One of the characters in this book mentions something about infusing joy into sentences, and that's just what Helen Oyeyemi does. I take my sweet time reading her books in attempts to absorb as much of her magic as possible. I'm in aw of the way she injects each sentence with a clever playfulness that never feels contrived or inaccessible.

The star of this book is Kinga, a woman with multiple personalities that each occupy a different day of the week. We begin on Monday with Kinga-Alojzia, who discovers a strange man she doesn't recognize bound to a chair in her pantry. We end the week on Sunday with Kinga-Genovéva, who finds herself on a phone call with a perfumer who seems to have a romantic connection to Friday's Kinga-Eliska.

For me, this book is more about the journey than the destination. I sunk right in and delighted in every moment.

New Day, New You! is a wildly inventive premise. An exploration of fractured identity told through a character split into seven distinct selves. With each "Kinga" embodying a different persona, the novel delves into questions of control, trust, and self-coherence in a fresh, surreal way. Fans of voice-driven fiction and experimental structure may find a lot to unpack here. While the narrative may not be for every reader, its ambition and originality stand out.

As much as I wanted to like this book, I did not. It reminded me of The Crying of Lot 49 in that there was so much stuff being thrown at the reader - it was hard to find purchase. I suppose the use of voice is impressive and there were times when the book was humorous. Other than voice, however, I don't really know what the book was about other than self-reflection of a person with multiple personalities. I felt like I needed more of a narrative. If there was one, it eluded me.

Sigh, I dunno, man. Oyeyemi used to be my favorite author, but I feel like ever since she moved to Prague, her books make no sense. The premise of this one had me hooked in, but then it just...was so confusing. I'm just disappointed.

Perfectly, delightfully confounding and kooky and arresting. A bonkers premise that ends up working, with hints of being able to magically surprise yourself (that ending had me cackling!!!), of owning up about things to yourself, and of how we lie to ourselves as well ("Seven and a half times out of ten I'm right"). I didn't quite know what to expect having not read Oyeyemi before, but it exceeded expectations because I tore through it as soon as I let go so as to be taken for the ride. Everyone here is a character and I mean that entirely complimentarily.

I wanted to like this more than I did, as I love Helen Oyeyemi's work. It's highly possible that reading it as an ARC on my phone made it more difficult than usual for me to process, but with all the different personalities it actually reminded me of As I Lay Dying by Faulkner with the various perspectives and needing to remember just who was who. I'm certain I'd enjoy it more on a second read.

Still, the Kingas are SO funny. I love their banter and how differently they lead their lives. Though complicated, it's certainly not boring, and shows how incredible of a writer Oyeyemi is. It was a joy to read their different perspectives and see how their tones and problem-solving skills vary--and boy, do they vary! From self-defense to seduction, it's quite the read.