We all love a novel about a lost twenty-something trying desperately to be a writer, but is it becoming a tired trope? Not here. Promise. Here we follow an Australian immigrant (don't call yourself an expat) living in Berlin trying to find herself. Of course an encounter with a mysterious man with a cute dog sparks inspiration and sudden dedication to her project of writing a novel. But, as Matthew becomes increasingly elusive, we begin to wonder if Kim has missed something here. She's the main character but she's lost the plot.
Bouncing between her problematic therapist, Debbie, and her best friend, Bel, for motherly support, Kim's life is spiralling and novel-writing is going down the pan. One main problem is that she is trying to birth her literary baby whilst Bel has just birthed a literal baby and so Kim is becoming sidelined in the narrative. She wants to be a good friend and a good writer but her long bullet-pointed list of neuroses are driving her to burrow her head deeper into the sand.
Told in three parts and through three train-based traumas, this is a novel you'll find hard to put down. Finkemeyer's writing is poignant and funny (I dog-eared so many pages) and I recommend this to all fans of sad girl novels. I thoroughly enjoyed living in Kim's world as I sped through this book and I look forward to whatever Finkemeyer does next.
Review by Abi.
Sad Girl Novel was published on 10/08/23 by Hodder & Stoughton.
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