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Tabitha, Stay Up
205 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2026
About the author
Lee Upton
39 books42 followersLee Upton writes books of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and literary criticism. Her comic novel, Tabitha, Get Up, was named a semi-finalist for the 2026 James Thurber Prize for American Humor. A sequel, Tabitha, Stay Up, is forthcoming in September 2026. Her psychological thriller The Withers, with highly positive reviews from Kirkus and Library Journal, was released in June 2026. Her literary mystery, Wrongful, appeared in 2025. She is also the author of The Day Every Day Is, winner of the Saturnalia Books Prize, and two collections of short stories, The Tao of Humiliation, and Visitations, which were both awarded the Kirkus Star. The Tao of Humiliation received the BOA Short Fiction Prize. Her novella, The Guide to the Flying Island, was awarded the Miami University Novella Prize. Her collection of essays, Swallowing the Sea: On Writing & Ambition Boredom Purity & Secrecy, received ForeWord Review's Book of the Year Award in the category of books about writing. Her poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, the New Republic, Poetry, Harvard Review, American Poetry Review, and in three editions of Best American Poetry.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 1, 2026
It's pretty clear from the opening "Note to Self" on page 1. that Tabitha Acrete has decided to use a declarative, ridiculous voice, someone who is not afraid of "Fine fine fine fine fine fine fine," despite its repititions, since speaking up for one's interests is better than being swept along in a stream of events, as our protagonist tended to do in Tabitha, Get Up. Since we know Upton never goes for the melodramatic, this does not mean Tabitha can claim all the victory pelts she wishes, only that she looks out for herself more than in the first book. Yes, all the familiar supporting actors are here, Tabitha's atrocious mother, her nephew Leon from The End of the World bar, the odd ghost-writing pair of Piper and Mrs. Boughert. Even Brent Vintner makes a cameo appearance near the end of the novel, whether he is welcome or not.
The protagonist's voice in this case turns out to be partially derived from a purple hippo who shares Tabitha's name, a hippo who eventually gains our hero fame and fortune in the worlds of Audible books and their printed editions. Is the hippopotamus a vision quest from an interested cult leader, or is it merely Moby Grape? The reader can choose which works, but in either case, Tabitha is continuously gracing us with koans like "Separating internal sadness eggs laid long ago to make frothy merengue!" (pp. 39). The miracle of Upton is that she can insert such showstoppers at will, without choking off the underlying silliness of the narrative. As an aside, Upton uses absurd song lyrics to a degree only rivaled by Vonnegut or Pynchon (a feat some readers would count as distraction, but which suits me just fine).
As befits a sequel, we are given new satellites orbiting around Tabitha, in the familial characters of Cubbie and Sophia and D'Roger and Neddy, none of which collide with the primary planets from the first book, but all of whom stake their claim for being remembered in the Tabitha story. The finest and creepiest newcomers are the twins-not-twins, Effie and Beouf, intolerably self-absorbed artists who only justify their pathetic lives through their sibling, who turns out to be much more important than the cameo character who cleans up the bar before dawn. But it wouldn't be good to provide too many spoilers. Giving us a sequel that provided us with as many laughs as the first would be an achievement in its own right, but letting Tabby find more of an independent and absurdist voice makes Upton's follow-on delightful, whether Tabby is speaking for a 50-year-old woman making her own mind up instead of being acted upon, or a purple hippo who likes to sing "blubbety blubbety blub."
The protagonist's voice in this case turns out to be partially derived from a purple hippo who shares Tabitha's name, a hippo who eventually gains our hero fame and fortune in the worlds of Audible books and their printed editions. Is the hippopotamus a vision quest from an interested cult leader, or is it merely Moby Grape? The reader can choose which works, but in either case, Tabitha is continuously gracing us with koans like "Separating internal sadness eggs laid long ago to make frothy merengue!" (pp. 39). The miracle of Upton is that she can insert such showstoppers at will, without choking off the underlying silliness of the narrative. As an aside, Upton uses absurd song lyrics to a degree only rivaled by Vonnegut or Pynchon (a feat some readers would count as distraction, but which suits me just fine).
As befits a sequel, we are given new satellites orbiting around Tabitha, in the familial characters of Cubbie and Sophia and D'Roger and Neddy, none of which collide with the primary planets from the first book, but all of whom stake their claim for being remembered in the Tabitha story. The finest and creepiest newcomers are the twins-not-twins, Effie and Beouf, intolerably self-absorbed artists who only justify their pathetic lives through their sibling, who turns out to be much more important than the cameo character who cleans up the bar before dawn. But it wouldn't be good to provide too many spoilers. Giving us a sequel that provided us with as many laughs as the first would be an achievement in its own right, but letting Tabby find more of an independent and absurdist voice makes Upton's follow-on delightful, whether Tabby is speaking for a 50-year-old woman making her own mind up instead of being acted upon, or a purple hippo who likes to sing "blubbety blubbety blub."
Review of advance copy
Reviewing this in September for MicroLit Almanac, will update this review then, but spoiler alert: I loved this more than the first! I can’t get enough of Tabitha. Read my full review here: https://www.birchbarkediting.com/micr...
October 4, 2026
An exciting and wonderful sequel to Tabitha, Get Up (1924). Author Lee Upton has created an unforgettable character in Tabitha, a woman who stands at an angle to the world, which makes interactions with others challenging and perplexing – but illuminating and often hilariously funny for the reader. Tabitha shows us how to be “wickedly optimistic” even when it appears your world has come to an end. Tabitha, Stay Up is a total delight.
September 21, 2026
"Tabitha, Stay Up" is a pure delight to read. It is both hilariously funny and moving. Lee Upton brilliantly reveals the observations and thoughts of the main character and narrator Tabitha. The reader alternates between out-loud laughter and smiling amazement at Tabitha's singular insights into the world around her. The story propels you forward, making it very hard to put it down after the first page. By the end, you may happily look at the world through Tabitha's eyes.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews