There is a lot to like about this book and I am a bit torn between a 3 and 4 star rating. In the end I have settled on 3 stars as I feel it could have been a bit more concise, the middle part of the book felt like a bit of a slog whereas the first and third parts were very good.

The book tells the tale of a successful author who is suffering from writers block following the huge success of her first book. As the story unfolds we learn that Mallory is also in an abusive and controlling marriage and her mental wellbeing is being manipulated by her husband. In order to unblock herself she chances upon a young man who is an addict and who is selling himself to fund his addiction. This encounter awakens something in Mallory and she begins to write once more, based on her interactions and observations of her new muse, Leo.

Inevitably, there are bumps in the road and the story flip flops between the perspectives of Mallory and Leo, both of whom ware trapped in lives they want to escape from. It’s quite a meta experience, reading a book about a lady writing a book about a man who doesn’t know he is in the book. And this leads to some nice juicy twists and turns.

As I said at the beginning, the middle of the book was a bit of a slog, but it was worth getting to the end. I enjoyed the characters, even if Mallory was quite frustrating at times, not only in her behaviour but in identification and explanation of lamps or items of clothing. It got a bit monotonous. Perhaps this was a way to convey her fractured mental state but it was a bit overdone for my taste.

I would recommend this book but be prepared to knuckle down and grit your teeth at times. A bit like poor Leo is forced to 🫢

Fruit Fly