This is a complex story of what it means to lose yourself as a woman in this world. We follow Ida, who is dissatisfied in her marriage. When she meets Arnold at a conference, her whole world is turned upside down. Ida is infuriating, the way she bends to Arnold. That it is a man who defines her. She is obviously more into him than he is into her, and seeing what little self worth she has is heartbreaking. The stream of consciousness style is a little hard to get into, and all the back and forth of her wanting to leave and then caving really drags, but I kept reading to see if she’d finally find her inner strength. I think a lot of women will see themselves in this novel and though it may be hard to watch when Ida is at her lowest, it’s only through the pain she endures that she is able to find herself and the woman she was always meant to be.

I couldn’t finish this. I was so bored by her behaviour. I couldn’t work out why she thought that she loved Arnold who was neither particularly attractive or interesting. Was it because he told her that he was not going to leave his wife and she saw it as a challenge?