Daphne Merkin's 22 Minutes of Unconditional Love has received a lot of flack since it was published in July 2020. This trim novel details a young woman's sexual, and quite frankly, abusive, relationship with an older man, who seems only interested in that one thing ... if you're a woman, you know what that one thing is because women everywhere are constantly told to look out for men like Merkin's Howard Rose. Yes, avoid the sex maniacs. While some parts of this novel work, others flat out don't, making it a mixed bag for interested readers.

22 Minutes of Unconditional Love gives off English lit short story vibes of the erotic kind, detailing the life and inner musings of a Jewish book editor in NYC. Judith is relatable on many levels to women in the 20s-30s age range, and I felt like she was describing my inner heart and mind at some points in this novel. On the other hand, her relationship with the aforementioned Howard Rose is completely flat and unbelievable. Howard's character never truly comes to life, and rather comes off as a caricature of the man he is supposed to portray.

There was nothing compelling about the purported connection between Judith and Howard, which was disappointing as this was supposed to be a novel about an obsessive relationship. There were no all-consuming and life-shattering vibes between them, no matter how hard Merkin tried to convince us otherwise. Speaking of which, Merkin breaks the 4th wall repeatedly in the novel, reminding readers that they are, in fact, reading a book. A book that she wrote and wants to give you her opinion on. I found these "digressions" to be an attempt at appearing clever, but in reality, they were just an annoyance and a distraction from the story at hand.

22 Minutes of Unconditional Love is a unique story that has some merit, but it is not for everyone. In fact, most readers will not be able to look past the book's unconventional writing style and infrequent overblown language. If you are feeling adventurous, give this one a try, but if you're on the fence, the safe bet is to just pass.

Disappointing. I’ve enjoyed Merkin’s writing in the past, but in this instance it’s both derivative and claustrophobically solipsistic. There’s the familiar tale of sexual obsession and self abasement, and then there’s the meta layer of authorial address to the reader which largely adds another level of suffocating self- absorption. Given the subject matter and the author, I had hoped for better.

Synopsis:

Convinced she’s found the one, Judith Stone succumbs to the push and pull of her sexual entanglement with Howard Rose, constantly seeking his attention and approval. That is, until she realizes that beneath his erotic obsession with her, Howard is intent on obliterating any sense of self she possesses. As Merkin writes, his was “the allure of remoteness,
affection edged in ice.” Escaping Howard’s grasp—and her own perverse enjoyment of being under his control—will test the limits of Judith’s capacity to resist the siren call of submission.

Narrated by Judith in a time before the #MeToo movement, 22 Minutes of Unconditional Love charts the persistent hold the past has on us and the way it shapes our present.

Review:

Ugh. Yeah. This whole book just didn’t set well with me. I’m sure in an alternate universe there would be a version of me that enjoyed this book but I just didn’t.

Probably the most major thing is that its a story of fiction but is narrated by the author and switches between first person and third person narrative. Just try and process that. The “digressions” of the author in between “judith’s” story were what ticked me off the most. The story has already been strung out and you are left longing for more information – and not in a good way- and then you have to read an entire chapter of the authors pointless ramblings before you get back to Judith’s story. It is FRUSTRATING to say the least.

This book had me wanting to skip pages and get it over with. Honestly, I just wouldn’t want any of my friends to waste their time with this so I do not recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

1/5 stars

I'm always so intrigued by the concept of obsessive love, as I find it's not something discussed in fiction very often (especially from the female perspective), so I was very excited to try this novel by Daphne Merkin. Unfortunately, it fell very short and I don't think 22 MINUTES OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE will be a memorable read for me at all. The structure was interesting, as it was the narrator Judith recalling her past affair with Howard Rose (the one she is obsessed with) 20 years later, but also speaking directly to the reader and asking us why we picked up this novel, who we are as people, and other direct inquiries to us that I've never come across in a book before.

However, the interesting structure did not make up for the love affair at the center of the story that just falls completely flat. I wanted the character of Howard to be much more interesting and worthy of Judith's obsession. Instead, he is just mean and his only redeeming quality seemingly is that he is good in bed. This allows for a lot of light erotica, but I wanted instead to know more about Judith's emotional journey about being obsessed. There isn't even really a great climax (sorry) at the end. If this is indeed a pseudo-memoir as the character Judith hints, I just think it could have allowed for so much more innovation and depth.

This title grabbed my attention originally -that cover is so pretty!

I personally just didn't think it was for me. It was almost too much, and I had to go back to read the synopsis to see what I was thinking when I requested it - a little too much sexual reading for me, and I'm not a stick in the mud, and don't mind sexual scenes in my books, but it just wasn't the book for me.

I really tried but this book was a major downer. It was too repetitive and lacked excitement and emotion. I don't like how the story switches to 3rd person narrative. It was distracting and irritating. It should've stayed in first person narrative. It would made the novel feel more personal and raw. This is basically a contemporary version of "50 Shades of Grey". The sex scenes were laughable and poorly written. Howard was so robotic. I hated every minute of him. I felt like the synopsis was misleading. Judith's fractured relationship with her mother was the only interesting part of the novel. A major disappointment.

Thank you, Netgalley and FSG for the digital ARC.

Release date: July 7, 2020

I think that because I'm currently reading another book with a weird romantic element - this one didn't stick with me. It was too obsessive, too erratic, too light erotica but not erotic enough?

Judith was weak. Howard was the worst. I don't know....I just didn't feel like this made any sort of impact.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

I honestly don't know how to describe this. Judith, now married and pregnant, writes a novel about a character named Judith's affair with Howard, an older man. The character and Howard have a lot of sex but are not happy partners. There's also a sort of digressive break-the-wall sort of thing going on. I wasn't a fan of either Judith and Howard, well Howard is not so great either. That said, I suspect Merkin fans might enjoy this more than I did. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. For fans of literary fiction.

Ok, so we have Judith is a complex character, that needs to feel loved. But her need is so large that it often blinds her and she makes a mistake believing that man's love can make her feel more secure and self confident. She meets Howard, charismatic lawyer that seems to be interested in her but soon we realize that control is what he loves, not Judith. He instructs her to wear specific outfits, for example, but slowly we can see all the ways he's taking control of her, her body and sexuality, how he lures her into his world, brings out her submissiveness turns and uses it his own needs. Judith, on the other hand, so blindly seeks affection, so she's letting herself believing Howard’s version of love is what she really needs. Soon enough, she'll find herself in a obsessive and toxic relationship without apparent way out.

This book made feel a lot of things. I liked the premise of it but I'm not really sure about its realization. In fact, I'm not sure I understand what the author was trying to accomplish. It really felt like she wanted to write a serious study about obsessive relationships and its consequences but I feel like her characterization stopped too soon and Judith got stuck. The dialogues often had no real point, they slowed the tempo of the narration and quite often brought me to verge of dnf-ing the story.

I get that we as readers should sometimes read beyond of what the characters are saying but to me it felt like this book is making me do that on every page. Sometimes, there was too many details where the situation was clear and there was no need to explain it more and there was many scenes where the author missed the opportunity to make good point.

This is not a bad book, I think I was just struggling with author's way of writing and characterization. My recommendation for future readers is too be patient and maybe then they'll enjoy it more than I did.

Judith is a successful book editor who doesn't love herself enough, so she gets involved in an unpleasant affair with a lawyer called Howard who wants to own and possess her. Judith is looking back on the affair from the viewpoint of being married with a child. The descriptions of the affair, ( I can't call it a romance ), explore Judith's desires, and how she likes to be treated in a certain way. I couldn't help wondering if Judith felt stifled by being in a conventional relationship. It was more of an interesting read than an enjoyable one.

I had some mixed some feelings about this read. It was ominous, obsessive and heartfelt at times but also mixed with an erotica element. I don't know if the author was trying to get her character into a 50 shades-like relationship but the intent and execution was way different. Judith wants to be loved and has lived a simple life until the death of her therapist and meeting a mysterious stranger at a party named Howard Rose. She is instantly attracted and falls in love with him despite a cruel, domineering and sensual relationship. She doesn't know how to leave. She tells this story at a later time in her life.

This book kind of grabbed me from the premise but I had mixed feelings about the book as a whole. The dialogue wasn't anything to be excited about and was actually kind of boring to me. If you read between the lines and listened to Judith's POV, it was easier to keep your attention, I mentioned 50 shades above because of the type of relationship was in this book, but at least the later had more depth and complication with both characters. Still a worthwhile read but not even close to a favorite.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 7/7/20

This is a narrative which jumps between an interesting patchwork of sequencing and some direct address of the reader every so often. While adding to the memoir sentiment, I felt it disjointed the swing of emotions between Judith and Howard. I often felt angry at Judith’s choices, but the best authors evoke us to feel for the characters.

I've been excited about this book since I first heard about it, and it did not disappoint. The characters sucked you into the story and the story kept you turning pages as fast as you could. I devoured it in a day. I loved it.

22 Minutes of Unconditional Love: Daphne Merkin

Release Date: July 7th, 2020

Addictive, heartfelt and blunt; an ominous dialogue of an erratic and demeaning romance.

Twenty-Two Minutes of Unconditional Love follows Judith: a late twenties, New York City book editor. Inexperienced with love, Judith lives a simple, typical life working, attending the occasional party, and is reliant upon her therapist, Dr. Munch. Shortly after Dr. Munch is introduced, he therein passes away; leaving Judith to fend for herself without the emotional and cognitive guidance of a therapist. Hesitant and disinclined, Judith arrives at a cocktail party knowing no one aside from the host. After greeting the host and an awkward attempt to stay engaged loitering by the food, she is introduced into a circle of nearby attendees. It is at this moment when her life changes to revolve around one man: Howard Rose. Howard is a charismatic, defense lawyer in his forties who demands Judith’s attention. Judith, attracted to the erratic, harsh yet passionate magnetism of Howard Rose, falls deeply in love with him. Instructing her to wear specific outfits out and taking control of her sexually as a submissive, Howard’s dark, crass, and demeaning portrayal of love engages Judith in ways she did not know she needed.

As Judith becomes dependent on his constant succession of mood swings, waiting out the hard, cruel responses with hopes of his sporadic soft gestures, she becomes unintentionally tangled in a romance without a foreseeable way out.

Narrated by a much older, and Howard-free Judith, Twenty-Two Minutes of Unconditional Love documents an inherently unappealing, but addictive love story of a man quick to ripe and of a woman who desperately seeks to break the bonds that tie them together.

I did struggle with the dialogue in the beginning of the book, wasn’t sure where it was leading at times with some of the tangents, but once the story line was cemented with Howard, the book became an effortless and fast-paced read. In addition, as a private note to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, I did find a few typos scattered throughout.

Along with posting on Net Galley, I will be posting my review to Goodreads, Amazon (when it becomes available), my Instagram (which has over a thousand book review followers) and my blog. Please find the link to my blog post below.

https://ifyoucanreadthisdotblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/04/22-minutes-of-unconditional-love-daphne-merkin/

Respectfully
Chanel Johnson

Well, what a fascinating read! At times erotica and at times nonfiction memoir, this book was really interesting. It chronicles Merkin's sexual coming of age with her first lover, juxtaposed against her current marriage. I found myself wishing I had a highlighter so that I could mark many of the passages in this book. Merkin writes with deep knowledge and awareness of the female experience and I eagerly await reading her next book!