Cleaner

by Jess Shannon

“Forget the rock and roll, this debut is about sex, drugs and a serious obsession with cleaning.” —ELLE

“[A] gem of a debut novel...funny, vibrant, and utterly unpredictable.” —Service95

A disaffected young woman’s work as a cleaner takes her on an increasingly surreal search for a creative fulfillment, gainful employment, and the meaning of life in this sharp, tragicomic debut—perfect for fans of Melissa Broder, Jen Beagin, and Alexandra Tanner.

A young artist returns to her childhood home, with a host of degrees and diplomas in her back pocket. But when forced to confront the reality that the world sees no use for her scholarly exploits, she must find a job—and quickly.

Overqualified, underemployed, and idle, she starts a job as a cleaner for a gallery, where she meets another aspiring artist—Isabella—and they begin a passionate affair. Isabella could not be more different from the she’s elegant, successful…and living with her filthy rich boyfriend Paul.

Isabella sneaks the cleaner into her life by hiring her to scrub the apartment she shares with Paul. Little by little, the cleaner relaxes into the comfort of her new surroundings. But when Isabella leaves the apartment one day and doesn’t come back, the cleaner is left to decide whether to back to her old life—or stay and step into Isabella’s.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Queer, Adult, LGBT, Audiobook

224 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 17, 2026

Reviews

[MagretFume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a hit or miss book, and I was fascinated by it, even though I'm not sure I really loved it. 

It felt like a car crash on the side of the road, an absolute mess but you keep staring at it. 

It's weird, wild, funny and cringy. The writing style is not what I expected but perfect for the story. 

I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I had a good time! 

Thank you Scribner for this ARC!

[Yasmin Amin · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was beyond random but i couldn’t put it down
im not sure if half of it was a dream or not because the narrator is so unreliable but it was very interesting and i’ve never read a book like it!!

[George Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devoured this in two days. Sort of like Fleabag meets After Hours, but also completely unique. Had me laugh out loud several times!

[jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cleaner" follows an unnamed art school graduate taking a job as a cleaner to make ends meet after struggling to find work in her field. while working a shift at an art gallery, she meets and becomes infatuated with a woman named Isabella. after a series of separations and reconnections, Isabella vanishes, and our narrator takes over the life Isabella has left behind: moving into Isabella's apartment and dating Isabella's boyfriend. the ensuing narrative is a series of fever-dreamy events including the narrator's efforts to get (and maintain) a job, sustain her romantic and familial relationships, and reignite her love for art, all while hoping for Isabella's eventual return.

this is absurdist contemporary literature at some of its best, in my opinion. this has some great commentary on capitalism and parenthood. despite being similarly structured to another book i didn't quite enjoy, "Cleaner" was a bit more plot driven, so the stream-of-consciousness style worked better here. there are no paragraph breaks or quotation marks for dialogue, which has been a struggle for me with books in the past, but didn't hinder my reading experience much here. there were moments of introspection and times where the narrator fell down rabbit holes, but there were also plenty of events happening, too, which kept the narrative progressing at a good pace. and honestly, it was a fun time. i FLEW through this in two days.

i did want more exploration of Isabella. the narrator's obsession seemed a bit farfetched, even for an unreliable narrator. i really wanted more from that final scene as well. ultimately, Isabella remains an enigma to the reader and the narrator alike, though i'm not entirely mad about it.

thank you to scribner for the advance eARC!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 stars. Knocked off a little because I don’t know how to feel about the ending. If you love an unreliable female narrator raise your hand 🙋‍♀️. It’s definitely a weird girl book and you’re either gonna love it or hate it, but I honestly loved how the book felt like one stream of consciousness and her mind just kept going on and on, it honestly reminded me of a lot of my inner monologue. Personally, I think it’s a banger debut. As always, thank you Scribner for the earc.

[Anahita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stream-of-consciousness story of a queer woman’s life after graduation as she moves back with her parents. We follow her as her life takes unexpected turns and tumbles, following a chance meeting with another woman during her work as a cleaner.

She became obsessed with cleaning after moving back into her parents’ house and then takes jobs as a cleaner. Meeting another artist in the bathroom of an art gallery and partaking in cocaine and having sex with her all still in the same bathroom, seemed like an inciting incident that would drive the rest of the story. However, what followed was not what I had expected. I can’t say it was bad, but just that it was strange and rather authentic in ways.

It was a depiction of the messy, complicated, and detached life of a present-day individual. I feel like it could count as a coming-of-age of sorts, as her character is being shaped as we read the story.

There are two major complaints I can point out. First, is the crime and murder following the main character without any actual impact in the story or her character. And the second is the ending.

The writing style, while complex and at times hard to follow, was interesting and exciting. It is going to be a fun read for readers who enjoy the so-called “weird girl books”.

[Miriam Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

*With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book*

“Cleaner” follows an unnamed narrator, who has found herself living back at her parents’ house (even though they’re not that keen on having her there, and keener on moving in a Ukrainian refugee). She is wondering what to do next with her life when she discovers a passion for cleaning that leads her - through a series of apparently passively-made decisions - to pose as a nude model and then become obsessed with an artist - Isabella - who makes a sketch of her.

The book reads like a fever dream as she calmly narrates her very unpredictable and sometimes bafflingly unlikely actions as she tries to find Isabella again. It reminded me of Halle Butler’s “The New Me” in that way. It is wry and amusing but there’s a heart of something darker. An enjoyable read.

[betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

cleaner is a textbook example of weird girl fiction that people will either love or hate. i was intrigued from the very first page and had no choice but to gobble it up, even if i’m not so sure i’d say that i loooooved it. i saw another reviewer describe it as a train wreck you can’t look away from—cleaner was messy and chaotic, even bordering on manic at times, and it somehow all works. there are no chapters and no paragraph breaks, which will infuriate some i’m sure. i thought it heightened the chaos and really felt like you slipped inside the wild mind of the cleaner. weird girl, weird book, and i think this will be a hit with the right crowd.

[Benny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't know what to say. Reading this book felt like falling down the stairs - I tripped through it at record speeds, disoriented, incredulous, agog. Great fun and also quite nauseating - something about the drain-circling pace unsettled me to the core. Enjoyed very much.

[Evan ⁠☆ (tortured poet) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think either you adore this book or you hate it.

The literal definition of hit or miss.

This resonated so deeply with me that I think I'll never be the same

[edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

beyond fabulous. several moments made me properly laugh out loud which is quite rare for a book to do to me. every sentence drips with meaning, each word chosen for maximum efficiency.

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book kind of missed the mark for me and I think I was expecting something different. It's narrated as a stream of consciousness, the kind that incorporates spoken dialogue into the text and doesn't use quote marks, which is not my favourite thing.
The main character gets herself in such absurd situations and it's a bit weird how this is presented to the reader as being absolutely normal. I don't want to give details that would be spoilers, I can only say it comes across like the main character has no agency whatsoever. Things happen TO her all the time as if she can't influence any of it when actually she should be able to. The stream of consciousness narration doesn't address this either, or reflect on it. We're expected to accept it but this is not how real human beings behave.
If the author was looking to create a character that is just passive through every event in her life, then I suppose they succeeded but this makes the experience of reading this novel very frustrating.

[eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman in her mid-twenties moves back home to live with her parents, where her listlessness fuels an obsession with cleaning, and sets in motion a series of events that lead to her posing as a model in a nude gallery where she encounters a woman whose life will intertwine with her own.

A realistic, relatable depiction of how messy and complicated life can be. The writing is so interesting and, while it made it somewhat hard to follow at times, it also made it truly captivating, and quite literally impossible to put this book down; it is a stream of consciousness, not afraid to experiment and explore. It's such a quick, fast-paced read, perfect to sit down and binge in a lazy day.

Many thanks to Bedford Square Publishers & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

[Emily TarBush · Rating 3 out of 5]

fever dream vibes, couldn’t put it down but also didn’t love it, ending felt incomplete

[Sam Sproule · Rating 4 out of 5]

a continuous stream of thought from the author, I was stressed with them, frustrated about their decisions, and ultimately couldn't put it down because there were no breaks/chapters. reminded me of an insufferable Sally Rooney or Jen Beagin character (in a good way). strange but a nice way to spend a few hours.

[Ella Tansley · Rating 5 out of 5]

At no point did I know where this book was going, and I absolutely loved it. It’s not massively plot driven, and at times it felt disorientating, but I also found it darkly funny and relatable. Weird girl stream of consciousness fiction at its finest.

With thanks to NetGalley and Bedford Square publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Benevbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely one for the weird girls, who like stream of consciousness writing (there are no chapters in this book, just one long stream of prose), art, finding a purpose and identity, feeling lost, ambiguity, bisexuality, and just overall, weirdness!

[Laurel Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book is rather short and had a couple interesting moments. I found myself bored and found the book to be slow.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

probably a little higher than 3 to be honest. i did enjoy this for the most part and truly, have never read a book like it.

[Monta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ļoti neparasta grāmata, kas mani kaitināja, kas mani ķircināja, smējās par mani un rādīja jauna cilvēka ceļu sevis pazaudēšanā un atrašanās.
Paldies manai māsīcai, kas man grāmatu atsūtīja, jo bez viņas es uz to pat nepaskatītos. Tas bija tā vērts izlasīt un varbūt mazliet saprast.

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild and entertaining ride this book was! Desperate for a job, the main character starts cleaning for a gallery and meets another artist. An affair, a death, and a chance at a new identity - all these themes make this book hilariously chaotic. This was such a fast paced read that I just couldn’t put it down for a break. The plot is so wild I had to catch my breath afterwards.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10 // This is going to be a you-either-hate-it-or-love-it book, and I'm closer to loving it. I read this on impulse to take a break from the difficult classic I'm also reading, and it was the perfect break -- I love reading about people who make messy, terrible decisions and had so much fun with this narrator. I also loved the humor in this. The narrator's lack of amibition was particularly resonant with me as someone who is no longer happy in their art degree but has to see it through to the end!!!! Though of course every book about an artist struggling to create must end with a gallery, and of course this was no exception..

Something worth mentioning (part of what might lead people to hate this) is that this is told with no paragraph breaks at all, a formatting decision that might be contentious. And though I hated encountering a certain book with few paragraph breaks in 2024, I think it worked super well here. The lack of breaks feels perfect the show the way the narrator's life drifts from mania to depressive haze and back again, particularly the mania. Everything seems to unfurl as if all at once, and for once I didn't really mind that.

The big qualm-worth-mentioning I do have is that the narrator's relationship with Isabella at the beginning felt, to me, rushed through in the text and overblown in the jacket summary. She only goes to clean for Isabella once, though the summary makes it seem like this is reoccurring -- though this is a marketing fault, not the fault of the book! However, there's only a few sentences between the first night the narrator happens to spend at Isabella and Paul's and then Isabella's disappearance. I wish even just twice that time had been spent on the way she fit into their lives for the short time when the three of them all lived together. I read those pages at least three times trying to figure out if I'd missed something, but it seems I didn't and the transition really is that quick. I guess I just wanted a little more depth from her affair with Isabella. While she's clearly a character who would become obsessive about someone after seeing them twice, I wish it hadn't quite been so glossed over.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC!!

[Indra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleaner by Jess Shannon
Thank you to Scribner for the ARC! 🧼📚✨

I have no idea if I loved this book... but I couldn’t stop reading it. That kind of chaos? That kind of voice? That kind of wild, possibly-unhinged queer spiral through art, sex, obsession, and bleach? Yeah. It got to me.

This book is a total vibe. It’s stream-of-consciousness, totally unstructured, and so deeply, unapologetically weird. No chapters, no paragraph breaks, just a straight descent into the unfiltered brain of a young woman unraveling her place in the world, with rubber gloves on and cocaine dust still on her lip. 🧽💔🌀

• The writing is intense, jittery, and compulsively readable
• It's a perfect entry in the "weird girl lit" canon, think Melissa Broder or Ottessa Moshfegh, but with a bucket of dirty water and a vacuum
• I genuinely laughed, cringed, and questioned everything
• Queer, gritty, unpredictable, and full of messy yearning

But it won’t be for everyone.

• There’s crime and even murder lurking in the plot, but it doesn’t really matter, the emotional stakes are stranger than the legal ones
• Some readers will hate the structure, the lack of breaks, the endless prose, the blur between dream and reality
• The ending might leave you spinning

Still, I think that’s the point. Cleaner is about drifting. About detachment. About obsession, art, and making sense of yourself when nothing in the world feels solid. It’s gross, sensual, awkward, and raw. And it’s not pretending to be anything else.

🧹 For fans of weird, uncomfortable, voice-driven fiction, this will be a messy little treasure.

4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I need a shower. And maybe a therapist. But I liked it.

[Cheyenne Celine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for an E-arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A nameless artist returns to her parents’ home armed with a stack of degrees, only to find herself directionless. Desperate for work, she takes a job cleaning an art gallery, where she meets Isabella, a fellow artist. After discovering a sketch Isabella has made of her, the two begin a love affair, and soon the narrator is cleaning Isabella’s apartment as well. When Isabella suddenly leaves, the cleaner is left to asking herself what life is she going to live now?

I’ve read my fair share of stream of consciousness and fever-dream like books, but this one is really up there and pushing some writing style boundaries, and some people will put this down because of it.

Cleaner is messy scene after messy scene, chaos after chaos, paragraph after paragraph (there is literally no chapter breaks) of a weird woman making weird choices. And I ate it up, fork in hand, no napkin needed.

Though this was a silly little romp of a time, I still saw myself in the nameless narrator. This is coming of age story that really caters to those that feel lost and uncertain of themselves. I wasn’t sure of the ending at first, but the more I sat with it, the more I liked the metaphor the author cooked up. I think a lot of other people will too.

If you love the hazy and dream like monologues of Mona Awad and Melissa Broder, I would highly recommend giving this one a try! New weird-girl book unlocked.

Cleaner comes out February 17, 2026 by Scribner

[Linda (The Arizona Bookstagrammer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Scribner Books @scribnerbooks #ScribnerInfluencer NetGalley @netgalley and Jess Shannon for this free book!
“Cleaner” by Jess Shannon⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Weird Girl Fiction. Location: England. NOTE: It’s one of those love-it-or-leave-it books, and I’m not sure which side I’m on!

An overqualified, unemployed young artist becomes obsessed with cleaning, and gets work as an art galley cleaner. She starts a fling with aspiring artist Isabella, who lives with rich boyfriend Paul. Isabella hires her to clean Paul’s apartment. Then one day Isabella and doesn’t return. Does the cleaner go back to her old life, or step into Paul and Isabella’s?

Author Shannon’s short book describes an increasingly surreal search for… (I can’t quite figure out what). Her character pretty much passively accepts the most bizarre and random things happening to her-she’s a mess for sure. I’d call the writing style a ‘stream of consciousness, inner monologue fever dream’. (How’s that for a jumbled description?) It’s full of clever, often insightful comments that give me pause: (“He was a walking short story-even if his life was profoundly uninteresting.”) (“To be privy to such heterosexual nonsense lit a small flame of comfort inside my breast.”) Sometimes Shannon’s plot is cringy/icky; sometimes really humorous. It’s definitely in the weird girl genre (and that’s not a bad thing!) It’s pretty unpredictable (although the more you read, the more you kind of get where the character is headed-or not headed.) I’m glad I read it, and glad I’m done with it, so it’s 3⭐️s from me 📚👩🏼‍🦳#cleaner #netgalley

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparisons to Fleabag are overdone, but I do think in this case I can make a strong argument for it. In the same vein as Fleabag, Cleaner is messy and dark, self-aware of its format, and toes the line between the mundane and the absurd with wild abandon.

The main character is an unnamed woman in her mid-twenties, bouncing between jobs and barrelling between friendships and relationships with full force. She has a sort of detachment and birds-eye view of her life which makes her a very compelling narrator, even if her prime motivation is to narrativise her life rather than to make any significant changes or decisions on her own terms. (I know that “narrativise” isn’t a word, but I couldn’t think of a better one!)

The book is written without speech marks, chapter breaks, or paragraphs. While I’m usually opposed to books that don’t use speech marks, in this instance I did think it was very effective, and added to this sense that we might have an unreliable narrator. I would have quite liked to have paragraphs, as it was quite hard to follow and I often had to go back and reread a page or so to remind myself what was going on. I did understand why the author chose to do that though, and it did help achieve the effect I think she was going for.

This is a really strong debut novel, that’s not afraid to experiment and to go outside the box.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

[mads · Rating 2 out of 5]

damn. I dropped my whole tbr for this one because the premise sounded so fun, but I ended up not being able to tell if I even liked it sadly!

I didn't like narrator at ALL and didn't understand the trajectory of the plot, it was too outlandish but not satire-y enough at the same time, just a weird in-between of unrealistic developments. it was just outlandish. it kinda gave Fleabag vibes at times, which I did like - just a messy, chaotic character who kept making weird choices that frustrated me. another thing I wasn't crazy about was the writing style - it was like all one giant paragraph. it was somewhat of a quick read which made all of the above easier to manage, but all in all, it kind of felt like a waste of time by the time I was done with it.

maybe it was just my mood, but this one just didn't really do it for me! I bet a lot of people will like it though. could see it being kind of divisive and I'm curious to hear what more people think of it! still grateful for the arc and not totally bitter about the experience -- it gave me some laughs and was entertaining at times. not a waste by any means! 2.5 rounded down~

[Mitsy_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t plan to finish the book this week, but since it’s written as one continuous paragraph, I just didn’t know where to stop 😂 If this effect was the author’s intention, it’s genius. The structure suits the story perfectly though as it mirrors the chaotic disorganised life of the unnamed character, who drifts through the world in a strangely detached way that makes her an unreliable narrator. The narrator’s mind is disorganised but her words are easy to read and flowed into my mind. It’s compulsive in the oddest sense.

It explores dark themes like loneliness and depression, but it’s also comical, filled with dry, wry humour. If you enjoy books like Berlin by Bea Setton or Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (or any other books with a similar tone) this might be for you.

It’s definitely not a book for everyone. Both the structure and narration are intentionally a little disorienting. You’ll either be fascinated or baffled. But I found it intriguing, and I encourage you to give it a try if you enjoy weird books!
3.5 - 4 🌟

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written as a continuous stream of consciousness, Cleaner follows an unnamed narrator as she moves back in with her parents and resolves to fix her aimlessness by finding work that satisfies her newfound obsession with cleaning, despite her academic accolades and qualifications. After a bathroom encounter with a woman at her new workplace, the two women’s lives become intertwined.

The narrative style, though disorienting at times, works well in mirroring the chaotic and unpredictable nature of a young woman’s grapple with loneliness and disillusion. The novel has a charming, relatable yet surreal quality, and its writing style (though it takes some getting used to) lends itself to an immersive and entertaining story. The result is a strange, messy, and compelling portrait of early adulthood that captures its drift and disquiet with sharp, understated humour.

Many thanks to Bedford Square Publishers for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

[fiona 🤍 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cleaner: A Novel by Jess Shannon is described as a tragicomic debut following a young woman who begins work as a cleaner, while she struggles to find a job as an artist after finishing university. She meets Isabella, another young artist whom the narrator becomes infatuated with. The cleaner begins to settle into a unique and unusual lifestyle as she struggles to find her footing.

I am not sure if the formatting of this book was just messy on purpose or if that is the fault of my DRC that I read on my Kindle, but it really affected my reading experience. This book was extremely difficult to follow, and I kept losing my spot in the text as I was reading, which kind of sets the tone for the book. No chapters, very few paragraph breaks that I can recall, no quotations around dialogue, etc. As well as being difficult to follow, every character here is actually insufferable, and I didn't care about anyone. I really don't think this is a bad book because I was intrigued to see where the plot was going, but the format and characterization was kind of insufferable.

Thank you Edelweiss and Scribner for an early review copy! This is out Febraury 17, 2026.