Baby

3.5★s
Annaleese Jochems’s award-winning debut novel, Baby starts off fairly ordinary, even a bit boring, and just a little strange. That needs a slightly strange protagonist, and Cynthia fits the bill: twenty-one going on thirteen, completely self-absorbed, with a massive crush on her gym instructor, Anahera. Cynthia suggests they run away together. That night, Anahera turns up, split from her husband, apparently seeking refuge. By the following morning, Cynthia has emptied her father’s bank account, packed a few things and set off with Anahera to Paihia with plans to buy a boat. Cynthia barely remembers to take along her beloved dog, Snot-head.

That evening, they are in the Bay of Islands, aboard Baby, a little three-berth boat complete with dinghy, with Cynthia trying to hide Snot-head’s little vomits. The story trundles along as the women bemoan their financial situation, Anahera takes daily swims to the nearby island and Cynthia tries to implement her brilliant idea for making money online. By now, the reader is wondering if Cynthia is incredibly naïve, because it sure looks like Anahera is using her in some way. And then (about halfway) the story takes a turn in an almost surreal direction.

The narrative is from Cynthia’s perspective, and her addiction to reality TV colours the melodramas she envisages will happen. Jochems has a talent for descriptive prose (“They sit waiting, as if sense is going to arrive to them on their boat in the post.”) and some scenes are vivid enough to elicit discomfort or disgust.

While neither Cynthia nor Anahera are likeable women, their behaviour makes them interesting enough for the reader to keep turning pages just to know what they are going to do and say next. It’s a fascinating ride (like witnessing a train wreck), watching almost-normal unravel into bizarre, and bizarre morph into chilling. A compelling debut novel that is likely to polarise readers.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Scribe Australia and Better Reading Preview.

Appealing plot (how I’d love to live on a boat), appealing cover (how I’d love a sandwich), appealing list of accolades this novel has gathered in its native New Zealand. Sure, absolutely I’ll check it out. And you know, it’s an interesting read, it’s exactly the sort of a book that wins awards, it has that award quality where you can intellectually appreciate it without necessarily emotionally engaging with it. At least for me it wasn’t especially engaging. The main protagonist is an aimless 21 year old named Cynthia, who becomes obsessed with her fitness coach, a somewhat older Anahera. Together they take off for greener (or in this case bluer) pastures on a boat named Baby. But without money or a plan things aren’t as ideal as Cynthia might have dreamed about and then a tragedy and an introduction of a new character into their lives creates an awkward and uncomfortable love triangle, one based not so much on love as it is on manipulation, obsession and other lower species of emotions. So that’s the entire novel, really, told from the increasingly (though fairly mellowly so) unhinged Cynthia’s side of the triangle. There’s a dire paucity of balance in the triangle, in their relationship, everyone’s invested to dramatically different degrees, which can, of course, only lead to tragedy. A shame, really, but what can one expect, none of the characters display any levels of maturity or at times even basic decency. Cynthia especially isn’t just young, she’s a young 21, despite being a college graduate, she acts like a teen at best. Not sure if her immaturity is by design or a reflection of how young the author is, but it is a detractor in a way, it’s difficult to really engage with a protagonist who is so childlike and just so unprepared for life or even that interesting. Cynthia  watches way too much reality tv, which may actually warp her idea of reality or maybe she’s just naturally aimless, Either way, not the most likeable protagonist, though for a novel about not likeable people, it’s actually oddly compelling of a read. It definitely has a certain dreamlike, hypnotic quality to the narrative. Kind of like being on a boat, with the waves lulling you to sleep until the world is hazy and strange things appear less so. So anyway, this won’t be for everyone, I enjoyed it on some level, enough to warrant a read and it is short enough for that. So there you have it…this novel is someone’s baby, about a boat named Baby with a protagonist who is very much a baby. Definitely not as enjoyable as I imagine boat life to be. Also, not as enjoyable as a sandwich. But pretty decent in its own way. Thanks Netgalley.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.  This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I enjoyed this work of fiction: full of unlikeable characters, strong and visceral and interesting prose, and heavy on the weirdness. This is definitely the kind of book you read and know it will be divisive, not an "everyone will love" sort of work. But those are perhaps some of my favorites. 

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribe UK for the copy. All opinions my own.