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"Imagine if Patricia Highsmith had written The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and instead of heroic daydreams she gave her protagonist murderous ones—that would be Bookworm. Robin Yeatman's story is subversive, surprising, and satisfying in a way that only the best comic noir can be."—Claire Oshetsky, author of Chouette
A wickedly funny debut novel—a black comedy with a generous heart that explores the power of imagination and reading—about a woman who tries to use fiction to find her way to happiness.
Victoria is unhappily married to an ambitious and controlling lawyer consumed with his career. Burdened with overbearing in-laws, a boring dead-end job she can't seem to leave, and a best friend who doesn't seem to understand her, Victoria finds solace from the daily grind in her beloved books and the stories she makes up in her head. One day, in a favorite café, she notices an attractive man reading the same talked-about bestselling novel that she is reading. A woman yearning for her own happy ending, Victoria is sure it's fate. The handsome book lover must be her soul mate.
There's only one small problem. Victoria is already married. Frustrated, and desperate to change her life, Victoria retreats to the dark places in her mind and thinks back to all the stories she's ever read in hopes of finding a solution. She begins to fantasize about nocturnal trysts with café man, and imaginative ways (poisoned pickles were an inspired choice in Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres) of getting rid of the dread husband.
It's all just harmless fantasy born of Victoria's fevered imagination and her books—until, one night, fiction and reality blur and suddenly it seems Victoria is about to get everything she's wished for . . . .
"Imagine if Patricia Highsmith had written The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and instead of heroic daydreams she gave her protagonist murderous ones—that would be Bookworm. Robin Yeatman's story is subversive, surprising, and satisfying in a way that only the best comic noir can be."—Claire Oshetsky, author of Chouette
A wickedly funny debut novel—a black comedy with a generous heart that explores the power of imagination and reading—about a woman who tries to use fiction to find her way to happiness.
Victoria is unhappily married to an ambitious and controlling lawyer consumed with his career. Burdened with overbearing in-laws, a boring dead-end job she can't seem to leave, and a best friend who doesn't seem to understand her, Victoria finds solace from the daily grind in her beloved books and the stories she makes up in her head. One day, in a favorite café, she notices an attractive man reading the same talked-about bestselling novel that she is reading. A woman yearning for her own happy ending, Victoria is sure it's fate. The handsome book lover must be her soul mate.
There's only one small problem. Victoria is already married. Frustrated, and desperate to change her life, Victoria retreats to the dark places in her mind and thinks back to all the stories she's ever read in hopes of finding a solution. She begins to fantasize about nocturnal trysts with café man, and imaginative ways (poisoned pickles were an inspired choice in Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres) of getting rid of the dread husband.
It's all just harmless fantasy born of Victoria's fevered imagination and her books—until, one night, fiction and reality blur and suddenly it seems Victoria is about to get everything she's wished for . . . .
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
About the Author-
Robin Yeatman is a shameless bookworm born in Calgary, Alberta, and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. Educated in Canada and England, she trained as a broadcast journalist and worked in radio for roughly a decade. After a dozen years in Montreal, she now lives in Vancouver. Bookworm is her first book.
Reviews-
December 12, 2022 Yeatman debuts with an entertaining if muddled story of a woman who wishes for another life. Victoria has a dead-end job at a spa in Montreal and a controlling husband she loathes. She finds solace in reading, and as she gets increasingly lost in her books, she imagines a series of Quixotic scenarios in which she kills her husband, each method inspired by something from a novel. Victoria’s husband, though, isn’t her only problem: she bemoans a good friend and finds fault with a new love interest’s performance in bed. At first, Yeatman succeeds at bringing the reader over to Victoria’s side, rooting for Victoria to make a change. But as things progress, it’s unclear whether the narrative is meant as satire, or whether Victoria is supposed to be an antihero or a sympathetic character. There’s fun to be had, but unlike the books that transform Victoria, it’s not the stuff of literature.
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Karissa Vacker portrays Victoria, an unreliable character who copes by blurring the lines between reality and fantasy as her favorite books suggest scenarios for a happier life. While reading in a cafe, she spots an attractive man who is reading the same book she is, and she begins to imagine an affair. In this scene, Vacker becomes lively and animated. But her tone switches back to one of detachment as Victoria once again confronts reality, which continually necessitates refraining from contradicting her mother and her best friend when they remind her how great her life is. Vacker deftly delivers the pompous and judgmental attitudes of Victoria's husband, a controlling lawyer who frequently belittles her. No one to root for here. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
