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Exactly What You Mean
Surrounded by the dramatic beauty of Guernsey, a teenager discovers a secret and finds his betrayal has the power to ruin adult lives. In London, a marriage shot through with infidelity leads to a quest for revenge, resulting in a series of simultaneously comical and catastrophic events. And in California, as wildfires threaten landscapes and lives, a young veteran struggles with the trauma of war, seeking solace at a local ranch.
In this extraordinary debut, a cast of characters grapple with unexpected betrayal, the loss of innocence and the lies we tell. With sharp insight, Ben Hinshaw illuminates the unnerving nature of what it means to grow up, to be a teenager playing at adulthood and an adult playing games.
In this extraordinary debut, a cast of characters grapple with unexpected betrayal, the loss of innocence and the lies we tell. With sharp insight, Ben Hinshaw illuminates the unnerving nature of what it means to grow up, to be a teenager playing at adulthood and an adult playing games.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 13, 2022
Delightful structure of this book: a bit like the "Olive Ketteridge", or "Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine" or "Little Fires Everywhere" - books of a similar genre.
A series of short stories about various families, set in Guernsey islands & UK mainland, all of their lives intersect in unexpected ways. It is elegantly written, and there is a reason for every sentence in there, so you have to piece together the narrative from the clues dropped here and there. The perspectives are of young men and women in their teens in the late '90s.
Roger & Lucy, with their two young rambunctious boys Ned and Tom, live in Guernsey. Next door is teenaged Flora, who is quite sexually active and prolific and seduces Roger. Later she will move to London's Chelsea where she joins a PR agency for a year and then marries Jonathan, who is 7 years elder to her, and has 3 children: Charlie, Annabel & Sally. This marriage, shot through with infidelity, finally ends up in a quest for revenge.
Melissa and Nicole, two sisters who grew up in Guernsey, in a sheltered upbringing, had their own share of childhood traumas. For one thing, Mr. Platt, the trampoline instructor seems to have damaged Melissa indelibly which shows up later in life in the choices they make. Melissa, who seems to almost bring it on herself- first pursuing her boss, the (married) Jonathan and later Vincent Zeldin, an anonymous French orthodontist she meets on holiday (& partaking of the generosity of his wife Claudine as she brings up her blind son Jean and the baby girl too). Nicole too, honeymooning here with Suve but still atrocious in the way she responds to Bill Pointer when the 70+ year old author makes a pass at her. Best is how the author skilfully shows, not tells.
Ned and Tom, each have their own share of childhood traumas that come back to haunt them in adult life. Ultimately Tom marries the young American, Maggie in San Francisco but not before he is utterly traumatized and wrecks his career too, just because of his love for childhood friend Becca who had cheated on him with her earlier boyfriend Christian. Tom too, pretended to have had an affair with Becca's friend Lindsay, just for his own pride. This set of stories seems to show how first love is first love- all else that comes later, pales in significance.
The personalities of the characters are finely observed and related - so they are memorable, even in a short story collection such as this one. Ned's adolescent love for Penny is beautifully described. He is from the "merit" section whereas she is from a high-end, upper class family where they all take holidays in exotic locations. At the wedding of Alexis de Lisle with Nifty Newton -this story of the young adolescent's world view comes out quite sharply, when Tristan explains how casually Penny flung her sexual favours at him in the holiday in Biarritz. When Penny dies unexpectedly in Kenya, Ned never gets over it- which shows up in how he treats Nicola when she was stung by a jellyfish.
Lucy's perspective, as the mother to the two boys Ned and Tom, and then later remarried from Roger to a chiropractor named Terry- also comes out quite well in the next set of stories. Her love for Tom, and her hatred of her first husband Roger, is well founded, and depicted seamlessly.
Finally, an unmissable story is the one of Gloria - the waitress at the Golden Peak Casino in California- and her love of her son, Sean, who has returned from the war front quite battered in mind and spirit.
A series of short stories about various families, set in Guernsey islands & UK mainland, all of their lives intersect in unexpected ways. It is elegantly written, and there is a reason for every sentence in there, so you have to piece together the narrative from the clues dropped here and there. The perspectives are of young men and women in their teens in the late '90s.
Roger & Lucy, with their two young rambunctious boys Ned and Tom, live in Guernsey. Next door is teenaged Flora, who is quite sexually active and prolific and seduces Roger. Later she will move to London's Chelsea where she joins a PR agency for a year and then marries Jonathan, who is 7 years elder to her, and has 3 children: Charlie, Annabel & Sally. This marriage, shot through with infidelity, finally ends up in a quest for revenge.
Melissa and Nicole, two sisters who grew up in Guernsey, in a sheltered upbringing, had their own share of childhood traumas. For one thing, Mr. Platt, the trampoline instructor seems to have damaged Melissa indelibly which shows up later in life in the choices they make. Melissa, who seems to almost bring it on herself- first pursuing her boss, the (married) Jonathan and later Vincent Zeldin, an anonymous French orthodontist she meets on holiday (& partaking of the generosity of his wife Claudine as she brings up her blind son Jean and the baby girl too). Nicole too, honeymooning here with Suve but still atrocious in the way she responds to Bill Pointer when the 70+ year old author makes a pass at her. Best is how the author skilfully shows, not tells.
Ned and Tom, each have their own share of childhood traumas that come back to haunt them in adult life. Ultimately Tom marries the young American, Maggie in San Francisco but not before he is utterly traumatized and wrecks his career too, just because of his love for childhood friend Becca who had cheated on him with her earlier boyfriend Christian. Tom too, pretended to have had an affair with Becca's friend Lindsay, just for his own pride. This set of stories seems to show how first love is first love- all else that comes later, pales in significance.
The personalities of the characters are finely observed and related - so they are memorable, even in a short story collection such as this one. Ned's adolescent love for Penny is beautifully described. He is from the "merit" section whereas she is from a high-end, upper class family where they all take holidays in exotic locations. At the wedding of Alexis de Lisle with Nifty Newton -this story of the young adolescent's world view comes out quite sharply, when Tristan explains how casually Penny flung her sexual favours at him in the holiday in Biarritz. When Penny dies unexpectedly in Kenya, Ned never gets over it- which shows up in how he treats Nicola when she was stung by a jellyfish.
Lucy's perspective, as the mother to the two boys Ned and Tom, and then later remarried from Roger to a chiropractor named Terry- also comes out quite well in the next set of stories. Her love for Tom, and her hatred of her first husband Roger, is well founded, and depicted seamlessly.
Finally, an unmissable story is the one of Gloria - the waitress at the Golden Peak Casino in California- and her love of her son, Sean, who has returned from the war front quite battered in mind and spirit.
May 1, 2022
If I could I would rate this book 3.5 stars - 3 definitely seems too low but I don't know if I can move it up to 4.
It's a quick read and has so many twists and turns that it keeps you hooked, but I do feel like it's a book that needs to be read in one sitting because it requires you to remember so much. The timeline isn't linear, sometimes the narrative is so vague you don't realise something has actually happened and each chapter follows a different character so it's quite difficult to remember what has already happened and to re-situate yourself with every new chapter.
Having said that, it was a really interesting read and I loved the way all these separate characters came together. I was definitely interested to see how each story ended, although the end of the book as a whole wasn't the most interesting.
It's a quick read and has so many twists and turns that it keeps you hooked, but I do feel like it's a book that needs to be read in one sitting because it requires you to remember so much. The timeline isn't linear, sometimes the narrative is so vague you don't realise something has actually happened and each chapter follows a different character so it's quite difficult to remember what has already happened and to re-situate yourself with every new chapter.
Having said that, it was a really interesting read and I loved the way all these separate characters came together. I was definitely interested to see how each story ended, although the end of the book as a whole wasn't the most interesting.
March 19, 2022
A stunning debut that gets at least 4 stars from me immediately. It could grow to 5 and I’ll tell you why. This is a series of short stories that are all linked (with a common setting or relationship to Guernsey). These interlinked stories explore life and all it’s messiness, the loss, the lies and the lessons.
I enjoyed that the stories could easily be read as stand alone tales but Hinshaw gives us an added ooomph by the linking of them to one another. Some stories I delighted in more than others but overall, I really felt captivated my this novel. I especially loved that we are given characters at all different stages of life.
It is a book I think I’ll need to reread, potentially a few times. I found myself unsure of the links at times and skipping back through to figure it out. If I reread then I’d tab for new characters to make it easier. Also, Hinshaw pulled me in so brilliantly with his cleverly sharp writing but at times I found myself so immersed that I probably missed hidden meanings and observations. It’s a novel I’d like to go back and study, if that makes sense?
A really impressive debut and I can’t wait to delve into more of Hinshaw’s writing in the future.
Thanks to the publisher for my ARC!
I enjoyed that the stories could easily be read as stand alone tales but Hinshaw gives us an added ooomph by the linking of them to one another. Some stories I delighted in more than others but overall, I really felt captivated my this novel. I especially loved that we are given characters at all different stages of life.
It is a book I think I’ll need to reread, potentially a few times. I found myself unsure of the links at times and skipping back through to figure it out. If I reread then I’d tab for new characters to make it easier. Also, Hinshaw pulled me in so brilliantly with his cleverly sharp writing but at times I found myself so immersed that I probably missed hidden meanings and observations. It’s a novel I’d like to go back and study, if that makes sense?
A really impressive debut and I can’t wait to delve into more of Hinshaw’s writing in the future.
Thanks to the publisher for my ARC!
October 25, 2022
I loved this at the beginning with the intertwined stories but it lost its way and it didn't come together, for me, at the end. Shame.
February 28, 2023
I was drawn to this collection after reading the final story, 'Antediluvian' in the 2021 O. Henry Prize Stories. There are clever links between the stories through characters and time periods, and each narrative is engaging and believable. My two favourite stories ('You Must, You Will' & 'Fear the Greeks') had a surprising twist at the end.
June 11, 2022
I enjoyed the writing style but found the number of characters and the wide ranging time scale hard to deal with. It’s isn’t a series of short stories but can understand why other readers have thought so.
January 20, 2023
This is one of the most engaging collections of short stories that I have ever read. Part of that is down to the loose thread that connects each of the characters, giving you an unexpected alternate insight into what might have been a fleeting moment in another character's story. Each character has a really rounded quality, finding themselves at a significant moment in their life and pushed to lengths that they could not have anticipated. I loved the introspective quality to the narratives and felt each story had real value without the connection between them which really did add another layer to the whole collection.
July 27, 2022
I really didnt enjoy this book.
It started well but became very disjointed with the story and characters jumping to different times and places. Lots of random people popped up and others made several cameo appearances or were referred to.
The small events that make up the book seemed fairly unrelated and inconsequential and not really engaging enough to keep me interested.
Perhaps I completely missed the point as others seem to enjoy it far more than I did!
It started well but became very disjointed with the story and characters jumping to different times and places. Lots of random people popped up and others made several cameo appearances or were referred to.
The small events that make up the book seemed fairly unrelated and inconsequential and not really engaging enough to keep me interested.
Perhaps I completely missed the point as others seem to enjoy it far more than I did!
August 23, 2023
Has more than a little in common with my beloved Goon Squad, with Hinshaw deploying my favourite narrative technique for adding depth to characters: having them show up in passing in other people's stories, at different stages in their lives. This novel* (firmly asterisked) is much breezier and much more British than Egan's opus, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it – I'd probably give it something like 3.8/5 if I could, but would still happily recommend as a short, affecting read.
June 29, 2025
Would have given this three stars but the end of the book was so underwhelming it made the whole book feel like a waste of time
April 2, 2023
Read this in a day because I couldn’t put it down. Such a clever concept, and very moving.
April 10, 2022
10.04.2022
A real breath of life kind of book. Exactly What You Mean contains 11 chapters, each acting as a short story and showing an insight into the life of someone connected to the island of Guernsey. Each chapter weaves together beautifully and links the characters together, despite all being completely separate stories. The only critique I have is that the writing was so vivid and gorgeous that I think I missed quite a few of the links to other chapters, since I was so distracted by the picture being painted at that time. But still, stunning, and a lovely glimpse into the characters’ lives! They all felt so real!
A real breath of life kind of book. Exactly What You Mean contains 11 chapters, each acting as a short story and showing an insight into the life of someone connected to the island of Guernsey. Each chapter weaves together beautifully and links the characters together, despite all being completely separate stories. The only critique I have is that the writing was so vivid and gorgeous that I think I missed quite a few of the links to other chapters, since I was so distracted by the picture being painted at that time. But still, stunning, and a lovely glimpse into the characters’ lives! They all felt so real!
March 25, 2022
Saw this get a rave review in the Sunday Times, and now I know why. Brilliantly, beautifully done. Great variety of characters and settings. Each chapter is like a story in itself, but the way they all connect up with one another is really powerful.
February 22, 2022
3.5
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC!
"Exactly what you mean" is Hinshaw's debut novel, and a very interesting one indeed.
At first, it may seem like a collection of short stories more than a novel, but the more you read, the more you detect how all these characters' stories come together and link through time, places and emotional common ground.
Hinshaw's writing is clear, precise and flows very well; it is placid and controlled, which contrasts and highlights very well the sense of loss and uncertainty the characters experience.
I especially appreciated the setting of these chapters/stories, particularly the island of Guernsey with its narrow society and broad view of the ocean, the perfect backdrop to the stories of the characters, torn between personal identity and social conventions.
I really enjoyed this read, even though at times it felt like some of the stories were too detached from the whole of the book, and in some instances it was a bit hard to keep track of how these characters were linked to each other and identify the point in time each story was set in and how they fit together as a whole.
All in all, "Exactly what you mean" is a solid and intelligent debut, with interesting themes and style elements that I'm sure the author will develop even further in the future.
I will definitely be happy to read more by him.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC!
"Exactly what you mean" is Hinshaw's debut novel, and a very interesting one indeed.
At first, it may seem like a collection of short stories more than a novel, but the more you read, the more you detect how all these characters' stories come together and link through time, places and emotional common ground.
Hinshaw's writing is clear, precise and flows very well; it is placid and controlled, which contrasts and highlights very well the sense of loss and uncertainty the characters experience.
I especially appreciated the setting of these chapters/stories, particularly the island of Guernsey with its narrow society and broad view of the ocean, the perfect backdrop to the stories of the characters, torn between personal identity and social conventions.
I really enjoyed this read, even though at times it felt like some of the stories were too detached from the whole of the book, and in some instances it was a bit hard to keep track of how these characters were linked to each other and identify the point in time each story was set in and how they fit together as a whole.
All in all, "Exactly what you mean" is a solid and intelligent debut, with interesting themes and style elements that I'm sure the author will develop even further in the future.
I will definitely be happy to read more by him.
April 24, 2022
Set predominantly in the Channel Island of Guernsey, this collection of short stories attracted me due to each story following the lives of several characters and their friends and relatives across the world. Whilst the stories are well written, ultimately I found no real attachment to any of the characters and as is so often with short stories, I found that they were more about the developing the characters than actually leading up to a satisfying conclusion in most cases.
September 22, 2022
Not what I expected. I didn't get many of the links and when I did they seemed to be mostly gratuitous to make this a novel rather than a collection of short stories.
Nicely written though, very visual and almost sensory
Nicely written though, very visual and almost sensory
October 19, 2025
Disappointed as I had higher hopes for this book after the first POV. I think that Hinshaw is clearly a gifted writer and I am not surprised that his short stories have seen success. His writing is fluid, humorous, and makes a good effort to capture the human condition. However, I started to lose my way with this book when I realised that that there were SO many POVs, all of which are loosely connected to one another, and none of them we ever revisit. I found it difficult to really care what happened to any of the characters, which ultimately resulted in me just waiting for the book to end? Most of the characters and storylines I have forgotten, although some I did enjoy and think work well as standalone narratives - particularly the first and penultimate stories. I found the links to be somewhat forced and unnecessary, almost as if Hinshaw decided in hindsight that he wanted to write a novel over a collection of stories. I didn’t find that they were particularly connected by any overarching theme, except maybe a vague notion of humanity, which, for me, does not justify publishing as one story and I struggled to see the point in this work. I also found some scenes to be a little obviously written by a man, not sure how to describe it, but the women felt a little one dimensional in places and overly romanticised. But maybe that’s just my women author bias showing 😳
April 9, 2022
Not what I expected at all (it's not really a novel) but enjoyed it all the same. Essentially a series of sometimes very tenuously connected short stories, the book still manages to read very well as a whole. The connections are often fun and once you realise/accept that there isn't going to be an overarching storyline, the book becomes much more enjoyable as a result. Most importantly, I would say that almost every story is well worth reading on it's own merits and this may well be a rare example of the sum of it's parts being greater than the whole.
June 1, 2022
Engaging book, but needs something in the blurb to guide one on its approach. Initially, I thought it is a novel. Then it seemed like a series of unconnected short stories. Then connections between the stories began to emerge. This should be signalled in the blurb or by a contents list? The style is engaging, but I will have to read it again sometime to get the full impact.
June 30, 2022
The idea behind this book is quite interesting. Each chapter is a story that links to the other chapters in some way. I enjoyed it at the start but soon got fed up with the rather unpleasant characters and depressing story lines. I think that it is a pity that the stories didn't show a more positive view of life and human nature as well as the darker side.
January 12, 2025
How could this not be regarded as one of the greatest books of recent years? It’ astonishing. The stories literally floored me. I first read the short story Antediluvian (great title) in the 2021 best short stories collection and it was standout for me so I bought the novel. Reading it at the end again felt like the perfect conclusion. Such impact in such a short space. Read it.
June 9, 2025
I enjoyed the first story but the second threw me off course as I wanted to hear more about story 1.
I was left wanting all the ends tied up after each story and that didn’t happen.
Some characters featured in later stories but I was disappointed in the writing style and just wanted to reach a conclusion.
I was left wanting all the ends tied up after each story and that didn’t happen.
Some characters featured in later stories but I was disappointed in the writing style and just wanted to reach a conclusion.
July 7, 2023
Each chapter is a short story but the lives of the characters are linked in surprising ways in this shapeless narrative that is never less than absorbing. Beautifully written but I felt it needed one more chapter to round it all off
December 4, 2023
I loved this book; the way you can dip in and out of these stories and then after you've read a few of them, realising that they are all connected in some way through fleeting glances, life experiences, memories and shared histories.
January 12, 2025
Some lovely short stories cleverly interwoven - though the weaves are a little hard to follow. Very readable and nicely written, and impressive character development and portrayal in short spaces, I really enjoyed it!
February 13, 2023
Really unique collection of short stories.
March 29, 2023
Vignettes of nostalgia
April 7, 2023
I do love a book of interconnecting short stories, little snippets of lives, moments of references back to a previous character or story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews