A woman transforms herself, seen through the eyes of others. Unusual and unsettling novel, thoroughly readable.

A very, very good read. The novel is constructed around different accounts (each a third of the book) given by three witnesses (a late acquaintance, the mother, the work friend) to the metamorphosis (obviously, given the title!!) of a woman from who she was onto who she wants to be through sheer strength and the building of that strength of body and mind. Who she has become, her fame, is the reason for the accounts... but we never learn to whom these first-person narrations are addressed or the actual event that has necessitated them as there is no clear interlocutor - they are internal monologues suggesting possible others.
The object of these reminiscences has become a Youtube sensation, a guru of a very personal and particular brand of physical and emotional empowerment.... I enjoyed the story, and read it as an entertaining and interesting fictional narrative of triumph over adversity (individual shortcomings, bullying, abuse) through an act of self-invention, as well as a persuasive allegory about aspects of our society . Reinvention and its impact is at the core of the story. Real and the virtual (and hidden) realities are explored in an engaging, worth reading way.
With many thanks to Penguin Random House via NetGalley for an opportunity to read this exciting new novel and writer.

I was drown to this story almost as strongly as the narrators were to the woman they talk about. All of them were able to observe her transformation, her chrysalis phase, before she set off to create her solo life. They were of major use to her, too: providing care, companionship, flattery, attention and inspiration.

As readers, we get to know the seemingly nameless woman's story through the eyes and interpretations of others: her mother, her friend, her part-time lover. Their voices, composed of their own stories and desires, combine the nuggets of information about the woman, the ones she decides to feed them. Because of that, we're not able to verify how genuine her accounts are and are left with more lingering questions.

Anna Metcalfe skilfully hints the issues of parentification, perhaps familial trauma, too, and how they may play a role in one's narcissistic tendencies, as well as result in hyperindependence that remains in conflict one's natural need of being cared for. However, the ideas how to get such care are not always in service of establishing genuine bonds, but serve one's desire to survive the gentle chrysalis stage.

This is an unusual book, about a woman who transforms her body and life. The story is told by some of the people drawn into her orbit, who help her/are used by her on her path to independence and isolation. This includes her mother and a work colleague who supports her. However, there is a boyfriend, Paul, who doesn't seem to respond to her in the same way, and we don't hear from him, so we don't really know what is true.
It is cleverly done, but there are a lot of unanswered questions.

3.5 rounded down

Chrysalis is a compelling and at times unsettling novel tracking the metamorphosis of a young woman in the wake of the dissolution of an abusive relationship. The young woman's story is told by three different people who witness this change: a young man, Elliot who she meets at the gym; her mother, Bella, with whom the young woman has long had a fractious relationship; and her friend/flatmate and former colleague, Susie.

The novel charts her physical and mental change into a new person who eschews many societal norms and finds meaning in making meditation and fitness videos online, attracting a huge following.

We never get the woman's own perspective - I can see why the author approached the narrative in this way but it did frustrate me as a reader at times. This is a hard novel to describe or summarise, and it left me feeling unsettled on finishing... although not necessarily in a bad way.

"She has a power over the people who find her; once you've known her, it's hard to go back to a time before."

"'I'm going to be completely self-sufficient,' she said. I pictured a static caravan, a generator, eco-plumbing. 'I'm going to live alone and only do what feels right.'"

This is easily one of the best books of 2023. The theme of metamorphoses and change is inevitably reminiscent of Kafka, who was the main author this book reminded me of (a testament to its skill). The stark prose (it's clearly been brilliant edited; not a word has been wasted) reminded me Gwendoline Riley, as does the dark and surreal humour (which I often found absolutely hysterical). The themes - the need to be witnessed, what it means to be satisfied with who you are, living in the moment vs the future, "leaving" society (Tao Lin should read this book), influencer/wellness culture - are all fascinating and highly contemporary. I also thought the way motherhood is tied in with the theme of transformation and metamorphosis was also really subtle and clever. And I loved the final sequence in Ibiza - to me it was a great example of how you can be "alone" but still connected, a repudiation of the YouTube girl's central ethos. This is just a brilliant piece of work, one that I can see myself reading and rereading again in years to come.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

"I like being anxious. It gives me a lot of energy, it helps me to see what's really important and what I might change."

"So much of being an adult is just carrying things around, I thought: coats, shopping bags, computers, charging leads, spare pairs of shoes. I kept waiting for the day that my life was finally in order, when I would have one small bag containing everything I needed, so that when I entered a room people would think: she's free, she's made it."

"For a long time, I was convinced that everyone lived that way--trying hard to do the right thing while pretending not to try at all. It had never occurred to me that there might be something powerful, profitable even, in being exactly who you were.

"'It's all right if you haven't recovered,' I said. 'You don't have to recover from everything.'"

"I pictured him like all the terrible men my friends had dated in their twenties--men with complex needs. Together, we would analyse and dissect them, as though the ability to construct a compelling psychological profile was more important than basic things like kindness and humour."

"He loved to observe without being seen. He had no desire to prove himself and no audience that might demand such proof."