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No Such Thing as Monday: A Novel
Win a free print copy of this book!
27 days and 03:36:16
40 copies available
U.S. only
From a Booker Prize-longlisted author, a novel in which a woman tries to overcome her abusive past and find her estranged sister in a deeply moving and darkly humorous quest for redemption
Foul-mouthed, scrappy, and self-destructive, Steffie is her own worst enemy. Sustained by her sardonic sense of humor, she spends her days working at a dry cleaner and tending to her ailing, impoverished, abusive father. She was always his favorite, a fact that leaves her racked with guilt; her sister, Caroline, who bore the brunt of his rage, fled when they were both teenagers.
When her father dies, Steffie sets out to find Caroline, seeking love and forgiveness in a world that has too often denied her both. Along the way, she must confront her own memories, and the choices that have brought her to this point.
Written in the working-class British realist tradition of Douglas Stuart and Andrea Arnold, No Such Thing as Monday cements Siân Hughes’s reputation as an exceptional and compassionate chronicler of precarious and chaotic lives.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Co.
Foul-mouthed, scrappy, and self-destructive, Steffie is her own worst enemy. Sustained by her sardonic sense of humor, she spends her days working at a dry cleaner and tending to her ailing, impoverished, abusive father. She was always his favorite, a fact that leaves her racked with guilt; her sister, Caroline, who bore the brunt of his rage, fled when they were both teenagers.
When her father dies, Steffie sets out to find Caroline, seeking love and forgiveness in a world that has too often denied her both. Along the way, she must confront her own memories, and the choices that have brought her to this point.
Written in the working-class British realist tradition of Douglas Stuart and Andrea Arnold, No Such Thing as Monday cements Siân Hughes’s reputation as an exceptional and compassionate chronicler of precarious and chaotic lives.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Co.
Audible Audio
First published November 10, 2026
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Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
This is such a great book from start to finish. I felt like I was right there with Steffie as she went through her childhood to adulthood. She has an older sister whom her father treats really badly, and Steffie is treated so much better. Her sister leaves home to go to college, but they are forbidden to speak about her. After Steffie's father dies, she wants to find her sister. Steffie is what we might call a trooper or survivor, but she’s stuck in a self-destructive loop from which she can’t seem to escape. She’s had a hard life, living in the margins, but somehow just keeps on keeping on despite it all. A must-read story. It is sad but also funny at times. I really enjoyed this book and was sad when it ended. Highly recommend.
Read
April 22, 2026Some novels tell you what happened. Others circle the thing that happened, the thing nobody can bear to name, and let you feel the shape of the silence around it. No Such Thing as Monday does that brilliantly.
At the heart of this novel is Steffie, who works in a dry cleaner’s and seems to move through life trying to scrub everything spotless, as if enough bleach and elbow grease might somehow get at what’s lodged much deeper. Her sister Caroline disappeared when they were children, and that loss, that mystery, that terrible unspoken question, sits underneath absolutely everything. Every memory. Every shame. Every act of self-sabotage. Every attempt to keep going.
And God, Steffie is some character. Scrappy, funny, raw, self-destructive, observant, infuriating, heartbreaking. The kind of narrator who feels so alive on the page you want to shake her, hug her and sit her down with a strong cup of tea, often all at once. She has that rare voice that doesn’t just tell the story, it drags you bodily into it.
The title is perfect. In Steffie’s world, certain truths are treated as if they simply do not exist. Monday is not a thing. You do not mention it. You do not ask. You learn very quickly what can be said and what absolutely cannot. That idea of family silence, of a whole life being built around denial, is done so painfully well here. It’s not loud or melodramatic. It’s worse than that. It feels ordinary. Learned. Inherited.
There is real darkness in this book: violence, neglect, class shame, gendered power, guilt, grief, the long afterlife of childhood damage. But what impressed me most was how Hughes writes all of that without ever making the novel feel flat or joyless. Steffie’s voice is full of wry humour and hard-earned wit, and that gives the book such force. It is grim in places, absolutely, but never dead on the page. Quite the opposite. It crackles.
I also loved that the novel refuses easy answers or tidy moral packaging. Steffie’s father is brutal and bullying, her mother is painfully passive, and yet Hughes is far too intelligent a writer to turn anybody into a cardboard cut-out. This is a book interested in the mess of people, in what damage does, in how lives are shaped by what is spoken and what is buried.
And despite the heaviness of the material, I absolutely flew through it in a little over a day. Hughes has that alchemical thing some writers have, where even the bleakest material becomes compulsively readable. Sentence by sentence, voice by voice, this just worked.
Raw, dark, tender, angry and unexpectedly redemptive, this is a brilliant novel. One of those books where the voice gets into your head and stays there.
Huge thanks to the publisher for the advance copy. All opinions are my own. No Such Thing as Monday is out now and very much worth your time.
At the heart of this novel is Steffie, who works in a dry cleaner’s and seems to move through life trying to scrub everything spotless, as if enough bleach and elbow grease might somehow get at what’s lodged much deeper. Her sister Caroline disappeared when they were children, and that loss, that mystery, that terrible unspoken question, sits underneath absolutely everything. Every memory. Every shame. Every act of self-sabotage. Every attempt to keep going.
And God, Steffie is some character. Scrappy, funny, raw, self-destructive, observant, infuriating, heartbreaking. The kind of narrator who feels so alive on the page you want to shake her, hug her and sit her down with a strong cup of tea, often all at once. She has that rare voice that doesn’t just tell the story, it drags you bodily into it.
The title is perfect. In Steffie’s world, certain truths are treated as if they simply do not exist. Monday is not a thing. You do not mention it. You do not ask. You learn very quickly what can be said and what absolutely cannot. That idea of family silence, of a whole life being built around denial, is done so painfully well here. It’s not loud or melodramatic. It’s worse than that. It feels ordinary. Learned. Inherited.
There is real darkness in this book: violence, neglect, class shame, gendered power, guilt, grief, the long afterlife of childhood damage. But what impressed me most was how Hughes writes all of that without ever making the novel feel flat or joyless. Steffie’s voice is full of wry humour and hard-earned wit, and that gives the book such force. It is grim in places, absolutely, but never dead on the page. Quite the opposite. It crackles.
I also loved that the novel refuses easy answers or tidy moral packaging. Steffie’s father is brutal and bullying, her mother is painfully passive, and yet Hughes is far too intelligent a writer to turn anybody into a cardboard cut-out. This is a book interested in the mess of people, in what damage does, in how lives are shaped by what is spoken and what is buried.
And despite the heaviness of the material, I absolutely flew through it in a little over a day. Hughes has that alchemical thing some writers have, where even the bleakest material becomes compulsively readable. Sentence by sentence, voice by voice, this just worked.
Raw, dark, tender, angry and unexpectedly redemptive, this is a brilliant novel. One of those books where the voice gets into your head and stays there.
Huge thanks to the publisher for the advance copy. All opinions are my own. No Such Thing as Monday is out now and very much worth your time.
April 30, 2026
No Such Thing as Monday feels less like a story being told and more like someone slowly uncovering parts of themselves they spent years trying to bury. Sian Hughes writes with remarkable control, especially considering the heaviness of the themes she explores.
The novel follows Steffie, a middle-aged woman whose father’s death forces old memories back into her life. Memories tied to neglect, shame, and the complicated bond she shared with her sister. What I loved is that the book never rushes to explain her or make her instantly likable. Steffie can be bitter, abrasive, even difficult at times, but she feels painfully real. I think the human aspect of her is what makes the readers root for her survival.
Hughes also understands that trauma doesn’t always arrive in dramatic or big moments. Sometimes it sits inside a person for years and shapes the way they speak, love, work, and survive. The writing captures that beautifully.
It’s a short novel, but emotionally it feels much larger. The kind of book that settles somewhere deep and stays there for a while. Thank you for the copy @panmacmillanindia ❤️
The novel follows Steffie, a middle-aged woman whose father’s death forces old memories back into her life. Memories tied to neglect, shame, and the complicated bond she shared with her sister. What I loved is that the book never rushes to explain her or make her instantly likable. Steffie can be bitter, abrasive, even difficult at times, but she feels painfully real. I think the human aspect of her is what makes the readers root for her survival.
Hughes also understands that trauma doesn’t always arrive in dramatic or big moments. Sometimes it sits inside a person for years and shapes the way they speak, love, work, and survive. The writing captures that beautifully.
It’s a short novel, but emotionally it feels much larger. The kind of book that settles somewhere deep and stays there for a while. Thank you for the copy @panmacmillanindia ❤️
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The latest in a subgenre known as naturalistic British, this novel reveals Steffie's life through her own words as she navigates a challenging world. Haunted by the disappearance of her beloved sister, she finds herself tending to a father whose secrets and motivations have ruptured a family, and Steffie's regret at some of her choices regarding her mother are too late realized. Strongly written and memorable.
March 28, 2026
When Steffie finds her father dead in his chair, she decides to look for her sister, Caroline, who she has not seen or spoken to for 30 years. Steffie begins to narrate to us the story of her life and though she has gone through more than most of us, she still has a great sense of humour.
No Such Thing As Monday, though dark at times, tells a story of human resilience and strength. Steffie does not have many people in her life who are rooting for her and she seems to have got through most of her life by sheer grit and determination. And sometimes I found myself asking how someone is able to hold on to life in that way when everything is against you, including wet shoes!
This is a story that will have you rooting for Steffie every step of the way, despite her (at times) foul mouth and bad attitude, but you'll easily forgive her. It's probably a good book to read when you're having a bad day because it will certainly give you some perspective.
No Such Thing As Monday may be small but it is certainly mighty! Highly recommended.
No Such Thing As Monday, though dark at times, tells a story of human resilience and strength. Steffie does not have many people in her life who are rooting for her and she seems to have got through most of her life by sheer grit and determination. And sometimes I found myself asking how someone is able to hold on to life in that way when everything is against you, including wet shoes!
This is a story that will have you rooting for Steffie every step of the way, despite her (at times) foul mouth and bad attitude, but you'll easily forgive her. It's probably a good book to read when you're having a bad day because it will certainly give you some perspective.
No Such Thing As Monday may be small but it is certainly mighty! Highly recommended.
May 4, 2026
Having loved Pearl, I was very excited to read this one as soon as it released and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. No Such Thing as Monday is a moving and emotional novel about Steffi, who works at a laundry shop. One day, she finds her dad Stan dead in his chair and things start to unravel. She decides to search for her sister, Caroline who went missing long ago.
This was such a compelling read for me and also felt uncomfortable at times due to the themes explored in the book. The author has done a wonderful job in crafting the character of Steffi and she writes with such honesty and vivid descriptions that you can picture everything in your head as you read.
Raw and blunt at times, it is a story of loneliness, repressed trauma and how being resilient can lift people up during hard times. Would definitely recommend this if you love character driven novels with emotional depths!
This was such a compelling read for me and also felt uncomfortable at times due to the themes explored in the book. The author has done a wonderful job in crafting the character of Steffi and she writes with such honesty and vivid descriptions that you can picture everything in your head as you read.
Raw and blunt at times, it is a story of loneliness, repressed trauma and how being resilient can lift people up during hard times. Would definitely recommend this if you love character driven novels with emotional depths!
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July 8, 2026Really enjoyed this one. Recommend the audiobook with the great Midlands accent that really brings Steffie to life, even more than Sian Hughes' great story telling.
September 7, 2026
Очень грустно и очень здорово
February 28, 2026
Really great! We follow a woman, Steffie, as she looks back on her childhood and puts together the pieces of a life that was more horrible than it appeared in the moment. The pacing is really nice - we go between the past and present seemlessly to eventually meet in the present day. The writing is great - very matter of fact and not overly sentimental / emotional. I liked this book a lot and found myself really rooting for Steffie, our not always likable narrator. Thanks to Holt for sending this galley to me, keep your eyes out for this book on its publication date 11/10/26.
November 12, 2026
I don’t think I’ve ever read something that went into such detail on why a person is the way they are from the perspective of a middle-aged working class woman, and with such exacting, nice prose
August 10, 2026
Well, I did finish the book. But I really never got into it. I felt most of it was as they say in the book, “boo hoo blah blah.” Really nothing positive, just a hard , miserable life. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Review of advance copy
In NO SUCH THING AS MONDAY, Sian Hughes shows us the generational impact of poverty through the voice of an unlikely but truly unforgettable heroine. We meet Steffie, a woman in her fifties who lives in council housing as she finds her elderly father dead. This leads her to reflect on her relationship with him, her difficult childhood and life, and the ways she was treated differently from her sister, Caroline, who she has not seen in years.
It is because of Steffie, her unique voice and dry humour that runs through her account of everything she goes through that this book truly deserves a five star rating. Steffie is the kind of character who will infuriate you one minute and make you laugh the next.. Even as you learn of bad decisions she's made or question her actions, you are captivated by the complexity and heart of her character. The writing here is spare and unadorned, and there is no wasted space in this novel. Steffie is the kind of character that steals your heart. This is a memorable book with a unique character voice that I would love to put in anyone's hands.
It is because of Steffie, her unique voice and dry humour that runs through her account of everything she goes through that this book truly deserves a five star rating. Steffie is the kind of character who will infuriate you one minute and make you laugh the next.. Even as you learn of bad decisions she's made or question her actions, you are captivated by the complexity and heart of her character. The writing here is spare and unadorned, and there is no wasted space in this novel. Steffie is the kind of character that steals your heart. This is a memorable book with a unique character voice that I would love to put in anyone's hands.
July 23, 2026
3.5 🌟
April 24, 2026
This book was a readalong, but it was so good I read ahead and finished a couple of days early!! I really liked Steffi to begin with, then hated her in the middle, then loved her at the end. Her life was luck of all kinds, good bad and awful. She never seemed to catch a break and if she did, it soon turned back into something crap again!
This was such a raw emotional book, full of things you’d never want to go through in life but they all seemed to find Steffi. Her relationship, or lack of, with her sister was a big point throughout and you could tell it left a huge hole and a lot of unanswered questions. The major turning point of her life was her dad passing away, miserable old thing that he was but she still loved and cared for him when others would have told him to get lost!! i really enjoyed the writing of this one, the way you felt as if Steffi was telling you her life over a cuppa and a biscuit. Someone in the chat group mentioned they’d like to read about the sister, Caroline’s point of view and I agree with that. It would make a great addition to this already brilliant read.
This was such a raw emotional book, full of things you’d never want to go through in life but they all seemed to find Steffi. Her relationship, or lack of, with her sister was a big point throughout and you could tell it left a huge hole and a lot of unanswered questions. The major turning point of her life was her dad passing away, miserable old thing that he was but she still loved and cared for him when others would have told him to get lost!! i really enjoyed the writing of this one, the way you felt as if Steffi was telling you her life over a cuppa and a biscuit. Someone in the chat group mentioned they’d like to read about the sister, Caroline’s point of view and I agree with that. It would make a great addition to this already brilliant read.
May 11, 2026
Every bit as raw, intimate and funny as "Pearl", which was one of my favourite reads of 2023. Steffie is a character I won't soon forget. Hughes writes with such empathy and kindness. This story is like Shuggie Bain without the drear. It highlights all the ways that a person can be left behind when they don't have that one good person for support, how one bad decision can lead to a lifetime of missed chances.
This is on Kindle Unlimited. It is short and will grab you from the first page.
This is on Kindle Unlimited. It is short and will grab you from the first page.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
No Such Thing as Monday by Siân Hughes is a highly recommended literary domestic drama in which a woman looks back at her past
Stephanie (Steffie) Cartwright's father Stan has died which is the impetus for Steffie to find her long missing sister Caroline. The two grew up in the 1970s in working class Birmingham, UK, where Steffie was the favorite and Caroline experienced their father's cruel emotional and physical abuse, as did their submissive mother who died young. Caroline left home, disappeared, at 16. Stan was a bully, ran dog fights, and used others for his benefit. As Steffie looks back on her past, she clearly noted Stan's preferential treatment toward her in stark contrast with how he treated his wife and other daughter. As the story of Steffie's life is slowly revealed, it is clear she is her own worst enemy and feels guilty about her favored status by Stan.
This is a hard novel to read. Steffie is not a sympathetic character, but you will hope she gets to a good place. She is an irascible, complicated working class character who has had a hard life, made mistakes, and misjudged situations. She continually pays the price for her misdeeds while struggling to press on through the novel. In the narrative she looks back at her childhood memories and past while also struggling in the present. She also, always, wonders where is Caroline. All of her background and history has made Steffie the woman she is today, with all of her flaws, guilt, trauma, and determination.
It is a beautifully written novel even with the subject matter. It is also a short novel, so it is a quick read. At the author's note at the end Hughes explains that the theme of laundry/cleaning which runs through the plot was inspired by a 14th-century poem known as Purity or Cleanness which is concerned with keeping up the laundry and the old, dirty, tattered clothes are a spiritual metaphor for washing your soul clean. The final denouement does bring some closure.
No Such Thing as Monday is a excellent choice for those who enjoy literary novels focused on domestic drama. Thanks to Henry Holt & Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
https://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/...
Stephanie (Steffie) Cartwright's father Stan has died which is the impetus for Steffie to find her long missing sister Caroline. The two grew up in the 1970s in working class Birmingham, UK, where Steffie was the favorite and Caroline experienced their father's cruel emotional and physical abuse, as did their submissive mother who died young. Caroline left home, disappeared, at 16. Stan was a bully, ran dog fights, and used others for his benefit. As Steffie looks back on her past, she clearly noted Stan's preferential treatment toward her in stark contrast with how he treated his wife and other daughter. As the story of Steffie's life is slowly revealed, it is clear she is her own worst enemy and feels guilty about her favored status by Stan.
This is a hard novel to read. Steffie is not a sympathetic character, but you will hope she gets to a good place. She is an irascible, complicated working class character who has had a hard life, made mistakes, and misjudged situations. She continually pays the price for her misdeeds while struggling to press on through the novel. In the narrative she looks back at her childhood memories and past while also struggling in the present. She also, always, wonders where is Caroline. All of her background and history has made Steffie the woman she is today, with all of her flaws, guilt, trauma, and determination.
It is a beautifully written novel even with the subject matter. It is also a short novel, so it is a quick read. At the author's note at the end Hughes explains that the theme of laundry/cleaning which runs through the plot was inspired by a 14th-century poem known as Purity or Cleanness which is concerned with keeping up the laundry and the old, dirty, tattered clothes are a spiritual metaphor for washing your soul clean. The final denouement does bring some closure.
No Such Thing as Monday is a excellent choice for those who enjoy literary novels focused on domestic drama. Thanks to Henry Holt & Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
https://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2026/...
May 8, 2026
The opening chapters of No Such Thing as Monday have a droll humour and a deadpan delivery that captivated me. Hughes is English but the writing feels Irish.
Gradually though its tone changes. This is the story of a fractured family, of things concealed, things unsaid.
“What am I trying to tell you? That’s the problem. I don’t know enough to tell you. Only that it was there, all the time, an undercurrent, like a river of dirty water running through our house, changing everything. It coloured the air we breathed.”
Two young sisters in the same family receive inexplicably different treatment; one daughter is celebrated, well fed, cared for. The other is cruelly ignored. This preferential treatment has no rational basis; nor is the marginalisation of the clever older sister ever satisfactorily explained. It creates a puzzle the book seeks to solve.
The book focusses on the favoured daughter as she approaches middle age and attempts to reconcile the past. How to make sense of the ill treatment of her sister? How could she have been such an acute observer yet not intervened? Was she complicit?
Her own life has been hardscrabble; poorly educated, working menial jobs, abusing drugs and alcohol; an unwanted pregnancy … and yet, despite all this, the writing still leans into humour, even if at times it’s somewhat black.
I loved being in this book’s company. It had a raw grittiness that appealed. It was tough, and funny, and real.
Gradually though its tone changes. This is the story of a fractured family, of things concealed, things unsaid.
“What am I trying to tell you? That’s the problem. I don’t know enough to tell you. Only that it was there, all the time, an undercurrent, like a river of dirty water running through our house, changing everything. It coloured the air we breathed.”
Two young sisters in the same family receive inexplicably different treatment; one daughter is celebrated, well fed, cared for. The other is cruelly ignored. This preferential treatment has no rational basis; nor is the marginalisation of the clever older sister ever satisfactorily explained. It creates a puzzle the book seeks to solve.
The book focusses on the favoured daughter as she approaches middle age and attempts to reconcile the past. How to make sense of the ill treatment of her sister? How could she have been such an acute observer yet not intervened? Was she complicit?
Her own life has been hardscrabble; poorly educated, working menial jobs, abusing drugs and alcohol; an unwanted pregnancy … and yet, despite all this, the writing still leans into humour, even if at times it’s somewhat black.
I loved being in this book’s company. It had a raw grittiness that appealed. It was tough, and funny, and real.
November 11, 2026
No Such Thing as Monday begins on a bleak note. Fifty-something Steffie seems to be the sole caretaker for her father, a not nice (understatement) man who bet on fighting dogs for a living/pastime. In the first pages, as she's bringing dinner to his house, she discovers him dead in his recliner, one of his snarling dogs on guard. She works at a laundry and is in a precarious position (she's too blunt with the customers and gets demoted from counter duty). Bleak.
Her insightful humor and wit as she goes through the aftermath of his death, mostly invisible to the outside world as women of a certain age and body type tend to be, elevate the novel. She's self-deprecating to a fault, and also pretty judgey. And funny.
When she starts diving into the past, navigating family memories, the truth of what she and her (estranged) sister experienced is pretty brutal. How she moves forward drives the novel, and you can't help but be in her corner, despite every misstep and desperate situation. This woman with no luck worms her way into your heart.
My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company | Henry Holt and Co. for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 11/10/2026)
Her insightful humor and wit as she goes through the aftermath of his death, mostly invisible to the outside world as women of a certain age and body type tend to be, elevate the novel. She's self-deprecating to a fault, and also pretty judgey. And funny.
When she starts diving into the past, navigating family memories, the truth of what she and her (estranged) sister experienced is pretty brutal. How she moves forward drives the novel, and you can't help but be in her corner, despite every misstep and desperate situation. This woman with no luck worms her way into your heart.
My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company | Henry Holt and Co. for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub. date 11/10/2026)
November 11, 2026
Usually when I read a book that centers around a heavy or emotional topic, it’s all laid out, sort of in my face, impossible to miss, weighty and often hard to carry. With NO SUCH THING AS MONDAY, the author’s approach is subtle, offering hints, not naming the thing as we’re guided through a life derailed by that unnamed thing. I loved this approach so much.
Sian Hughes’s writing is powerful without trying. I mean, I have no doubt she applied a whole lot of effort. Writing is hard. But as a reader, I didn’t feel that effort. I never focused on the words and I wasn’t concerned about the plot. Hughes presents Steffie, our main character, as our storyteller, and she felt so real, so honest, that I only wanted to get to know her.
I had the pleasure of listening to this on audio. Tessa Gallagher’s narration is absolutely brilliant. I felt like I was sitting with a friend as she told her story. Tessa fully embraced Steffie’s personality. Her quirks came alive. I believed every word.
*Thanks to Macmillan Audio (#MacAudioPartner) for the free audiobook download!*
Sian Hughes’s writing is powerful without trying. I mean, I have no doubt she applied a whole lot of effort. Writing is hard. But as a reader, I didn’t feel that effort. I never focused on the words and I wasn’t concerned about the plot. Hughes presents Steffie, our main character, as our storyteller, and she felt so real, so honest, that I only wanted to get to know her.
I had the pleasure of listening to this on audio. Tessa Gallagher’s narration is absolutely brilliant. I felt like I was sitting with a friend as she told her story. Tessa fully embraced Steffie’s personality. Her quirks came alive. I believed every word.
*Thanks to Macmillan Audio (#MacAudioPartner) for the free audiobook download!*
May 4, 2026
Steffie is the kind of character that stays with you long after the book is finished. Much like István in Flesh!
July 27, 2026
This broke me. Was sobbing like a baby by the time I got to the end.
April 25, 2026
Oh Steffie has stolen my heart, I loved her and was routing for her all the way through.
Despite her childhood, she had such determination and ultimately just tried her best to get through life, I doubt many people would be able to cope in the situations she found herself in.
This is a short book, but it gives so much, serious issues but with some of the best dark humour which makes Steffie more endearing.
I really enjoyed the authors writing style and will be reading her debut.
Despite her childhood, she had such determination and ultimately just tried her best to get through life, I doubt many people would be able to cope in the situations she found herself in.
This is a short book, but it gives so much, serious issues but with some of the best dark humour which makes Steffie more endearing.
I really enjoyed the authors writing style and will be reading her debut.
Review of advance copy
I love that it's very British. Accents. The Chippy. Gangs under canal bridges. Tea. Terraced houses.
Gritty.
P s It's been out in the UK for a little while.
Gritty.
P s It's been out in the UK for a little while.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really enjoyed the narrator and the many UK colloquialisms, but after listening to 40%, I was just not invested in the storyline. I cannot recommend this book unless the reader is very interested in a dry description of an abusive family system and mundane, day-to-day life events.
Again, the narrator was fantastic, I just do not like the story, itself. Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ALC to listen to.
Again, the narrator was fantastic, I just do not like the story, itself. Thank you to NetGalley for sending me this ALC to listen to.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Stephanie Cartwright is a middle-aged woman who’s been taking care of her elderly father for years. The book opens with Stephanie finding her father dead in his chair.
The story follows two tracks. In one track, Stephanie narrates what she’s doing in the present. She plans her father’s funeral. Loses her job. Thinks about connecting with her sister, Caroline, who she hasn’t seen in over thirty years.
The second track is Stephanie recalling her childhood, mostly in chronological order. There we learn that Stephanie’s father made his money by raising chickens to fight or by fighting himself in bars. That he was an alcoholic. How he was abusive, especially by controlling food. And we learn how her father often viewed himself and Stephanie as a team against Stephanie’s mother and sister.
No Such Thing as Monday reminds me of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Both books feature adult women recalling their childhoods with abusive fathers. In both books, the narrators recount childhood memories that at the time had some warmth, but yet felt off, and became more clearly off with the recollection of adulthood. The difference is No Such Thing as Monday is fiction whereas The Glass Castle is a memoir, and that the father in No Such Thing as Monday is much darker.
No Such Thing as Monday involves Stephanie coming to grips with just how abusive her father was. Maybe piecing together how abusive he was is a better way to put it, because Stephanie and her mother did a lot to ignore the abuse. To repress the thought of it.
In one scene, Stephanie’s father collects four eggs from his chickens and deliberately throws two away. Then when he comes home, he has Stephanie’s mother prepare an egg for him and for Stephanie while the mother sits by and watches and the sister (Caroline) is absent, as remembered by Stephanie.
This is when Stephanie starts to grasp that her sister didn’t get enough to eat, and she recalls her grandmother saying things like “I had to sneak Caroline food” and Stephanie not understanding, or refusing to understand, what that meant.
The title of the book No Such Thing as Monday refers to the way Stephanie and her family would ignore what was happening, especially regarding Caroline. Stephanie says that in her home it was as if the word “Monday” didn’t exist and the day that came after Sunday was Tuesday and everyone accepted that. That’s how the dad and much of the family treated the sister, Caroline.
So a lot of what Stephanie thinks and feels is guilt. Guilt for having been treated well. Guilt for not having done anything about the abuse, guilt for feeling close to her father and being proud of being his favorite. She thinks about this as she wants to look up her sister now, after thirty years, but is also afraid to. Feels ashamed to.
The two-track approach of the book works because both tracks, the present-day and the memories, revolve mostly around the sister.
The format reminds me of The Remains of the Day where the narrator’s present-day actions are guided by what happened in the flashback story, keeping both stories tied together. The two build on each other instead of distracting from each other. And, as in The Remains of the Day, the flashback story is the more important of the two stories.
However, there are times in No Such Thing as Monday when both the present-day events and the flashback events veer away from the sister. In those sections, I often felt lost and found myself wondering where the story was going.
The prose is very good. Siân Hughes keeps Stephanie Cartwright’s voice consistent and believable. Some of Stephanie’s memories get a little literary, which is always a problem when a first-person narrator is a practical person, but I thought Siân Hughes handled those things well and I didn’t feel taken out of the story too often.
A lot of Stephanie’s life, especially her late teenage years and adult life is very gritty. Very difficult. It will appeal to readers who want an unvarnished view of poverty, especially British urban poverty. (It’s not cozy).
And for as difficult as Stephanie Cartwright’s life was, Siân Hughes avoids having Stephanie explicitly complain about it. One of Stephanie’s father’s main things was to say “Boo hoo, blah blah” when anyone complained or was sad, and Stephanie does that too.
The strongest parts of the book are the detailed memories from Stephanie’s childhood. Siân Hughes captures the innocent, magical thinking of small children very well, like when Caroline and Stephanie make mouse dolls whose names both start with the letter “M” and who talk to each other. Or the way Stephanie would talk to her “Sleeping Beauty” doll when the doll was frightened. Most adults seem to forget how small children look at the world, but Siân Hughes remembered.
I found the ending abrupt, but I think I understand what Hughes was going for.
This book is perfect for fans of unreliable narrators or readers who like psychological character studies with rough protagonists. Readers who like complex relationships between fathers and daughters or between sisters will be swept up. The pace is slow and the tone is melancholy and a lot of the subject matter is intense, so if you don’t like that, then you should avoid this book. But overall, I thought this book was very thoughtful and very well executed.
The story follows two tracks. In one track, Stephanie narrates what she’s doing in the present. She plans her father’s funeral. Loses her job. Thinks about connecting with her sister, Caroline, who she hasn’t seen in over thirty years.
The second track is Stephanie recalling her childhood, mostly in chronological order. There we learn that Stephanie’s father made his money by raising chickens to fight or by fighting himself in bars. That he was an alcoholic. How he was abusive, especially by controlling food. And we learn how her father often viewed himself and Stephanie as a team against Stephanie’s mother and sister.
No Such Thing as Monday reminds me of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Both books feature adult women recalling their childhoods with abusive fathers. In both books, the narrators recount childhood memories that at the time had some warmth, but yet felt off, and became more clearly off with the recollection of adulthood. The difference is No Such Thing as Monday is fiction whereas The Glass Castle is a memoir, and that the father in No Such Thing as Monday is much darker.
No Such Thing as Monday involves Stephanie coming to grips with just how abusive her father was. Maybe piecing together how abusive he was is a better way to put it, because Stephanie and her mother did a lot to ignore the abuse. To repress the thought of it.
In one scene, Stephanie’s father collects four eggs from his chickens and deliberately throws two away. Then when he comes home, he has Stephanie’s mother prepare an egg for him and for Stephanie while the mother sits by and watches and the sister (Caroline) is absent, as remembered by Stephanie.
This is when Stephanie starts to grasp that her sister didn’t get enough to eat, and she recalls her grandmother saying things like “I had to sneak Caroline food” and Stephanie not understanding, or refusing to understand, what that meant.
The title of the book No Such Thing as Monday refers to the way Stephanie and her family would ignore what was happening, especially regarding Caroline. Stephanie says that in her home it was as if the word “Monday” didn’t exist and the day that came after Sunday was Tuesday and everyone accepted that. That’s how the dad and much of the family treated the sister, Caroline.
So a lot of what Stephanie thinks and feels is guilt. Guilt for having been treated well. Guilt for not having done anything about the abuse, guilt for feeling close to her father and being proud of being his favorite. She thinks about this as she wants to look up her sister now, after thirty years, but is also afraid to. Feels ashamed to.
The two-track approach of the book works because both tracks, the present-day and the memories, revolve mostly around the sister.
The format reminds me of The Remains of the Day where the narrator’s present-day actions are guided by what happened in the flashback story, keeping both stories tied together. The two build on each other instead of distracting from each other. And, as in The Remains of the Day, the flashback story is the more important of the two stories.
However, there are times in No Such Thing as Monday when both the present-day events and the flashback events veer away from the sister. In those sections, I often felt lost and found myself wondering where the story was going.
The prose is very good. Siân Hughes keeps Stephanie Cartwright’s voice consistent and believable. Some of Stephanie’s memories get a little literary, which is always a problem when a first-person narrator is a practical person, but I thought Siân Hughes handled those things well and I didn’t feel taken out of the story too often.
A lot of Stephanie’s life, especially her late teenage years and adult life is very gritty. Very difficult. It will appeal to readers who want an unvarnished view of poverty, especially British urban poverty. (It’s not cozy).
And for as difficult as Stephanie Cartwright’s life was, Siân Hughes avoids having Stephanie explicitly complain about it. One of Stephanie’s father’s main things was to say “Boo hoo, blah blah” when anyone complained or was sad, and Stephanie does that too.
The strongest parts of the book are the detailed memories from Stephanie’s childhood. Siân Hughes captures the innocent, magical thinking of small children very well, like when Caroline and Stephanie make mouse dolls whose names both start with the letter “M” and who talk to each other. Or the way Stephanie would talk to her “Sleeping Beauty” doll when the doll was frightened. Most adults seem to forget how small children look at the world, but Siân Hughes remembered.
I found the ending abrupt, but I think I understand what Hughes was going for.
This book is perfect for fans of unreliable narrators or readers who like psychological character studies with rough protagonists. Readers who like complex relationships between fathers and daughters or between sisters will be swept up. The pace is slow and the tone is melancholy and a lot of the subject matter is intense, so if you don’t like that, then you should avoid this book. But overall, I thought this book was very thoughtful and very well executed.
August 4, 2026
This is a short book ~ my paper copy is just 209,
purchased in the UK while on holiday. Since I
realized this, I am thinking I need to read the
download, which I wasn't planning on... I am
not certain there will be a difference, but the
download is 224 pages...
I am afraid that this book, while very well
written, with a lot of humorous tragedy,
is just not a book I would read again,or
gift to a friend. This is my failing, hence
the 4~🌟🌟🌟🌟.
Steffie tries her best, no question, but
when I am screaming at the pages of
a book, it's just a bit much for me...
My thanks to the Publisher for the
Copy of the book for review purposes.
purchased in the UK while on holiday. Since I
realized this, I am thinking I need to read the
download, which I wasn't planning on... I am
not certain there will be a difference, but the
download is 224 pages...
I am afraid that this book, while very well
written, with a lot of humorous tragedy,
is just not a book I would read again,or
gift to a friend. This is my failing, hence
the 4~🌟🌟🌟🌟.
Steffie tries her best, no question, but
when I am screaming at the pages of
a book, it's just a bit much for me...
My thanks to the Publisher for the
Copy of the book for review purposes.
September 5, 2026
4,5
A Book of Guilt
Steffi is nearly 50, plump, and unattractive. She works in a dry cleaner's. She has no family or home of her own, living in a rented room above a hair salon. She cares for her father, enduring the aggressive attacks of his mindless dog every time she brings him dinner and clean laundry. When she returns, she finds him dead in his chair. While in a normal relationship, the grief of losing an elderly parent is partly offset by the new opportunities afforded by an inheritance, Steffi will now be saddled with the funeral expenses and the payment of her father's debts.
Even though she herself is as poor as a church mouse, and on top of that, she lost her job – lacking decent clothes for the funeral, she used a client's outfit. Who knew that the client would turn out to be a funeral home employee, who had dropped off her spare clothes for cleaning, would recognize the item, and file a complaint? And the boss, who had no affection for the employee who served time, will gladly fire her.
She was in prison? For what? Oh, but here we have to go back in time. To a past that is much further removed from today than the arrest. To childhood, to the local hell of a council flat (in England, the poor can get a flat for free with a nominal rent), where an abusive family despot wields absolute power over his wife and two daughters, both close in age, to divide and conquer. The wife bears his reproaches, discontent, and untidiness; the younger daughter is designated as the favorite, and the eldest is relegated to the role of stepdaughter in her own family.
All her childhood, clever Caroline endured her father's bullying and attacks. At 16, she received a scholarship and left, and since then, her very name has become taboo in the family. The title of the novel "No Such Thing as Monday"—underneath the obvious implication of "don't say you'll start a new life on Monday, live now"—is more deeply painful: her sister has disappeared from Stephie's life because even mentioning her has become impossible for some time now. It's as if someone with unlimited power abolished Mondays, and you obediently began listing the days of the week by putting Tuesday after Sunday. Does this remind you of anything from our time today with the word "best not to say"?
Sian Hughes is brilliant with her elegiac melodiousness, with the bitterness of an offended little girl inside a grown woman. The narrator's captivating frankness, blaming no one for what happened, simply happened, but that doesn't lessen the pain and heartbreaking bewilderment. Why is everything arranged in such a way that such things can happen? Although that's already metaphysics, and it's best not to delve into it.
A powerful, bitter book about domestic violence and, more broadly, about despotism, whose victims are not only those declared enemies but, no less, its favorites. The latter are crippled more severely.
Книга вины
Стефи под 50, полная, непривлекательная, работает в химчистке. Семьи и своего жилья не имеет, живет в съемной комнате над парикмахерской. Ухаживает за отцом, терпя агрессивные наскоки его безмозглой псины всякий раз, как приносит старику обед и чистое белье. Придя в очередной раз, находит его мертвым в кресле, и если в нормальных отношениях горечь утраты престарелого родителя отчасти уравновешивается новыми возможностями, которые открывает полученное наследство, то на Стефи теперь лягут похоронные расходы и оплата отцовских долгов.
При том, что сама она бедна как церковная мышь, да вдобавок потеряла работу - не имея приличной одежды для похорон, воспользовалась комплектом клиентки. Кто же знал, что та окажется сотрудницей ритуального агентства, сдавшей в чистку сменный костюм, опознает вещь и накатает жалобу? А начальник, который к отсидевшей сотруднице нежности не питал, с удовольствием уволит ее.
Она сидела? За что? Ох, а вот здесь придется вернуться в прошлое. В то прошлое, что много дальше по времени от дня сегодняшнего, чем арест. В детство, в локальный ад одной муниципальной квартиры (в Англии малоимущие могут бесплатно получить квартиру с символической арендной платой), где семейный деспот абьюзер использует неограниченную власть над женой и двумя дочерьми погодками, чтобы разделять и властвовать. Жене достаются его попреки, недовольство и бытовая неопрятность, младшая дочь назначена любимицей, старшей отведена роль падчерицы в родной семье.
Все детство умненькая Каролина терпела отцовские издевательства и нападки, в 16 получила стипендию и уехала, с тех пор само имя ее в семье сделалось табу. В названии романа "Никаких понедельников" под очевидным смыслом: "не говори, что начнешь новую жизнь с понедельника, живи сейчас", глубже больной - сестра исчезла из жизни Стефи, потому что само упоминание ее с некоторого времени стало невозможным. Как если бы некто, обладающий безграничной властью, отменил понедельники, и вы послушно начали, перечисляя дни недели, ставить вторник после воскресенья. Ничего не напоминает из нашего сегодня со словом, которое лучше не произносить?
Шан Хьюз хороша с этой своей элегичной певучестью, с горечью обиженной маленькой девочки внутри взрослой женщины. Подкупающей откровенностью рассказчицы, которая никого не винит в произошедшем, просто так случилось, но от этого боль и горестное недоумение не меньше.Почему все так устроено, что подобное может случаться? Хотя это уже метафизика, а в нее лучше не углубляться.
Сильная горькая книга о домашнем насилии и шире - о деспотии, чьими жертвами становятся не только те, кого объявляет врагами, но, в не меньшей степени, фавориты. Вторых калечит сильнее.
A Book of Guilt
Steffi is nearly 50, plump, and unattractive. She works in a dry cleaner's. She has no family or home of her own, living in a rented room above a hair salon. She cares for her father, enduring the aggressive attacks of his mindless dog every time she brings him dinner and clean laundry. When she returns, she finds him dead in his chair. While in a normal relationship, the grief of losing an elderly parent is partly offset by the new opportunities afforded by an inheritance, Steffi will now be saddled with the funeral expenses and the payment of her father's debts.
Even though she herself is as poor as a church mouse, and on top of that, she lost her job – lacking decent clothes for the funeral, she used a client's outfit. Who knew that the client would turn out to be a funeral home employee, who had dropped off her spare clothes for cleaning, would recognize the item, and file a complaint? And the boss, who had no affection for the employee who served time, will gladly fire her.
She was in prison? For what? Oh, but here we have to go back in time. To a past that is much further removed from today than the arrest. To childhood, to the local hell of a council flat (in England, the poor can get a flat for free with a nominal rent), where an abusive family despot wields absolute power over his wife and two daughters, both close in age, to divide and conquer. The wife bears his reproaches, discontent, and untidiness; the younger daughter is designated as the favorite, and the eldest is relegated to the role of stepdaughter in her own family.
All her childhood, clever Caroline endured her father's bullying and attacks. At 16, she received a scholarship and left, and since then, her very name has become taboo in the family. The title of the novel "No Such Thing as Monday"—underneath the obvious implication of "don't say you'll start a new life on Monday, live now"—is more deeply painful: her sister has disappeared from Stephie's life because even mentioning her has become impossible for some time now. It's as if someone with unlimited power abolished Mondays, and you obediently began listing the days of the week by putting Tuesday after Sunday. Does this remind you of anything from our time today with the word "best not to say"?
Sian Hughes is brilliant with her elegiac melodiousness, with the bitterness of an offended little girl inside a grown woman. The narrator's captivating frankness, blaming no one for what happened, simply happened, but that doesn't lessen the pain and heartbreaking bewilderment. Why is everything arranged in such a way that such things can happen? Although that's already metaphysics, and it's best not to delve into it.
A powerful, bitter book about domestic violence and, more broadly, about despotism, whose victims are not only those declared enemies but, no less, its favorites. The latter are crippled more severely.
Книга вины
Стефи под 50, полная, непривлекательная, работает в химчистке. Семьи и своего жилья не имеет, живет в съемной комнате над парикмахерской. Ухаживает за отцом, терпя агрессивные наскоки его безмозглой псины всякий раз, как приносит старику обед и чистое белье. Придя в очередной раз, находит его мертвым в кресле, и если в нормальных отношениях горечь утраты престарелого родителя отчасти уравновешивается новыми возможностями, которые открывает полученное наследство, то на Стефи теперь лягут похоронные расходы и оплата отцовских долгов.
При том, что сама она бедна как церковная мышь, да вдобавок потеряла работу - не имея приличной одежды для похорон, воспользовалась комплектом клиентки. Кто же знал, что та окажется сотрудницей ритуального агентства, сдавшей в чистку сменный костюм, опознает вещь и накатает жалобу? А начальник, который к отсидевшей сотруднице нежности не питал, с удовольствием уволит ее.
Она сидела? За что? Ох, а вот здесь придется вернуться в прошлое. В то прошлое, что много дальше по времени от дня сегодняшнего, чем арест. В детство, в локальный ад одной муниципальной квартиры (в Англии малоимущие могут бесплатно получить квартиру с символической арендной платой), где семейный деспот абьюзер использует неограниченную власть над женой и двумя дочерьми погодками, чтобы разделять и властвовать. Жене достаются его попреки, недовольство и бытовая неопрятность, младшая дочь назначена любимицей, старшей отведена роль падчерицы в родной семье.
Все детство умненькая Каролина терпела отцовские издевательства и нападки, в 16 получила стипендию и уехала, с тех пор само имя ее в семье сделалось табу. В названии романа "Никаких понедельников" под очевидным смыслом: "не говори, что начнешь новую жизнь с понедельника, живи сейчас", глубже больной - сестра исчезла из жизни Стефи, потому что само упоминание ее с некоторого времени стало невозможным. Как если бы некто, обладающий безграничной властью, отменил понедельники, и вы послушно начали, перечисляя дни недели, ставить вторник после воскресенья. Ничего не напоминает из нашего сегодня со словом, которое лучше не произносить?
Шан Хьюз хороша с этой своей элегичной певучестью, с горечью обиженной маленькой девочки внутри взрослой женщины. Подкупающей откровенностью рассказчицы, которая никого не винит в произошедшем, просто так случилось, но от этого боль и горестное недоумение не меньше.Почему все так устроено, что подобное может случаться? Хотя это уже метафизика, а в нее лучше не углубляться.
Сильная горькая книга о домашнем насилии и шире - о деспотии, чьими жертвами становятся не только те, кого объявляет врагами, но, в не меньшей степени, фавориты. Вторых калечит сильнее.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Though I did finish this book, I found it hard to really get into. The premise sounded interesting, and there were some genuinely emotional moments, but the story felt dull and fell flat for me.
The characters were complicated and I was intrigued by the family dynamics, grief and trauma, however, the pacing made it hard to keep me engaged throughout much of the story.
I can definitely see how this book will appeal to those readers who enjoy quiet, character-driven storylines, but it just didn’t work for me unfortunately.
Thank you, NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for the eARC.
The characters were complicated and I was intrigued by the family dynamics, grief and trauma, however, the pacing made it hard to keep me engaged throughout much of the story.
I can definitely see how this book will appeal to those readers who enjoy quiet, character-driven storylines, but it just didn’t work for me unfortunately.
Thank you, NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for the eARC.
October 23, 2025
I remember the shame spreading over me, the heat in my hand as I closed the door as quietly as I could and turned away. And almost immediately I wiped it out of my head. I remember the pressure inside my head, the slippery doorknob in my hand, the urgency of closing the door. And then nothing. I don't know when I let myself remember it again. Not for years. But there it was, like a piece of broken crockery at the bottom of a stream bed, and as you lift it out you recognise the pattern from your childhood tea table in the small fragment. A tiny sliver, but you know for sure it is the same pattern. You can picture the whole plate from this one small triangle. And you think, how come 1 walked past this stream bed all these years, and it was lying there in plain sight among the pebbles and litter and weeds, and all I had to do was look down and see it there? But you didn't.
Siân Hughes debut novel “Pearl” was a nominatively determined unexpected treasure on the 2023 Booker Prize longlist (where it would have made my shortlist) and was later shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award.
Like this novel it was published by the UK small press Indigo Press who “publish books to make readers see the world afresh, question their behaviour and beliefs, and imagine a better future” and whose other books I have enjoyed include “Lessons In Love and Other Crimes” by Elizabeth Chakrabarty and “Riambel” and “Tamarin” by the Mauritian Priya Hein.
Dealing with post-partum psychosis it drew its title from the medieval poem: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_(...) which survives in the modern day in the same Coton Nero manuscript (written in the Middle English of Cheshire) as the better known “Gaiwan and the Green Knight” (which was also very important to the novel and even to its cover) – and was an interesting mix of the fey (partly due to the character of the narrator’s mother) and folkloric (largely due to the inclusion of a childhood rhyme or folk song at the start of each chapter) with a very harder edge (with coverage of not just PPD but also cutting and suicidal impulses – an edge matched in the choice of many of the rhymes/songs).
This her second novel – not due to be published until April 2026, draws on a third of the four poems in the manuscript – Purity (or Cleanness) of which (in an afterword) the author says it is “a collection of biblical illustrations organised like a sermon, where each different story drives home the central message, in this case the Beatitude: Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. The entertaining detail of Purity, however, is much more concerned with the issue of keeping up with the laundry. It has a remarkable number of words for clothes that are old, tattered, patched, out-at-the-knees, or in need of a good pre-wash …………….. I began to wonder whether my narrator spent her lite making the laundry spotless, but never felt she could wash her soul clean.”.
As a novel while equally heavy hitting as its predecessor (in this case particularly around childhood abuse/neglect) its protagonist – Steffie – has a much harder poverty-affected backstory. The blurb compares the book with some insight to Lucy Barton, but unlike Lucy, Steffie does not have the benefit of a move to a relatively comfortable new life to look back on her past. And overall, this makes the book much rawer and gritty.
At the book’s opening mid-50s Steffie is working at a dry cleaners, living in a small flat, and coming to terms with the death of her father is starting to look back at her childhood, realising that there are large parts of that childhood she has deliberately blanked out – mainly relating to her one year older sister Caroline whose explicitly neglectful (to and beyond the point of abusive) treatment by their prize-fighting, domineering/bullying father was something unspoken and unacknowledged in their household even if clear to those outside it (as if – in an analogy which gives the book its title – Monday’s were simply not considered real there).
From there the story moves between her present (which involve her already hand-to-mouth, rather frightened existence taking a turn for the even worse as she loses her job and ends up both homeless and in a catering job), her recollections of her childhood and her recollections of the years between (which include a period being dragged into being a drug courier, a child given up for adoption, and incarceration) – and her attempts to force herself to complete the blanks in her past and to consider reaching out to a sister who fled home some 40 years ago and with who she has no contact.
Steffie is a superb character – not obviously or immediately sympathetic given much of her past, and hard to directly identify with for most literary fiction readers I expect given her present – but one who the reader finds themselves hugely drawn to and rooting for.
I would not dismiss this as a contender for a second Booker longlisting as it is every bit as good as its predecessor, and perhaps even more so as a Women’s Prize contender (albeit given dates not I think until 2027).
My thanks to Indigo Press for a paper ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
While to write prose as poetry is a knack, skills to write novels as well as Poetry is another level
Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allan Poe, Victor Hugo are some of the classic authors who did that while Ocean Vuong, Vikram Seth are the contemporary ones
But then how should we label the skills of Sian Hughes, who can develop a story from lines of Poems
Yet again like her last novel Pearl, Huges has developed a heart warming story from 14th century poem called Purity
"𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.
𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 1-4
𝘐'𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸, 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 -'𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥.'
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥.
𝘛𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴
𝘛𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘳, 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴"
On superimposing the narrative on the poem, this is what I could infer
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴..𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴..
Steffie worked as a dry cleaner, so while she is cleaning up mess of other people what about her own mess. Does the "purity" she tries to project to the world is it really true or its actually the "mess" of her own violent childhood that she is trying to hide
𝘐'𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸..𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺
Is Steffie ashamed of all the abuse that she has suffered at the hands of her father. Does she feel "tainted", "impure". Does even God feel the same about her.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘴..
The "unwashed hands" make her fear that the violence her elder sister faced by her father & secrets of her whereabouts will leave an indelible stain on her
𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦s..
Steffie does feel social alienation & class displacement. She feels like an impostor in the "clean" normal world. Whether she is interacting with customers or trying to build a life in London, she feels like the person in "patched work clothes" sitting at a table where she doesn't belong
The below written quote from the book talks about the book title & it's context
"It's hard to explain. Imagine someone suddenly starts saying Tuesday comes straight after Sunday. There's no such thing as Monday. You learn not to mention Monday. Monday is not a thing in your house. At school you might write Monday on your page, but you'd never make that mistake at home. You think when you write it out, what a stupid thing they do at school, making you write out a word that doesn't exist. You have to have Tuesday twice in your head every week to catch up, but that's not hard. You skip it over. We skipped over a lot of things in our house"
When Sian Hughes used this technique for Pearl, it felt that no other story could have been created from those lines of Poem but I wasn't sure about this book. While I love the plotline & the sensational dark humor (which was not very much there in Pearl), I felt lack of emotional connect this time
Yet read it for its creativity
Sylvia Plath, Edgar Allan Poe, Victor Hugo are some of the classic authors who did that while Ocean Vuong, Vikram Seth are the contemporary ones
But then how should we label the skills of Sian Hughes, who can develop a story from lines of Poems
Yet again like her last novel Pearl, Huges has developed a heart warming story from 14th century poem called Purity
"𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.
𝘗𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 1-4
𝘐'𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸, 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 -'𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥.'
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥.
𝘛𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴
𝘛𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘵𝘪𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘳, 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴"
On superimposing the narrative on the poem, this is what I could infer
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴..𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴..
Steffie worked as a dry cleaner, so while she is cleaning up mess of other people what about her own mess. Does the "purity" she tries to project to the world is it really true or its actually the "mess" of her own violent childhood that she is trying to hide
𝘐'𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸..𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺
Is Steffie ashamed of all the abuse that she has suffered at the hands of her father. Does she feel "tainted", "impure". Does even God feel the same about her.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘴..
The "unwashed hands" make her fear that the violence her elder sister faced by her father & secrets of her whereabouts will leave an indelible stain on her
𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦s..
Steffie does feel social alienation & class displacement. She feels like an impostor in the "clean" normal world. Whether she is interacting with customers or trying to build a life in London, she feels like the person in "patched work clothes" sitting at a table where she doesn't belong
The below written quote from the book talks about the book title & it's context
"It's hard to explain. Imagine someone suddenly starts saying Tuesday comes straight after Sunday. There's no such thing as Monday. You learn not to mention Monday. Monday is not a thing in your house. At school you might write Monday on your page, but you'd never make that mistake at home. You think when you write it out, what a stupid thing they do at school, making you write out a word that doesn't exist. You have to have Tuesday twice in your head every week to catch up, but that's not hard. You skip it over. We skipped over a lot of things in our house"
When Sian Hughes used this technique for Pearl, it felt that no other story could have been created from those lines of Poem but I wasn't sure about this book. While I love the plotline & the sensational dark humor (which was not very much there in Pearl), I felt lack of emotional connect this time
Yet read it for its creativity
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