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It’s about Cleo, a young English artist living in New York and struggling to make ends meet, and Frank, a middle-aged and enigmatic man with a successful advertising company. They meet by chance one New Year’s Eve, and the book narrates the highs and lows of their relationship with each other, those around them and themselves.
I think this book had some really poignant commentary on the nature of mental illness and the different ways it can manifest. It’s prose on this sometimes touched a nerve with me in ways I found to be painful. You rarely read accounts of consenting adults in relationships with a large age gap and this was quite interesting and refreshing to read about.
However, it doesn’t quite get 5* for me because it felt very superficial. I didn’t like any of the characters (and I don’t think this was done on purpose). Cleo and Zoe came across like they were supposed to be relatable but personally I felt them both to be spoiled and entitled. If this was supposed to be a commentary on the dangers of living life with too much influence on partying and substance misuse, then it did a great job. I do suspect, based on the ending, that this was partially the case.
Overall, I’m really conflicted about this. I’m giving it 4* because I did keep wanting to come back to it and the ending was satisfying. But perhaps I need to come back to this later when some of the themes aren’t so raw.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Transphobia
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Toxic friendship
Edit: after thinking more for a few months I'm bumping this down. I was in too much shock at the ending to address it at the time, but...
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Transphobia, Death of parent, Dysphoria
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Dysphoria
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Transphobia, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Transphobia, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Death of parent, Sexual harassment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Vomit