This is an interesting novel to review. The mother/daughter relationship that we follow throughout this course of the novel is certainly intriguing. I liked the way both depended on and simultaneously despised the other. I also enjoyed the frankness of the narrator's thoughts and actions, which are often jarring and unexpected.

There were several other relationships explored throughout the novel, but somehow, none of the other characters apart from the narrator really ‘came alive.’ Whilst we had backgrounds to some characters, I felt by the end that I still didn’t really know or care about some of them.

The narrator herself had an obviously complex personality and was intriguing, but not altogether likeable. Often, she is consumed by animosity for herself and others, which resulted in a narrative that was often self-centred and lacking in a thorough exploration of other characters.

This novel explores some interesting and complex themes, but they were presented as partially formed thoughts rather than a deep deluge into their personalities.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks to NetGalley and Hamish Hamilton for the opportunity to read this book.

I liked but didn’t love this novel. The difficult mother daughter relationship that it follows held my interest, and I finished reading quite quickly, but I also didn’t particularly like or relate to either the daughter, who narrates the novel in first person, or her mother. I also felt that some of the personality traits of the narrator (her artistic focus on drawing rather than painting, her sexual encounters with her female friend, for example) are flagged as important without being properly explained or interrogated.