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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Alexandra Tanner’s debut novel, Worry, is a captivating plunge into the chaotic, anxiety riddled lives of two sisters, Jules and Poppy Gold, set in 2019 Brooklyn. The audiobook narration by Helen Laser elevates the experience, her voice perfectly embodying the sharp, deadpan wit and emotional undercurrents of Tanner’s characters. The story unfolds in a delightfully unstructured way much like life itself where seemingly random days weave together, building toward a stark realization that echoes the nihilistic dread some readers may recognize: does anything truly matter?
Tanner’s writing is bold, unique, and unapologetic, blending dark humor with relatable moments of millennial malaise. I found myself laughing at the absurdity of the sisters’ predicaments while nodding in recognition at their struggles particularly the push and pull of their codependent yet fractious bond. The novel’s setting, mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic, adds a layer of eerie prescience. In hindsight, the characters’ worries over jobs, relationships, and a three-legged rescue dog feel trivial against the looming, unspoken upheaval to come, prompting a deeper question: what do we really fret about when “impending doom” might be just around the corner?
Worry excels at capturing the messiness of life and the quiet resilience of sisterhood, even amid constant conflict. The abrupt, chaotic ending mirrors the book’s refusal to tidy up life’s loose ends, which left me a bit unsettled and reflective by design I imagine. Tanner’s fearless approach makes this a standout debut, a darkly funny meditation on anxiety and connection that lingers long after the final page.
Tanner’s writing is bold, unique, and unapologetic, blending dark humor with relatable moments of millennial malaise. I found myself laughing at the absurdity of the sisters’ predicaments while nodding in recognition at their struggles particularly the push and pull of their codependent yet fractious bond. The novel’s setting, mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic, adds a layer of eerie prescience. In hindsight, the characters’ worries over jobs, relationships, and a three-legged rescue dog feel trivial against the looming, unspoken upheaval to come, prompting a deeper question: what do we really fret about when “impending doom” might be just around the corner?
Worry excels at capturing the messiness of life and the quiet resilience of sisterhood, even amid constant conflict. The abrupt, chaotic ending mirrors the book’s refusal to tidy up life’s loose ends, which left me a bit unsettled and reflective by design I imagine. Tanner’s fearless approach makes this a standout debut, a darkly funny meditation on anxiety and connection that lingers long after the final page.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holy shit…. This was laugh out loud funny.
I am a little tired of hectic girl fiction / weird girl fiction relaying on a lot of animal abuse though? Leave the dogs alone 😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Suicide, Suicide attempt
What was the point? Where was this going? Couldn’t stomach watching these assholes bicker for one more page.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
thank you scribner and netgalley for the digital copy!!
she cooked
unrelated, but would a pear tattoo kinda go hard?
worry is an exploration of anxiety, sisterhood, twenties malaise. i've seen it described as seinfeld-ian, which is apt in the sense that seinfeld is a show about nothing and this is a book about nothing. but also, there is so much to dig into within the nothing. the human relationships on display, the family dynamics working against the characters, and the deep-seated unease that is simply a consequence of existing in your twenties are all handled expertly.
i saw so much of myself in jules and poppy. the way alexandra tanner writes sisterhood is almost too real. the relationship i had with my sister ten years ago when we shared a bedroom is vastly different from the one we have today (thank god), but i can imagine that if we lived together again we would devolve to the same bad behavior we had as children. the bickering, the hair pulling, the clothes stealing, the meanest comments you've ever said to another human being...all a part of the sister game lmao
i found this book compulsively readable. it was quick and sharp, making me laugh and cutting me to my core when i least expected it. this book made me examine my relationship with my siblings, my parents, and my phone, which is kind of a lot lol but worth it!!
she cooked
unrelated, but would a pear tattoo kinda go hard?
worry is an exploration of anxiety, sisterhood, twenties malaise. i've seen it described as seinfeld-ian, which is apt in the sense that seinfeld is a show about nothing and this is a book about nothing. but also, there is so much to dig into within the nothing. the human relationships on display, the family dynamics working against the characters, and the deep-seated unease that is simply a consequence of existing in your twenties are all handled expertly.
i saw so much of myself in jules and poppy. the way alexandra tanner writes sisterhood is almost too real. the relationship i had with my sister ten years ago when we shared a bedroom is vastly different from the one we have today (thank god), but i can imagine that if we lived together again we would devolve to the same bad behavior we had as children. the bickering, the hair pulling, the clothes stealing, the meanest comments you've ever said to another human being...all a part of the sister game lmao
i found this book compulsively readable. it was quick and sharp, making me laugh and cutting me to my core when i least expected it. this book made me examine my relationship with my siblings, my parents, and my phone, which is kind of a lot lol but worth it!!
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes