Pretending by Holly Bourne
Trigger warning: sexual assault and rape.
April hates men. Well, all right, she doesn’t hate men. But she does hate the way they make her feel, especially her abusive ex-partner. Pretending is essentially April’s personal journey to being able to deal with her past trauma. The sexual assault had a profound effect on her; it affects her relationships, how she copes with work, and how she thinks about herself. Going on dates with men who treat her badly is absolutely not helping, so she’s had enough. April decides to date and portray herself as Gretel – a woman who’s carefree, exciting, independent, and spontaneous – a woman that men will adore, when she meets Joshua. But what happens when Joshua starts to fall for Gretel?
“If men could love women the way women love each other, everything would be terribly easier.”
Pretending is a brilliant book (and I’m finding myself wanting to re-read it already!). As I was reading, I began highlighting paragraphs that resonated with me as a single 31-year-old female. Pretending has so many relatable, emotional, and funny moments mixed throughout the book.
A particular scene I found super powerful was when April attends a boxercise class with victims of sexual assault. It’s something I can imagine helping people for real. It was also really interesting to read about someone who works for a sexual health charity, which April finds particularly difficult, almost without noticing, because she has to deal with emails from women who too have experienced sexual assault. The whole book has little moments that I thought were great, and the side characters – her friends, colleagues and her housemate – are heavily involved in April’s life and are stand-out people too.
Pretending is probably my favourite book written by Holly Bourne so far!
Here is the Beehive by Sarah Crossan
I was super excited to read Sarah Crossan’s first novel for adults. I’m a fan of her young adult books, also written in verse – check out One in particular! It amazes me how Sarah Crossan can write so beautifully and conscientiously about a whole host of different characters with different experiences. None of her novels are alike, but all are fabulous.
Here is the Beehive is about Ana, who, at the very start of the book, is told that her partner of three years, Connor, has tragically died. But Ana has to deal with his death, and her grief, alone. No one knows about Ana and Connor’s relationship – they been having an affair for the past three years.
How can we lose someone the world never knew was ours? How do we grieve for something no one else can ever find out?
It’s difficult not to feel empathy towards Ana. The story explores the psychological toll that Conor’s death, and the secrecy, takes on Ana. It’s this toll that makes her welcome someone into her life that she has no right to get to know… Connor’s wife, Rebecca.
Here is the Beehive takes a subject like cheating and makes you feel compassionate. It isn’t a subject I’d usually be interested in reading about, but it’s beautifully tackled and broken down. I can’t wait to see what Sarah Crossan writes next.
It’s About Bloody Time. Period. by Emma Barnett
How much do you know about periods? Emma Barnett’s books explores the facts about periods, the cultural and political attitude towards menstruation and women’s health in general, and what needs to be done to make it better for women.
It’s About Bloody Time is an agenda-setting manifesto to remove the stigma and myths continuing to surround the female body. Bold and unapologetic, Emma Barnett is on a crusade to ignite conversation among women – and men – everywhere.
I read this book in a bid to start reading more non-fiction – and so I began spouting facts (… and sometimes getting them wrong!) to anyone who would listen. Emma Barnett’s chatty, informal tone lends itself well to people who don’t usually pick up non-fiction. Periods are a taboo topic – mainly when concerning men, who quite frankly need to know about it – and are something that is seen as “unclean” and “icky”. It really shouldn’t be. It was particularly interesting to read about endometriosis, something that Emma and thousands of other women suffer from. It is an extremely a painful disease that can affect everything from your day-to-day life to fertility, and yet can take years to diagnose because it isn’t taken seriously. It’s About Bloody Time is a book I began pushing into the hands of everyone, regardless of their gender or age.
Check out Emma Barnett’s fantastic article in the Guardian here.
#gifted: All three books were obtained for free in exchange for an honest review.
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