Thoughtless

by Lucie Britsch

All her life, Susan's loved ones have been hiding a terrible secret from her: If she thinks too hard, her head will explode.

Luckily, her devoted boyfriend, anxious parents and fierce best friend are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Susan safe in ignorant, thoughtless bliss. And until now, Susan has lived happily in a bubble of TV and takeaways, social media and small talk; anything to distract her from the spiralling thoughts that so often haunt the rest of us - thoughts that would be deadly for her.

But what happens when reality creeps in and Susan's perfectly curated world starts to crumble? Can we distract ourselves from the real world forever... and should we?

Genres: Fiction

340 pages, Hardcover

First published August 17, 2023

Reviews

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Ellen at Orion Books for sending me an early copy of Thoughtless by Lucie Britsch in exchange for an honest review. 


Thoughtless follows the parents and boyfriend of Susan, a woman that suffers from a family curse: if she thinks too much her head will explode. In order to keep her alive, they have been lying to Susan all her life, keeping her busy consuming media so that she doesn't think. But what happens when things start to unravel? They can't stop her thinking forever. 


This book reminds me of one of the things I was told when I did my media degree. All the media we consume is there to stop us from rebelling and questioning the status quo. There are passages that focus on how we consume television programmes, literature, films and music to stop us from thinking. I could see myself in the dual narratives of Rebecca, Susan's mother, and David, Susan's boyfriend, as I am a chronic overthinker and worrier.


Susan is silenced for the majority of the novel and she seems to constantly be in the here and now, the ideal space that people with anxiety and depression long to be in. This is perhaps why we don't hear from her point of view until later in the novel. Susan's curse also seems to be a metaphor for how the world views overthinking and anxiety. Don't think too much as it is bad for your health. 


As a novel, not much happens and I have marked it down for that, but as a critique of society's obsession with trying to stop us from thinking, it is quite clever. 

[Sharon Bartlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a weird book🤔 I nearly gave up on ot a few times, and now I've finished it I'm still not sure it was worth it😀

[Sim ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOL you gotta go into this knowing it’s completely silly and come out of it knowing you were right, but that there were still, surprisingly, moments of profoundness

[Poppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really excited to read this and maybe my hopes were too high because I love Sad Janet so much. I did enjoy it but it didn't blow me away. Though there are some sentences which feel like they came straight from my head! it's a 3.5. I will reread at some point.

[Shana Keel · Rating 5 out of 5]

People rating this book under 4 stars are not grasping the overall messages in this book. Susan has been coddled her entire life, without the knowledge that she's not "normal". She doesn't have a lick of anxiety, because she lives in the moment, enjoys the small things and finds joy in simplicity. When she finds out she's been deceived, by the ones she trusted and loved, she has to think for the first time. She finds that people all over the world try their hardest to NOT think, to not have anxiety and stress over things we cannot control. She finds that absurd and calming that people strive to be in a state she is in most of the time.
The human experience is complex. There are wars, famine, suffering and hardships but there is also joy, happiness, pleasure and satisfaction in things we do, and experience.
I loved this story, and while thinking, being innovative and creating is part of our lives as well, we should also strive to be a bit more like Susan.
Browse more, walk more, take in the world around us more. Not the deep complexities and theories but nature's beauty and the beauty of just being alive.

[Ashlee Withers · Rating 3 out of 5]

An intriguing, inventive way to explore the topic of the impact of overthinking. I felt like the plot was a bit repetitive in the middle but by the end it came to a good conclusion which brought it all together. Good chance for the reader to reflect on their own thinking patterns and how it may be impacting their life.