Editorial Content for What It's Like in Words
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Eliza Moss’ debut novel, WHAT IT’S LIKE IN WORDS, offers an intense and intimate portrait of a toxic relationship through the eyes of Enola, a twenty-something struggling writer. This intricate story follows Enola as she comes to terms with her family trauma, provoked by her involvement with a somewhat older man, B.
"Is the ending a cop-out, a neat resolution or a cleverly anticipated denouement? That’s for the book club discussion."
Meeting B at a London pub, Enola is drawn to his louche confidence. He is also a writer who has an agent and a book contract. They pair off right away. But just as quickly, their relationship reveals its unhealthy nature, though Enola’s best friend, Ruth, sees it long before her besotted pal does. B manipulates Enola with subtle insults and criticisms, preying on her need for approval. She’s self-aware enough to recognize this, asking at one point, “Is his voice just louder in my head than mine?”
A disastrous visit to Africa, where Enola had lived as a child, becomes one of the moments when it seems that she will escape this addiction. But eventually she is drawn back in yet again.
Moss’ narrative can be challenging. And because the obsessive nature of her protagonist’s relationship is the main story, it can feel suffocating, even as it effectively mirrors the confusion and emotional turmoil that Enola experiences. The portrayal of gaslighting is particularly striking, drawing readers into Enola's world where reality is continually questioned. We are often tempted to reach into the book to shake her into recognizing and then escaping these abusive relationship cycles. However, just as this becomes an overwhelming need, Moss presents a brilliant conclusion that keeps us involved until the very last page.
Is the ending a cop-out, a neat resolution or a cleverly anticipated denouement? That’s for the book club discussion.
Teaser
Enola is approaching 30 and feels adrift in a way she thought she would have beaten by now. She wants to be a writer but can't finish a first draft; she romanticizes her childhood but won’t speak to her mother; she has never been in a serious relationship but yearns to be one-half of a couple that DIYs together during the weekends. Enter: enigmatic writer. Enola falls in love and starts to dream about their perfect future, but the reality is far from perfect. He is distant, hangs out with his ex and has dark moods. Her best friend begs her to end it, but she can’t. Enola might feel like she’s going crazy at times, but she wants him. She needs him. She would die without him. Over the next 24 hours (and two years), everything that Enola thinks she knows is about to unravel.
Promo
Enola is approaching 30 and feels adrift in a way she thought she would have beaten by now. She wants to be a writer but can't finish a first draft; she romanticizes her childhood but won’t speak to her mother; she has never been in a serious relationship but yearns to be one-half of a couple that DIYs together during the weekends. Enter: enigmatic writer. Enola falls in love and starts to dream about their perfect future, but the reality is far from perfect. He is distant, hangs out with his ex and has dark moods. Her best friend begs her to end it, but she can’t. Enola might feel like she’s going crazy at times, but she wants him. She needs him. She would die without him. Over the next 24 hours (and two years), everything that Enola thinks she knows is about to unravel.
About the Book
Eliza Moss' intoxicating debut novel is a dark, intense and compelling account of what happens when a young woman falls in love with the wrong kind of man.
Enola is approaching 30 and everything feels like a lot. The boxes aren’t ticked, and she feels adrift in a way she thought she would have beaten by now. She wants to be a writer but can't finish a first draft; she romanticizes her childhood but won’t speak to her mother; she has never been in a serious relationship but yearns to be one half of a couple that DIYs together during the weekends.
Enter: enigmatic writer. Enola falls in love and starts to dream about their perfect future: the wedding, the publishing deals, the house in Stoke Newington. But the reality is far from perfect. He’s distant. But she’s a Cool Girl, she doesn’t need to hear from him every day. He hangs out with his ex. But she's a Cool Girl, she’s not insecure. Is she? He has dark moods. But he’s a creative, that’s part of his "process." Her best friend begs her to end it, but Enola can’t. She's a Cool Girl.
She might feel like she’s going crazy at times, but she wants him. She needs him. She would die without him...that's what love is, isn’t it? Over the next 24 hours (and two years), everything that Enola thinks she knows is about to unravel, and she has to think again about how she sees love, family and friendship and --- most importantly --- herself.
With notes of "Fleabag" and "I May Destroy You" but with the sparseness and emotional accuracy of writers like Ali Smith and Lily King, WHAT IT'S LIKE IN WORDS is a close examination of what it means to experience the intense emotional uncertainty of first love.
Audiobook available, read by Victoria Blunt
