King, L: Writers & Lovers Funny yet heartbreaking, the perfect read for fans of One Day and Normal People

Casey Peabody has always wanted to be a writer. At 31, she finds herself waiting tables, living in a run-down garage and with several debt collectors on her heels. For six years she has worked on her novel but somehow it does not work out, too high the pressure from real life. When her mother died a couple of months before, she not only lost her confidant, but constantly feels the big hole this loss left behind in her. Then she meets Oscar, a successful writer and widowed father of two, who seems to be the way out of her misery: a lovely home, stable relationship, two adorable boys, a life without worries. But it does not feel right, especially since there is Silas, too, quite the opposite of Oscar. When Casey is fired from the restaurant and her landlord tells her that the house is to be sold, the anxiety that has accompanied her for years becomes unbearable. Raise your hand is you never dreamt of writing a novel. Isn’t that what we as avid readers long for? To intrigue others with what is lurking within ourselves and, of course, to be praised and complimented for our artistic capacities. Well, that’s just one side of being a writer, many more authors will actually have to face a life just like Casey: never to know if you can make the ends meet, frustrated because the writing does not move on, the words do not come, taking on any job just to survive and organising the writing around working hours. Lily King has painted quite a realistic picture of a novelist’s situation in “Writers & Lovers”. Yet, that’s by far not all the novel has to offer. Her protagonist belongs to the generation who struggles to grow-up. They have been promised so much, they were full of energy in their twenties, but now, hitting 30, they have to make a decision: giving up their dreams for a conservative and boring but secure life just like the one their parents lead or going on with a precarious living that feels totally inadequate. No matter how they decide, it could be the wrong choice and the fear of not picking the right thing paralyses them, an overwhelming anxiety takes over control making them incapable of moving on or doing anything at all. They are stuck in a never-ending rat race which covers all areas of their life. Casey is the perfect example of her generation, highly educated, intelligent, good at dealing with people but nevertheless full of doubts about herself and frustrated by the constant setbacks. I totally adored the novel, it is somehow a coming-of-age at a later age novel. The characters are authentically represented, the emotional states are wonderfully conveyed and thus easy to follow. Even though there is quite some melancholy in it, I did not feel saddened since it also provides a lot of hope just never to give up since all could turn out well in the end.

Ich liebe dieses Buch! Ich kann gar nicht sagen, wann mich ein Buch das letzte mal so sehr angesprochen hat, wie dieses. Es hat alles, was eine perfekte Geschichte braucht: eine starke Heldin, Literatur spielt eine große Rolle und große Träume, die ins Leben gebracht werden wollen. Die Heldin, Casey kämpft mit den Widrigkeiten ihres Autorenlebens, Geld ist immer knapp, sie kellnert um sich über Wasser zu halten. Sie hat riesige Schuldenberge und keine Krankenversicherung. Casey ist eine wunderbare Heldin- sie trotzt den schwierigen Umständen und stellt sich den Herausforderungen ihres Lebens mit großem Optimismus. Der Roman ist vollkommen kitschfrei, kraftvoll und lebensbejahend, tief berührend und einfach wundervoll. Lily King ist für mich eine echte Entdeckung!