to the job centre, where, after an interview the careers counselor asked me if I had any specific skills. I was a specialist in contemporary ontology, my 150 page thesis as proof. Also, I knew by heart the first 10 axioms of Spinoza's Ethics. Slightly embarrassed, Marjorie checked the box for 'no special skills'.
She ends up working on a TV show as the warm-up, prompting the live audience to cheer, laugh or boo. But her luck transforms when she meets her boyfriend Charles-Lucien who she decides she will call Lulu (like Beckett's prostitute? he replies). 'Lulu' is a repairman for all appliances, and when he moves in to her cramped Parisian flat brings two love birds which they inevitably name Vladimir and Estragon.
But their economic fortunes are transformed when Lulu literally starts to vomit cash. For him it's an affliction, both physically and emotionally (he'd rather repair an old appliance than buy a new one) but Anna embraces their new-found fortune, shopping for designer goods and arranging a holiday to Tahiti, where Lulu wants to understand the impacts of colonialism while she stays on the beach.
And it's there, inevitably, that Lulu's personal cash-machine starts to dry up - but as their economic status mean-reverts, Anna resorts to desperate means to extract what cash might remain.
A bit too on-the-nose and simplistic for my taste - 2.5 stars rounded to 2.
Scribe
Scribe has been operating as a wholly independent trade-publishing house for more than 40 years. What started off in 1976 as a desire on publisher Henry Rosenbloom’s part to publish ‘serious nonfiction’ as a one-man band has turned into a multi-award-winning company with more than 25 staff members in two locations — Melbourne, Australia and London, England — as well as a scout in New York, and a dedicated publicity and marketing team on the ground in the US.
July 25, 2026
3.5! a fun fast paced read
May 20, 2026
What I especially loved about this book was the way it explored capitalism and the reality of pursuing humanities degrees such as philosophy, literature, or sociology. As someone familiar with those fields, the themes felt extremely honest and realistic. The anxiety surrounding the job market, the struggle to find meaningful work, and the way economic status becomes tied to self worth were portrayed in a very convincing way.That was the main reason the book resonated with me so much at the beginning. I was expecting the story to continue in a more philosophical and metaphorical direction, which is why I struggled a bit when the novel gradually shifted into magical realism.Personally, I would have preferred those elements to remain more symbolic rather than becoming literal parts of the story. At times, that shift felt slightly disconnected from the tone the book initially established.At the same time, because the ending remains open to interpretation, the magical realism can still be read as a metaphor rather than objective reality. In that sense, I can understand what the author was trying to achieve, even if I wasn’t completely convinced by it.Regardless, I really appreciated how the novel examined the relationship between money, identity, self-worth, and survival under capitalism. I also liked that the ending never fully explains what happened to the main character, because that ambiguity adds a more philosophical layer to the story and leaves the reader reflecting on both the novel and real life itself.
Especially with books that feel this honest, and that resonate on a more personal level (particularly when they reflect one’s own academic background) they naturally raise questions. It makes you wonder whether things will really unfold that way, or whether they are already unfolding that way in real life. Most of the time, novels like this lean toward open, unresolved, or even tragic endings, which can feel like reality without any editing.In that sense, I really appreciated how the ending made me question what was “possible” or “inevitable” in the story. I love when a novel leaves me with those kinds of lingering thoughts, making me reflect rather than simply conclude.Also, maybe that was exactly the point the magical realism elements were trying to make questioning whether any of it was ever truly possible in the first place.
Especially with books that feel this honest, and that resonate on a more personal level (particularly when they reflect one’s own academic background) they naturally raise questions. It makes you wonder whether things will really unfold that way, or whether they are already unfolding that way in real life. Most of the time, novels like this lean toward open, unresolved, or even tragic endings, which can feel like reality without any editing.In that sense, I really appreciated how the ending made me question what was “possible” or “inevitable” in the story. I love when a novel leaves me with those kinds of lingering thoughts, making me reflect rather than simply conclude.Also, maybe that was exactly the point the magical realism elements were trying to make questioning whether any of it was ever truly possible in the first place.
May 22, 2026
A work of critical theory through and through, but delivered with the pop bite of “Boy Parts” and “Sky Daddy.” This resonated with me perhaps too perfectly as someone with a background in philosophy: the way higher education grooms students for careers that no longer exist, only to pull the rug out from under them upon graduation.
Anna, having spent years immersed in Deleuze and Sartre, finds herself working on the set of something akin to a French American Idol. Positioning her intellectual ambitions within the machinery of lowbrow entertainment becomes its own critique of the educational apparatus, which proves just as hollow and performative as the culture it supposedly stands above. Highbrow and lowbrow alike collapse into spectacle.
The novel’s magical premise (Anna’s boyfriend suddenly vomiting money) then sharpens into a surprisingly incisive inquiry into value, identity, and capital. “Self-worth” operates simultaneously as philosophical language and lived experience: Anna realizes she has no stable footing in the world and becomes increasingly beholden to money, watching herself transform as capital reshapes the power dynamics around her.
Funny, bleak, and intellectually nimble, this is an especially affecting work for anyone who has felt betrayed by the hierarchies structuring youth, education, and adulthood.
Anna, having spent years immersed in Deleuze and Sartre, finds herself working on the set of something akin to a French American Idol. Positioning her intellectual ambitions within the machinery of lowbrow entertainment becomes its own critique of the educational apparatus, which proves just as hollow and performative as the culture it supposedly stands above. Highbrow and lowbrow alike collapse into spectacle.
The novel’s magical premise (Anna’s boyfriend suddenly vomiting money) then sharpens into a surprisingly incisive inquiry into value, identity, and capital. “Self-worth” operates simultaneously as philosophical language and lived experience: Anna realizes she has no stable footing in the world and becomes increasingly beholden to money, watching herself transform as capital reshapes the power dynamics around her.
Funny, bleak, and intellectually nimble, this is an especially affecting work for anyone who has felt betrayed by the hierarchies structuring youth, education, and adulthood.
July 30, 2026
i really enjoyed the writing style and tone of this book. i was really confused by the last couple chapters but not in a frustrating way, i think i’m just a little dumb lowkey. i am also confused like did she hallucinate him existing or something ? or was she going through like psychosis after he ate the lottery ticket ? idk but i loved it and it’s impressive that without fully understanding this book i’m still not hateful towards it haha .
July 26, 2026
More like 2.5 stars. Makes you wonder why people’s self worth is dependent on how much money they have.
Did Not Finish
May 3, 2026I'm thinking of unsubscribing to Asymptote book club. This is awful :(
Review of advance copy
weird girl version of flowers for algeron
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
My childhood was full of fables about good behaviour and bad, like shoes that would pinch if you didn’t do your chores. Emma Tholozan’s new novel is a fable for a generation without such ideals. What happens when money is more important than people?
The book opens with Anna, newly qualified in Paris with a masters in philosophy, waiting at the unemployment office. She is graded as having ‘no special skills’. That night she meets Charles-Lucien at a party, spews on his shoes, and by the next chapter they are a couple. She christens him Lulu, “Like Beckett’s prostitute?” he quips.
Life quickly settles into conventionalism for Anna and Lulu. She works at a film studio, prompting the audience to laugh or boo for the minimum wage, while he repairs electrical goods for the neighbours at thirty euros a time. They survive on very little but love.
Their change in fortune comes as Lulu begins to feel ill and then starts to spew up twenty-euro notes. Anna dries out a note and takes it to the shop on the corner, where the owner can spot any fake. Turns out they are real. By the end of the day there are at least fifty. And so begins their change of destiny. They eat in a posh restaurant for the first time, but when they try to buy an apartment with nothing but a bag of cash and no obvious income, they realise that they can never quite live a normal life. Luckily Anna works with an ex-drug smuggler and celebrity bodyguard who knows how to launder.
The epigraph at the start of Self-Worth is a quote from Georges Perec’s mid-sixties novel Things: a Story of the Sixties. Also set in Paris, this was the inspiration for the recent International Booker nominated novel Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. All three books centre on young couples trying to make their way in contemporary society. Perec’s original says about his couple “Money stood like a barrier between them.” In ‘Self-Worth’ Anna makes an abrupt change, from the frugal shopper, searching the lowest supermarket shelves for the cheapest products, into someone who is a compulsive and extravagant shopper. At one point she buys new electrical goods to replace the ones Lulu is attempting to repair. She thinks this will give him a break. From his response ‘But Anna, this is my work. I need to do it’ you know that things between them will eventually reach breaking point.
There is plenty of humour in ‘Self-Worth’, beyond Lulu’s obvious metamorphosis into an ATM. Anna’s friend Sophie is still studying philosophy and keeps texting her for advice. Cue lots of philosophy jokes, as well as this wonderful observation about Sophie:
Anna’s 150 page thesis, that she takes to the unemployment office, concerns ‘contemporary ontology’; the study of being and reality. We are asked to suspend our understanding of reality to allow the twenty-euro notes to keep coming. Quickly followed by moral education about greed and opulence. When the banknotes stop being spewed forth, but instead start to grow just below Lulu’s skin, they transform into hundred-euro notes. With each extraction comes pain and blood. The reader is left asking the question of whether the story had been pushed too far, as Anna is reduced to clawing at a man’s flesh to extract the bank notes beneath to pay her rent and feed her newly acquired shopping addictions.
The book opens with Anna, newly qualified in Paris with a masters in philosophy, waiting at the unemployment office. She is graded as having ‘no special skills’. That night she meets Charles-Lucien at a party, spews on his shoes, and by the next chapter they are a couple. She christens him Lulu, “Like Beckett’s prostitute?” he quips.
Life quickly settles into conventionalism for Anna and Lulu. She works at a film studio, prompting the audience to laugh or boo for the minimum wage, while he repairs electrical goods for the neighbours at thirty euros a time. They survive on very little but love.
Their change in fortune comes as Lulu begins to feel ill and then starts to spew up twenty-euro notes. Anna dries out a note and takes it to the shop on the corner, where the owner can spot any fake. Turns out they are real. By the end of the day there are at least fifty. And so begins their change of destiny. They eat in a posh restaurant for the first time, but when they try to buy an apartment with nothing but a bag of cash and no obvious income, they realise that they can never quite live a normal life. Luckily Anna works with an ex-drug smuggler and celebrity bodyguard who knows how to launder.
The epigraph at the start of Self-Worth is a quote from Georges Perec’s mid-sixties novel Things: a Story of the Sixties. Also set in Paris, this was the inspiration for the recent International Booker nominated novel Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico. All three books centre on young couples trying to make their way in contemporary society. Perec’s original says about his couple “Money stood like a barrier between them.” In ‘Self-Worth’ Anna makes an abrupt change, from the frugal shopper, searching the lowest supermarket shelves for the cheapest products, into someone who is a compulsive and extravagant shopper. At one point she buys new electrical goods to replace the ones Lulu is attempting to repair. She thinks this will give him a break. From his response ‘But Anna, this is my work. I need to do it’ you know that things between them will eventually reach breaking point.
There is plenty of humour in ‘Self-Worth’, beyond Lulu’s obvious metamorphosis into an ATM. Anna’s friend Sophie is still studying philosophy and keeps texting her for advice. Cue lots of philosophy jokes, as well as this wonderful observation about Sophie:
At first, I felt sorry for her, but now, it was beginning to get on my nerves. It was always the same story, she never had anything new to say; her life revolved around dead intellectuals that normal people had no desire to hear about. Most of them were already bad company while they were alive…
Anna’s 150 page thesis, that she takes to the unemployment office, concerns ‘contemporary ontology’; the study of being and reality. We are asked to suspend our understanding of reality to allow the twenty-euro notes to keep coming. Quickly followed by moral education about greed and opulence. When the banknotes stop being spewed forth, but instead start to grow just below Lulu’s skin, they transform into hundred-euro notes. With each extraction comes pain and blood. The reader is left asking the question of whether the story had been pushed too far, as Anna is reduced to clawing at a man’s flesh to extract the bank notes beneath to pay her rent and feed her newly acquired shopping addictions.
September 19, 2026
Anna works a thankless TV talk show job, comforted only by her boyfriend Lulu - until he starts throwing up thousands of euros in cash, catapulting them into unexpected wealth. Anna quickly embraces the high life of designer bags, Tahiti vacations, and fancy parties. But as Lulu’s health deteriorates from vomiting money, Anna must face a devastating choice between the love of her life and the fortune ruining him.
Whoa, I wasn’t prepared to be so thoroughly shocked and impressed by this book. It was bold, straightforward, and impactful - I absolutely loved it! This has shot straight into my list of all-time favourites.
There is just so much to appreciate in this story. The direct critique of status, power, and greed is fantastic. It feels like an adult horror version of 'The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg', and I am here for it. I’ll never listen to the sound of rustling paper the same way again - I still get chills just imagining it!
If you haven’t read this yet, I’d highly recommend giving it a try. It’s a relatively short book, but it certainly packs a punch.
(Thanks to Scribe Publishing for a gifted review copy)
See my bookstagram review.
Whoa, I wasn’t prepared to be so thoroughly shocked and impressed by this book. It was bold, straightforward, and impactful - I absolutely loved it! This has shot straight into my list of all-time favourites.
There is just so much to appreciate in this story. The direct critique of status, power, and greed is fantastic. It feels like an adult horror version of 'The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg', and I am here for it. I’ll never listen to the sound of rustling paper the same way again - I still get chills just imagining it!
If you haven’t read this yet, I’d highly recommend giving it a try. It’s a relatively short book, but it certainly packs a punch.
(Thanks to Scribe Publishing for a gifted review copy)
See my bookstagram review.
May 6, 2026
🤑Self Worth by Emma Tholozan, translated by Emma Ramadan🤑
Well wasn’t this a weird little book 🙈
The premise of this book immediately hooked me, and I loved how bizarre and unsettling the story became. For such a small book there is a lot to unpack, especially around how easily financial stability can reshape identity and individual priorities. The writing has this detached, almost clinical humour that really suits the absurdity of the story. And I do mean absurd! 😳 IYKYK.
It did lose momentum a little for me in the middle, and I found myself wanting stronger emotional resonance and a little more character development from Anna. However, this novel really captures that post-university existential dread so well (something I still feel like I’m navigating daily) 🫠🤣
This book is a clever and timely commentary on a generation caught between ideals and survival. It is sharp, strange, and thought-provoking. Definitely worth picking up if you enjoy literary satire with a surreal edge.
Thank you so much to @scribepub and the author for sending me a copy to review 🙏🏼
Well wasn’t this a weird little book 🙈
The premise of this book immediately hooked me, and I loved how bizarre and unsettling the story became. For such a small book there is a lot to unpack, especially around how easily financial stability can reshape identity and individual priorities. The writing has this detached, almost clinical humour that really suits the absurdity of the story. And I do mean absurd! 😳 IYKYK.
It did lose momentum a little for me in the middle, and I found myself wanting stronger emotional resonance and a little more character development from Anna. However, this novel really captures that post-university existential dread so well (something I still feel like I’m navigating daily) 🫠🤣
This book is a clever and timely commentary on a generation caught between ideals and survival. It is sharp, strange, and thought-provoking. Definitely worth picking up if you enjoy literary satire with a surreal edge.
Thank you so much to @scribepub and the author for sending me a copy to review 🙏🏼
May 15, 2026
"The night, perhaps even that very night, which for them was just beginning, opened the doors to a necessarily bright future. An absolute confidence gleamed in their eyes. What did they see in mine? Nothing: they weren't paying attention to me. The nocturnal group I was part of served only as secondary characters in a world that revolved around them, was made for them, and waited only for them to blossom. Their naiveté was precious. Let them enjoy it now; the hangover would catch up with them soon enough."
Stunning and compelling writing that hits something incredibly real for some late 20 something digging around in a similarly cultured urban place, in that post post grad, now what world. This feels like a hit waiting to occur, My Year of Rest and Relaxation style. I picked that one early too!
Stunning and compelling writing that hits something incredibly real for some late 20 something digging around in a similarly cultured urban place, in that post post grad, now what world. This feels like a hit waiting to occur, My Year of Rest and Relaxation style. I picked that one early too!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
In this funny, timely exploration of the tension between capitalism, anti-intellectualism, and the devaluing of the humanities, the reader follows Anna, a recent graduate with a masters in philosophy. She's jaded—scrounging up minimum-wage work through her university's career center, unhappy and unmotivated. That is, until her boyfriend inexplicably starts throwing up money. Filled with bile-covered Euros, French cynicism, and philosophers-named birds, this book is everything a person with a humanities degree could want. Other than a well-paying job, I guess.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
(3.5🌟 rounded up)
This book was a humourous caricature of the cycles of class, wealth, and morals, told through a couple that gains sudden access to unprecedented wealth when the boyfriend starts throwing up cash.
It's an easy and quick read with a thought-provoking question; what are you willing to destroy to get to the top?
The story is set in Paris, amongst a group of recent philosophy graduates who are entering the job market while holding onto anti-capitalist and anti-establishment views. When Anna and Lulu (our main characters) meet, Anna is drawn to Lulu's sturdiness and charm, noticing things like his calloused hands and lack of philosophical knowledge. They begin a whirlwind romance which is quickly thrown off balance when Lulu starts throwing up cash faster than they can spend it. Anna finds herself being drawn towards the world of luxury with their new cashflow and soon reinvents herself to fit in with the upper-class.
Tholozan does a great job of making Anna quite unlikeable, yet absolutely human. She captures that feeling that lives in most of us; the desire to be free of the shackles of living paycheck to paycheck, of having to worry about things like rent, bills, feeding yourself, and all the other wonderful worries that come with not being affluent. So, when Anna gets the chance to reinvent herself, you can't help but empathize with her, while still being shocked by the way she sabotages her relationships and her own morality to keep that wealth.
There are tons of layers in this story as well; everything she writes about can be paralleled to society's workings, like the rich profiting off the pain and hardships of those under them in the economic ladder. All in all, I think Tholozan is putting out a great book that really encourages you to pause and consider not only what you would do to stay rich, but what others would too (and what they likely already do).
This book was a humourous caricature of the cycles of class, wealth, and morals, told through a couple that gains sudden access to unprecedented wealth when the boyfriend starts throwing up cash.
It's an easy and quick read with a thought-provoking question; what are you willing to destroy to get to the top?
The story is set in Paris, amongst a group of recent philosophy graduates who are entering the job market while holding onto anti-capitalist and anti-establishment views. When Anna and Lulu (our main characters) meet, Anna is drawn to Lulu's sturdiness and charm, noticing things like his calloused hands and lack of philosophical knowledge. They begin a whirlwind romance which is quickly thrown off balance when Lulu starts throwing up cash faster than they can spend it. Anna finds herself being drawn towards the world of luxury with their new cashflow and soon reinvents herself to fit in with the upper-class.
Tholozan does a great job of making Anna quite unlikeable, yet absolutely human. She captures that feeling that lives in most of us; the desire to be free of the shackles of living paycheck to paycheck, of having to worry about things like rent, bills, feeding yourself, and all the other wonderful worries that come with not being affluent. So, when Anna gets the chance to reinvent herself, you can't help but empathize with her, while still being shocked by the way she sabotages her relationships and her own morality to keep that wealth.
There are tons of layers in this story as well; everything she writes about can be paralleled to society's workings, like the rich profiting off the pain and hardships of those under them in the economic ladder. All in all, I think Tholozan is putting out a great book that really encourages you to pause and consider not only what you would do to stay rich, but what others would too (and what they likely already do).
May 2, 2026
I’d be interested to know Emma Tholozan’s background. Philosopher? I enjoyed this rapid, visceral, magical-surrealist story, where Anna’s new boyfriend begins to throw up cash and their new affluence changes who she is. Psychotic break? The dangers of pursuing wealth and status? I felt her desire for upward social mobility in my bones. 3.5 stars rounded up.
July 21, 2026
An interesting albeit fantastic idea for a novel that is a short, swift read but is ultimately a bit predictable and unsatisfying. The theme is centered on how money changes people, and Anna, the female narrator who was a philosophy major, has her values corrupted by it; even after going through what she goes through I’m not convinced she really learns anything worthwhile.
October 11, 2026
This was sitting on a shelf at the library and I liked the cover. Didn't really check what it is about. Short book,easy read, a story as old as time: poor girl with shit job is happy in love until money enters her life and she falls in love with that..at the expense of the person. I didn't mind it..
Review of advance copy
LOVE THIS.
A brutal, highly entertaining (and at some times very disturbing) study on capitalism and how the access to high sums of money or the strive to more capital affects us and our relationships.
A brutal, highly entertaining (and at some times very disturbing) study on capitalism and how the access to high sums of money or the strive to more capital affects us and our relationships.
May 22, 2026
this was CRAZY. i read the blurb didn’t realise it was being literal, and was SHOCKED once i’d started reading this. it was fun and crazy. then INSANE and metaphorical. and GOREY. where did he go did i miss something. but ARBHJJJ OOO couldn’t put it down tbh
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2026
I love me a good weird girl fiction and I love them even more when my main female character is a bit pathetic and unhinged. I love picking up their brain and wonder "wtf is wrong with you girl?"
Does this book fit the criteria? Absolutely it does and yes, pick this up!
Does this book fit the criteria? Absolutely it does and yes, pick this up!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Love him or spend him
4.5
Thanks to Scribe for sending me a copy
4.5
Thanks to Scribe for sending me a copy
Review of advance copy
A fun and cynical and thought-provoking satire about capitalism and social capital today. The absurdity just makes sense.
May 20, 2026
c'était une expérience à lire
May 27, 2026
After 'A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing', this was the quick read I needed (170 pages, finished in 2 days).
Funny and strange and disturbing and a great analysis of wealth and morals.
Funny and strange and disturbing and a great analysis of wealth and morals.
June 5, 2026
A unique take on how much money can enhance and/or ruin your relationship with your partner and with yourself. I’ll be thinking about this book for a while.
July 1, 2026
Cool premise, poor execution with much to the desired at the end
July 30, 2026
A weird and wonderful book
August 28, 2026
Wanted to enjoy it more than I did, interesting premise, but execution felt lacking. Would’ve DNF if it wasn’t so short
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