Starfishing: A Novel

by Nicola Monaghan

London, late 1990s. Frankie Cavanagh has just started working as a trader and is determined to beat the men she works with at their own game. The dizzying rush of adrenaline that comes with the chaos, the speed, the rush of the day, is only amplified when she begins an affair with her charismatic American boss. Powered by clubs, cocktails, and cocaine, their thrill-seeking relationship quickly spirals out of control, bringing Frankie to a point of reckoning. This electrifying novel from the "awe inspiring" ( Birmingham Post,  UK) award-winning author of  The Killing Jar  lays bare the landscape of London's trading room floor--its fierce customs, furious pace, and insatiable greed. Nicola Monaghan depicts the high-stakes reality of the burgeoning global economy in the 1990s and reinvents the classic tale of ambition and power with a gritty, fearless heroine. Crackling with energy and intensity, Monaghan's powerful and seductive prose plunges readers into a whirlpool of hubris and betrayal, capturing the fragile nature of morality and confirming her reputation as an exhilarating young talent. 

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2008

About the author

Nicola Monaghan won a Betty Trask Award, the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and the Waverton Good Read for her first novel, The Killing Jar. Her latest book is The Troll: The Boy with the Sliver of Ice in his Heart and is the first in a trilogy. She also wrote The Night Lingers and other stories, Starfishing and The Okinawa Dragon and has been published widely in newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She writes for screen too and is working on her first feature. She teaches Creative Writing at De Montfort University, as well as online at Udemy.com

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1997, hard-living party girl Francesca “Frankie” Cavanagh starts working on the LIFFE exchange under the supervision of Tom. Showing a natural aptitude (and a smart attitude), she quickly progresses through the ranks, gets her jacket and engages in an affair with her married boss. Throwing herself headlong into the stress-filled financial world, whilst also enjoying everything the drug-fuelled club culture can give her, she tries to clear away her past life and the darkness that lingers there. But as the affair goes on and the lovers seek out more dangerous thrills, Frank slowly begins to lose her grip. Starting as it means to go on, this is a bracing novel that grips you even when it appears nothing is happening (such as when Frankie and her widowed father are watching TV), pushing you through a well-realised 1997/98 and the attendant financial fury and hedonistic raves. Rising to the challenge of making basically unlikeable characters palatable - the reader empathises with Frankie almost immediately - and giving enough detail of the exchange to let the reader know what’s happening without swamping them, this has a sure grip on its time and place and builds nicely, as the life Frankie has been building up is slowly taken apart. As the realisation of what the affair might mean for her, as well as news the exchange is in trouble, things take a much darker turn and the last chapter - brisk and well-paced - is almost a slap in the face. Brutal, elegant, crude and literary, this is a superbly well-written novel and I’d very much recommend it.

[Topaz · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a disappointment. I actually think even if you like trashy this book won't do it because it was a bit too much all over the place and never in the right place long enough. The characters and the plot are very shallow as meant to be, but there is a way to do that and still get through to make the connection with the reader but it didn't happen in this book. Though it's definitely well researched as far as information into the trading world at that time goes, which was why I wanted to read it but as far as connecting to the book or characters, it just didn't happen for me.

[Tessa Ramstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wtf läste jag nyss

[Andrea Jo DeWerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a strange experience. I like the writing style a lot, and the format of the book is pretty unique. Also, I read the British edition, which I think made it more interesting for me. I wouldn't have wanted to read the Americanized edition.

This reminds me of BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY, but set in the late 90s in London, and the protagonist is a young woman instead. But all the coke, sexual adventures, and random slices of life are there. It's not as philosophically deep as BLBC, but more of a "fun" read with a dark side, rather than a dark novel with the occasional glimmer of hope that BLBC is.

I recommend this book, but it's not a must-read.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sad disappointment after really enjoying Nicola Monaghan's previous book, 'The Killing Jar'. 'Starfishing' felt clunky to read, suffering for all its trader lingo - as necessary and well-researched as it was - and for the main character Frankie, who seemed deadened and unreal and was almost impossible to connect with. The ending was decent, but not good enough to rescue what had come before it. Still, I will look to read Monaghan's future work, as I think she has talent beyond what is shown in 'Starfishing'.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

.... promising at the start but paper-thin, stereotypes for characters and a plot that was resolved like a bad tv movie. Monaghan is British and her bio says that she worked in New York and Chicago. Unfortunately, her time in the US doesn't show in the work: she did a terrible job with the American vernacular and dialect. She has her main "Yank' character (an executive from Chicago) saying things like "ain't got no" and "Gawaaan."

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Everything that held me together was on the floor in front of me, shattered into the tiniest pieces. I could never pick it up and glue it back together, not if I had all the time in the world." (p224)

This was a dark and quick read that I finished in one sitting; I enjoyed the escape. I also liked the way that it ended without providing any answers.

[8lackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frankie Cavanagh crashes through the drug fueled British stock exchange, partying, having a torrid affair with her boss and only recovering in time for the morning bell. As someone else mentioned, it has the flavor of McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City. Machismo and living on the edge are the by-words of the day.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting story of Frankie Callahan who becomes a trader in the city and can’t stop partying hard and pushing the boundaries of behaviour. A fascinating insight into the wonder of drugs and a character you care about even though she doesn’t give a shit.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun...then disturbing...

[Sarah]

A mish mash of stories- psychological study? critique of the high flying world of London finance? sexual habits of 20somethings? Murder mystery? Did not fit together particularly well.

[Milena Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how Frankie is so determined!