Clara and Christina

by Andrew Cunning

When young academic Clara Wilson gets the opportunity to interview the acclaimed novelist Christina Darnell in Belfast, she anticipates a major biographical scoop for her academic book. Who is this mysterious writer? What secrets are lingering behind her novels? And why has she agreed to be interviewed again so late in her career? Clara wants to unpeel the truth behind the fiction. But Christina has another lesson in store for Clara.

Over a few months, a relationship forms between two women who live their lives in books. Clara, writing her first, leans in and learns from a writer finishing her final book. During this time, Clara, face to face with her hero, begins to question her own convictions. Faced with a publication deadline, a newfound friendship with her subject and Christina's own failing health, Clara questions the very logic of her life, ultimately asking what if there is nothing but fiction?

Genres: Fiction, Irish Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication July 30, 2026

Reviews

[leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

so original and intelligent! had a great time reading this

[lilywhitereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful, meta, original. I am completely convinced Christina Darnell is a real person. I’d also love to go back to university just to have a seminar with Clara. I loved every part of this novel.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clara and Christina by Andrew Cunning is a debut novel about writing, friendship, and the relationship between an established author and an aspiring writer. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Clara is writing a monograph about the acclaimed novelist Christina Darnell, and the two quickly develop a rapport through a series of deep, thought provoking conversations. Meeting regularly in a coffee shop, they discuss literature, fiction, reading, the writing process, teaching, and memoirs.  Christina has strong opinions about writing and is guarded when it comes to both her books and her personal life, but through Clara's thoughtful questioning, we gradually come to understand her more fully.

The novel is essentially an indepth exploration of an established writer through the eyes of an intelligent young woman who is also finding her own voice as a writer. There are many discussions about how writing affects an author, how deeply writers become absorbed in their work, and references to literary greats throughout.

Although I appreciated much of what this novel was trying to do, I wasn't fully engaged throughout. I admired the intelligence behind the discussions and the ideas being explored, but they occasionally felt more analytical than emotionally engaging. As a result, I personally never quite formed the connection with the story that I was hoping for. Ultimately, it just wasn't the right fit for me.  However, I can certainly see this finding an appreciative audience. Readers who enjoy literary fiction and novels that explore the craft of writing in depth are likely to get far more from it than I did.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel this is a complicated read to review for me & I'm prepared to be in the minority of readers who didn't completely vibe with this as much as I'd hoped. That being said, there were still a few things to enjoy & I definitely think there's a specific reader who'll take something more away from this than I did.

For a lot of this book, it sort of felt like I'd entered a world I shouldn't be in or that I was spying on the character's conversations in some scenes— it's hard to fully explain what I mean by this but in short, I couldn't fully immerse myself into the story & I'm still unsure how much of this was just my fault & how much was the book itself. However, there was obviously something about this that kept me wanting to pick it up, even if I couldn't lose myself into it like I wanted to.

I do like books that have a strong theme of writing & books in them & for the most part I enjoyed that about this, particularly the scene/s of Clara discussing literature & contemporary fictions with her students. I thought those scenes & a few others were reflective & interesting. Unfortunately there was also a lot about this that came across as too pretentious or philosophical for me which I realise is probably a personal thing but again, this kept taking me out of the story & caused me to zone out more times than I'd like to admit during chapters.

This was okay, it doesn't warrant any less than 3 stars but I guess I was hoping for a different story than the one I got. I think it's one that others should pick up for themselves & I have no doubt it'll be popular among a lot of the reading community.

Thank you Hachette UK & Netgalley for my free eARC!

[Ben Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Cunning's debut novel, Clara and Christina is about novelists, writing and the friendship between a young woman and the older novelist she has come to interview and has always admired. From a simple premise Cunning crafts a story that engages with the very concept of what fiction can mean today, how it can change people, and influence the course of a life. I absolutely adored this novel, breezing through it in one sitting. His characterisation of the two women was spot-on, and I really came to care about what they each had to say. I also loved all the literary references - from literary titans to less well known voices we should know. Clara and Christina then is a literary treat, and if you love literary fiction then you will get a lot out of this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clara is a young woman looking both to make a name for herself and to understand herself. A fortuitous meeting with someone who knows the woman Clara wrote her PhD on leads to a series of meetings between Clara and Christina, the woman she now hopes to write a monograph on. We are treated to their conversations which begin to deepen into a strange kind of friendship that sustains and transforms both women. This is really however a book about writing a book, about the nature of biography and the study of literature and the lines we draw between what is and what we want. It verges on becoming a series of lectures that the friendship is the placeholder for at times. I wanted more from the relationship than the book was prepared to give but that may be me as the reader at fault here.