Member Review

Rising from the Ashes of the Trad Novel

Louise Wallace, an esteemed poet, delivers a groundbreaking and subversive debut novel with "Ash." This work aggressively redefines the traditional novel's structure, pushing its conventional limits.

Through a witty and profound examination of grief, "Ash" explores universal themes including motherhood, misogyny, love, and fear. It provides an unflinching, intimate look at a woman who simultaneously navigates the crushing pressures of daily existence and the systemic injustices that erode the mental health of working mothers.

Its remarkably lean and experimental structure integrates standard first-person prose with distinctive features like numbered "Figure" boxes and a narrative that develops within footnotes. This stunning non-linear strategy effectively mirrors the complexities of human understanding and allows poetry to blend in with the novel format. This fragmentation externalizes the character's internal disorder, allowing marginalized anxieties to surface in the form's margins.

This short, sharp, and satisfying novel creates a breathless, stream-of-consciousness rhythm that makes it impossible to put down. Louise Wallace has crafted an achievement that truly lives and breathes.

And, above all: this is a fun, entertaining book to read.

Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #Ash #NetGalley