Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

🌊 A Haunting Meditation on What We Lose and What We Chase

Yrsa Daley-Ward’s The Catch is not a novel that unfolds—it drifts, like a memory half-remembered or a dream that refuses to resolve. Known for her poetic prowess in bone and The Terrible, Daley-Ward brings that same lyrical intensity to this narrative, which reads less like a conventional novel and more like a series of emotional pulses stitched together by longing.

The Catch is a story about a woman caught between worlds—between the past and the present, between the self she knows and the one she’s trying to reclaim. The protagonist’s journey is not linear; it’s recursive, echoing the rhythms of trauma and desire. Daley-Ward’s prose is spare but loaded, each sentence a vessel for something deeper than its surface suggests.

Daley-Ward employs fragmentation not just stylistically but thematically. The novel’s structure mirrors the protagonist’s fractured psyche, her disjointed memories, and the elusive nature of truth. This technique invites the reader to participate in the act of reconstruction—piecing together meaning from shards of narrative, much like the protagonist must do with her own identity.

There’s a deliberate refusal to explain, to resolve, to comfort. Instead, Daley-Ward trusts the reader to sit with ambiguity, to feel the weight of what’s unsaid. This makes The Catch a deeply immersive experience for readers who crave emotional and intellectual complexity.

The novel pulses with the ache of displacement—not just geographical, but emotional and existential. The protagonist’s journey is marked by a yearning for connection, for home, for a sense of belonging that remains just out of reach. Daley-Ward captures this with devastating precision, often in single lines that linger long after the page is turned:

> “I am not where I am. I am where I was. And where I might have been.”

This emotional dislocation is mirrored in the novel’s shifting settings and temporal jumps, reinforcing the sense that identity is not fixed but fluid, shaped by memory, desire, and loss.

The characters in The Catch are not drawn with traditional arcs or backstories. They are glimpsed, felt, intuited. This might frustrate readers seeking conventional development, but for those attuned to Daley-Ward’s poetic sensibility, it’s a strength. The protagonist is both deeply personal and universally resonant—a cipher for anyone who has ever felt unmoored.

The Catch is not a book to be consumed—it’s a book to be experienced. It resists easy interpretation, defies narrative conventions, and demands emotional engagement. Daley-Ward has crafted a novel that is as much about the act of searching as it is about what’s found. It’s a work of literary art that rewards patience, introspection, and a willingness to sit with discomfort.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my free e-ARC of The Catch! This novel was wild and original, and probably one of my faves of 2025. I was hooked, often had no idea what was real and what was imaginary, and I think that’s the whole point. The whole novel is a story within a story, unreliable narrators abound, possible time travel, dreamy unrealities - and yet it all feels completely grounded? Like the feeling, the emotion, the grief, trauma, mental illness explored is all raw and real, no question about that.

It follows Clara and Dempsey, 30 year old twins whose mother abandoned them at 3 years old. They’re adopted by different people, Clara by Claudette and her white Italian husband, whose top priority is ‘good’ hair, and Dempsey by a down-to-earth councillor. The twins’ lives diverge after an altercation between their adoptive parents. Dempsey becomes enmeshed in a questionable wellness scheme run by a wannabe psychologist, while Clara becomes a successful author, penning a novel about two twins whose mother leaves, but returns in a fantastical manner. When Clara spots someone who looks exactly like their mother would at 30, she begins to wonder if her novel is becoming a reality.

I’ve not read Daley-Ward’s poetry, nor am I particularly a poetry person, but the little fragments of poetry scattered through the prose were lovely. The writing overall was knockout, so even when the plot got very meta and I was wondering what the hell was going on, I was always drawn back in by the writing. It’s one of those books where you just have to let the characters take you by the hand and let them drag you down with them - into mania or science fiction? I’m not really sure, but I know I loved the ride.

This is one of those rare books where I can recognize the brilliance but still know it’s not the right fit for me right now.

The writing in The Catch is beautiful—lyrical, layered, and emotionally exacting. The structure is ambitious and intentionally disorienting: the character Clara is writing a book called Evidence, in which a character based on her mother (Serene) is also writing a book called Evidence. It’s a novel nested within a novel, wrestling with themes of identity, memory, authorship, and the cost of telling the truth.

Some scenes are unforgettable—particularly those that explore the violence of assimilation, the fracture of sisterhood, and the blurry edges of what’s real and what’s imagined. The metafictional layering is a powerful lens through which the novel examines silenced stories and inherited pain.

That said, I struggled with the reading experience. Both Clara and Dempsey carry so much unprocessed hurt, and while their perspectives are richly drawn, they felt heavy to sit with. I found myself not wanting to pick the book back up—and eventually decided to listen to that feeling.

Still, this is a stunning and ambitious novel that will resonate deeply with readers interested in layered, literary fiction that explores trauma, race, adoption, sisterhood, and narrative ownership. It just wasn’t the right book for me at the right time.

This is my first read from Yrsa Daley-Ward and I was so excited to be approved for this early read because I’ve heard great things about her writing. I was intrigued by the storyline which started off strong and left me wondering whether there’d be a psychological twist. Like many other readers, I was a bit confused but not enough to give up. I had to know who Serene really was and what was really going on. I was correct in one of my predictions but thrown off by the others.

The writing is poetic and kept me wanting to turn the page but things started to lose steam for me about halfway through. The pacing slowed down, it became repetitive, and I just flat out lost interest. However, I’m still interested in reading more from Yrsa Daley-Ward. Thanks to Netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the e-arc!

The Catch

Yrsa Daley-Ward

25% into this novel, I asked myself repeatedly “what am I reading?”. I think it would be too simplistic for me to say that the experience I had was that of a fever dream. Daley- Ward has woven a tale so consciously dubious that it transcends genres. I truly respect an author that can commit to the strangeness of a story.

As the synopsis mentions, this is a world of vastness in terms of realities. I was unaware of what I had committed myself to. I went into reading this blindly. I’m so glad I did.

Clara and Dempsey stand on the precipice of mania and magical realism. It’s immediately understood that no one perspective can be trusted. It becomes a mystery in a way, because no information is the absolute truth.

Clara is positioned as the more desirable twin. She’s been given more access and privileges, but that doesn’t mean she’s had an easier life.
Dempsey has a downtrodden disposition. She is very reclusive. This makes her feel as if she has a greater handle on life. This isn’t true.

Both sisters are mentally convoluted, and their shared and personal trauma has manifested into selfishness. The mental fog hinders them from holding more compassion for each other. It’s how they’ve learned to deal with the pain of Serene’s absence.

This book is odd, interesting, confusing, engaging and entertaining. The writing style pulled me into these chaotic worlds. I appreciate that while the story is murky due to the subject and the unreliability of the characters, the actual writing is very rich.

Lastly, I enjoyed the fourth wall being broken whenever Carla’s having internal dialogue during her book tour. It’s refreshing to see writers that can make fun of themselves. At times, they’re expected to have a profound answer to every question in regards to their writing. It’s unrealistic. Sometimes it’s just an exercise in expressing your imagination. In Carla’s case, it would be exorcise, but I suppose that’s debatable.

Thank you @netgalley, @w.w.norton and @liverightbooks for the ARC. I did purchase the audiobook. I loved it.

#readandtellwithshantel #yrsadaleyward #thecatch

(Nobody Jhene Aiko)

"The Catch" by Daley-Ward is a surreal and poetic exploration of the blessings and curses we inherit from our parents. The story begins with Clara, a writer experiencing success with her new novel. This newfound attention allows her to indulge in her darker impulses. Clara's novel, "Evidence," mirrors her own life, telling the story of two twins whose mother died when they were young. In reality, Clara has a sister named Dempsey, who is three minutes younger but vastly different from her. Their mother abandoned them as babies and presumably drowned in the Thames, though only her clothes were found.

Separated by the foster care system, Clara and Dempsey lead very different lives. Dempsey is obsessed with self-acceptance, seeking healers of varied qualifications, while Clara spirals into her darker impulses. Their relationship is contentious at best. Everything changes when Clara believes she sees their mother, who appears to be the same age as Clara and Dempsey, pocketing a watch in a department store. Faced with the possibility that their mother is alive, their age, and cool, Clara starts to spiral. She and Dempsey must grapple with their reality, trying to discern the truth among the three of them.

Daley-Ward's novel is a contemporary read that incorporates the lifestyle of the rich and famous. The speculative fiction elements, including parallel timelines and the multiverse trope, challenge readers to consider how changing the past alters the future.

The characters, Clara and Dempsey, are uniquely childish, emphasizing their traumatic childhoods and resulting in stunted growth. The novel's strengths lie in its writing and intriguing concept, but its weaknesses include character development and plot coherence. Overall, "The Catch" is an interesting read that will leave readers thinking about its characters and plot twists long after they've finished the book. However, I think the ending is a bit polarizing - readers will either love it or hate it.

This book grabbed me by the throat on page 1 and never let me go. Everything about this is fascinating. The plot, the characters, the construction. I kind of have no idea what happened, but I don't care because that means I can read The Catch again and try to catch every little gem Daley-Ward leaves for us.

My rating is largely based on how compelled I felt to keep reading, driven by both curiosity and the book’s haunting exploration of abandonment and the long shadow of childhood trauma.

That said, I’m still quite torn about the prose and character work. I could sense what the author was aiming for, and perhaps the tangled, disorienting narrative was a deliberate choice to amplify the psychological impact. If so, it almost worked for me. But even now, I’m not entirely sure what to make of the story as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Yrsa Daley-Ward, and W. W. Norton & Company: Liveright for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Unfortunately, The Catch did not quite work for me. I'm not sure if it's simply a personal preference or an overall issue with the book itself. This book is extremely obscure and unlike anything I've read, which I commend Daley-Ward for. It is a unique story that has very compelling themes and sections that did work throughout, such as the relationship between Clara and Dempsey, their upbringings, and their connections to their mother. Her characters were very vivid, and I felt that they were individuals that maybe I don't know per se but could envision seeing around or meeting. With that being said, the compelling characters and ideas were not quite enough to make the book make sense for me. This was an extremely confusing read where I was never quite sure what was happening. I hadn't seen this marketed as magical realism, so once there started to be mystical elements, I was caught off guard. Even upon finishing, I wasn't sure what parts of the book I read were "real" and which ones were in the minds of Clara and Dempsey, which is maybe the point! I appreciated having such unreliable narrators, as I do enjoy books in that sub-genre, but the descent into madness felt a bit too slippery at times between the girls. There was never a direct answer found or given about what was real (or maybe I missed it), which left me unsatisfied at the end. I think this would be a read that I would have to revisit in the future to make full sense of, but I'm not sure I enjoyed it enough to feel compelled to do that. I would be intrigued to check out future works by Daley-Ward, but if you are interested in this one, just know that the plot is not always clear and there are mystical elements.

Orphaned twin sisters, Clara and Dempster, are fostered and adopted by different nuclear families. The Catch focuses on the two women in their 30s, at which Clara spots Serene, the presumably deceased mother, tiefing a Rolex and Dempster encounters Marcus, their biological father who Serene left, who moves into the unit upstairs in her apartment complex. Discerning that Clara’s novel tells the story of their family insofar as it is true in their reality, the sisters devise a plan to prevent Serene from becoming romantically engaged with Marcus so that they can block, if you will, their births and end the cycle of abandonment.

Daley-Ward’s novel is sparklier than I expected—it reads like a contemporary novel that incorporates the lifestyle of the rich and famous. This speculative fic read should definitely be tagged as fantasy or sci-fi because of the parallel timelines and a problem commonly encountered by the multiverse trope: how does changing the past alter the future? With a background in the hard sciences during my pre-grad school days, stories heavily relying on spacetime short-circuit my brain and prevent me from grasping the narrative. I seem unable to sustain a long enough pause from thinking about the theory of general relativity, suspend the disbelief in questions I have about the physics, and follow the story for what it is. If anything, a required suspending actually seems antithetical to the project I’m consuming because it is part and parcel that I “follow the story for what it is,” questionable choices from to against Einstein’s theory of spacetime and all.

In addition to this thematic hurdle, I quickly became impatient with our two main characters. The Catch is alternatively told from Clara and Dempster’s perspectives and minimally from Serene’s. I appreciate an unlovable MC as much as the next person, but the women, perhaps, were created to be uniquely childish to emphasize their childhoods and the trauma, resulting in stunted growth. I may not have finished the book if I had not received an ARC. However, I happily acknowledge the big dogs in the literary world rave about Daley-Ward’s novel; I support her endeavors to spotlight Black women in her work and wish her all the best.

CW: Clara makes a move on her mom.

My thanks to W. W. Norton & Company, Liveright, and NetGalley for an ARC. I also shared this review on GoodReads on June 10, 2025 (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7638544512).

This is probably a top 10 for me. This novel is such a good representation on what it feels like to have bpd. The unreliable narrator. Confusion in identity. And it’s written by the very talented Yrsa Daley-Ward - lines so beautiful they’ll just stick with you.

I loved her book of poems, her memoir (which I’m now going to revisit), and this fiction. Just wow!!!

While The Catch will not be everyone's preference or liking, I was hooked by it's unreliable narrators, winding timeline, and beautiful prose. Yrsa Daley-Ward did an incredible job weaving everything together.

There's a lot about the book that leaves the reader confused—who to trust, what is happening, *can* this be happening? But the through-line through all of this is Daley-Ward's steady hand. There was intention on every page, with every word choice. Even when I was trying to figure out what the hell was happening, I knew that there was a purpose.

The lyricism is Daley-Ward's writing is nothing short of beautiful. She is able to find the most human and uncomfortable adjectives in one sentence and have the most poetic line in the next.

It does drag a little bit in the middle, gets a bit muddied. But I find it has a strong ending. If you're someone who doesn't like vague endings—this will not be the book for you. But if you're open to exploring the "what-ifs," I highly recommend The Catch,

This is an esoteric novel that will be loved by some readers; unfortunately, I am not one of them.

Clara and Dempsey are 30-year-old twin sisters abandoned by their mother who presumably drowned in the Thames River. The girls were adopted separately and lived very different lives. Though they have reconnected, theirs is a difficult relationship. One day Clara sees a woman who looks exactly like their birth mother and even has her name, Serene Marie Nkem Droste, though she is the same age as the twins. Clara and Serene form an intense relationship, but Dempsey is skeptical and suspects Serene is a con artist. To complicate matters, Clara is a celebrity author who has written an autofiction book which she describes as “’a terrible tale about my mother, as though she told it to me herself.’” The book casts Serene “as some kind of witch-like siren from a bad part of town who cons everyone with her looks and ends up causing disaster.”

Both Clara and Dempsey are narrators in alternating chapters. Both are unreliable because both struggle with addiction and trauma which cloud their judgments. Each admits to hating her twin so comments need to be filtered by the reader. A couple of times, one sister narrates her version of a past event and then the subsequent chapter gives the other sister’s memory which may be contradictory. So what is the truth? Chapters of Clara’s novel are included as well; they add to the confusion because events in the book seem to mirror what is happening to Serene in the present. So what is going on?!

The writing style will catch the reader’s attention. Clara speaks about her body in an interesting way: “holding the head that is on my body” and “The body of mine gets into the car. The body of mine takes its trembling hands” and “These legs go to cross the road anyway.” Then there’s the imagery; the colour orange is mentioned 22 times. There are 46 references to “blue” though sometimes the word refers to colour and sometimes to mood. Olfactory imagery abounds: “vetiver-and-smoke scent” and “night-old brandy smell” and “smelling of geranium and patchouli” and “hints of musty river water.” Tactile imagery is also noticeable: “scaly skin” and “itchy rash.” It is the lyrical prose that most impressed me.

Much of the time it is difficult to understand what is real and what is imaginary. Confusion is compounded by references to shapeshifting and time travel, a character not belonging on this planet, a character feeling as if she is not real, and a character feeling like she is disappearing. There’s often a strange dream-like quality which is disorienting. Magic realism with its blurring of reality and fantasy is not a style I always enjoy.

To be perfectly honest, I struggled to keep reading. Pace at the beginning is slow, and because the characters are untrustworthy, they are unlikeable. I had problems connecting with anyone. There are poignant moments emphasizing “Not everyone gets a chance to have a mother, and life isn’t fair. You lose parts of your insides when you lose a mother.” However, these moments were not enough to overcome the disorientation I felt.

Though the writing style is descriptive and engaging, The Catch did not really catch me.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Clara is making a splash as a first time novelist with her book “Evidence” which has been perched on the best seller list for months. The morning after she picked up an actor at one of her readings, only to be appalled when he disclosed that he’d read here work (“that feels fairly gross. Even for me”), she is shopping at Selfridges when she spies a woman stuff a Rolex watch into her pocket. Clara is certain that the thief is her mother.

But Clara’s mother has been missing and presumed dead since 1995 when her likely remains washed up on the banks of the Thames. She left behind infant twins, Clara and Dempsey, who were adopted into different households and were raised apart. Their monthly get---togethers were terminated when Clara’s wealthy and judgmental mother relaxed Dempsey’s hair without seeking approval from Dempsey’s single father. The reappearance of their mother, Serene Marie Noemie Dorset, who inexplicably is childless and the same age as her daughters, causes Clara to contact Dempsey, who leads a far less glamorous life than her sister working in administration for Medical Foot Health Clinic.
At Clara’s urging, her mother provides her with letters written by her birth mother. As Clara relates to Dempsey, it is the exact letter that the mother writes in Clara’s book. Clara begins to spend time with Serene, but Dempsey remains skeptical, recalling how Clara had previously claimed that she had seen their mother, and urges Clara to see a professional.

The PEN Ackerley Prize-winning memorist and poet Yrsa Daley-Ward’s fiction debut agilely switches perspectives between Clara, who is convinced that she has found her mother, and Dempsey, who is as equally convinced that her sister, a prolific drinker, needs professional help. Daley-Ward explores the tension between the sisters, as they process their very different reactions to Serene and their barely concealed grudges (“Sometimes, I could happily decapitate my sister,” muses Dempsey at one point; not long after, Clara thinks, “Sometimes, I could happily strangle Dempsey.”). Thank you W.W. Norton & Co. and Net Galley for this unpredictable novel.

This book left me spinning—in a good way, I think.

The Catch is a surreal, poetic exploration of identity, sisterhood, and the weight of generational trauma. Yrsa Daley-Ward writes with such lyricism that even when I wasn’t entirely sure what was real – or how I was supposed to feel– I couldn’t look away.

The structure is disjointed, the narrator unreliable, and the story intentionally confusing at times. But that’s part of what makes it so powerful.

Strange, beautiful, and emotionally raw. I’m still not sure what to make of it, but maybe that’s the point.

I came into this novel with zero expectations, and came away both frustrated and surprised by it. I feel like I really enjoyed the writing style and alternative viewpoints that toggled back and forth between the characters, but the story itself get bogged down and muddied by its ambition. I liked the story overall and what it was trying to do, but felt like it got too far ahead of itself at times, which made it frustrating to read sometimes around the halfway point.

I requested this to recommend on the All the Books podcast, but my cohost ended up claiming it before me and recommending it instead.

I genuinely enjoyed Yrsa Daley-Ward's collection of poetry and memoir and I often find myself returning to both "bone" and "The Terrible" to re-read them. Therefore, I was excited to read "The Catch" to the point where I sprinted to NetGalley to get an ARC.

However, I often found myself confused throughout the story. Maybe that was the point -- to be confused on what is "true/real" and what is "lie/fake" whether distorted because of one's mental health and illness and/or own personal biases. I think the lyrical elements was what kept me going because I do enjoy her poetry-writing style, but admittedly I was very lost on the plot for the majority of the book. I don't know how much of the plot I actually retained, so I am interested in getting my own copy to go back and re-read; maybe I'll take something away from it after a second read.

Surreal. Poetic. Disjointed. With echoes of Morrison's "Beloved", where the past can be made corporeal, we get the story of twins who reunite with their mother in the hopes of stopping their own birth. Or is it? The language alone is enough for the reader to "just go with it," but it might not be for people who aren't in the mood for that journey. While I think that it would make for good discussions, I think that reading it within strict confines of a month might prove difficult- perhaps 6-8 weeks will prove more successful.

A beautifully written, unpredictable novel about family and identity. It explores love, loss, and self-discovery in a unique way.