WHAT IT'S LIKE IN WORDS

Dynamic debut portrays a dysfunctional, abusive relationship.

Enola is an aspiring author in her late twenties, adrift in her life and in her writing. One day she meets a man in her writing group with whom she shares an instant physical connection. “His smile was suggestive but kind,” Enola tells us. “I wanted to play with him. I wanted to look after him. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to fuck him.” Soon, the two are involved, but at the expense of Enola’s peace or pleasure. “The desire to please him bloomed like an addiction,” she confesses, even though she can’t decide whether she even enjoys their sex. Despite the facts that her best friend, Ruth, doesn’t like him and that Enola’s body seems to be trying to tell her something as she rapidly loses weight, she continues to pursue the relationship with abandon. Eventually, Enola and her boyfriend holiday in Kenya, where she grew up, and the trip triggers memories of her father, who died when she was young. As Enola struggles with her past, her boyfriend’s constant criticisms never cease, and she must decide whether she can disentangle herself from a man who is less a peer or confidant than an addiction. The author deftly captures obsession, as well as the ways in which myriad small belittling comments can become the deepest of cuts.

A searing novel about why we love people who are bad for us.