Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Reviews
Four Stars
Best for:
Those who enjoy a well done love triangle that doesn’t consume the main character.
In a nutshell:
In the late 90s, writer Casey is working in a restaurant, trying to finish a novel six years in the making, and processing the recent sudden death of her mother.
Worth quoting:
“I think of all the people playing roles, getting further and further away from themselves, from what moves them, what stirs them all up inside.”
“You don’t realize how much effort you’ve put into covering things up until you try to dig them out.”
Why I chose it:
This was a gift from my partner.
How it left me feeling:
Satisfied.
Review:
What a lovely book.
Casey is in her early 30s, works at a fancy restaurant in Boston, and lives in a small room adjacent to a house. Her mother has recently died suddenly, she’s in serious student loan debt, and she’s trying to finish her first novel – one she’s been working on for six years. She’s also dealing with a recent heartbreak.
Which, of course, means that a couple of very different suitors come into her life. Both are writers, one is fairly older, a widower, and has two young children; the other is closer to her age, and teaches high school. Things move on from there.
This book spends a lot of time on her feelings for men, but not as much as one might expect from the title. The book is really about Casey and how she is handling all the things going on in her life. There is a lot of discussion and demonstration of grief over losing a parent, and the stress of trying to make it in one’s chosen profession. Not to mention, a lot of discussion of the challenges of student debt and the anxiety that creates.
As I said, this book is set before mobile phones, and that factors in – there are a lot of missed calls and messages left, which would be a bit more challenges to play out if this took place in the 2020s.
There were some parts that I wasn’t a huge fan of, but they are specific to some things going on in my personal life, as opposed to an issue with the writing or plot itself, so I don’t feel the need to speak to them in this review.
Recommend to a Friend / Keep / Donate it / Toss it:
Recommend and Donate it.
