A New Tense

by Jo Day

After a traumatic event in Melbourne, Laurie escapes to Berlin, only to have to come back six months later to bury her estranged mother.
She tries to reconnect with her best friend, Jones, who’s ignoring her.
But she’s doing fine.
More or less.
Set in a boozy and drug-fuelled summer in Melbourne, A New Tense is about grief, friendships, and the family that people make when they don’t have their own.

188 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2017

About the author

Jo is a writer living in Berlin. Their work focuses on grief, friendship, substance abuse, and mental illness.

Reviews

[Kathryn Hemmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed A New Tense! I intended to read a few pages at a time, but I ended up getting sucked into the story and finishing the book in one sitting. The writing is clear and precise, with an economy of language that allows the voice of the protagonist to carry the narrative with style and good humor. The flow and pacing are excellent as well, with a nice rhythm to the scenes and emotional beats. This novel is an interesting window into the punk subculture of a specific time and place, and its theme of dealing with loss through found family is well developed and has a universal emotional resonance. I’m a bit worried about the condition of the characters’ livers, but it was a lot of fun to join them on this journey.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the voice of this novel. The tone and edgy feel was very appropriate considering we encountered the world through the eyes of dysfunctional and distant Laurie.

This story did lag a little in the middle. It felt like Laurie's story was a little repetitive and directionless at this stage, but I'm glad I pushed through this to get to the heart of the story.

The dialogue in this novel is exquisite, making the whole setting and characters (particularly Laurie and Jones) feel very real. Overall, I enjoyed the novel.

[Renata Helm · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I said to the author herself... impossible not to feel a restless sense of familiarity with my own life. While reading, I think of the next thing and BAM, there she writes it! Made me feel not so alone, I would say. And got some blurry eyes time by time. <3

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect snapshot of being old-young and young-old and dealing with being sad and being a jerk and loving your friends. I love it.

[Sam Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

A New Tense is a fast-paced novel exploring grief, friendship, and the unavoidable distance created by time - between friends, between loved ones, between places and understandings of self. Set in Melbourne, it's full of recognisable landmarks. Its direct prose style makes for a book that I flew through. I'm very proud of and impressed by Jo's self-publishing chops!