Disappoint Me
A funny and clever new novel from the author of Polari-Prize-winning, BELLIES
-
-
4.3 • 6 Ratings
-
-
- £5.99
Publisher Description
A funny, moving and poignant exploration of modern romance and the allure of domesticity from the Polari-prize-winning author of Bellies
Chosen as a ‘Best Book of 2025’ by Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Stylist, Elle, Dazed, Vogue, AnOther, and GQ
'One of the UK’s most perceptive young novelists with her finger firmly on the pulse of contemporary behaviour' Guardian
'Riveting, funny and devastating' Shon Faye, bestselling author of The Transgender Issue
Max didn’t mean to fall for Vincent – a corporate lawyer and hobby baker whose trad friendship group are a world away from her life as a trans woman. But after years of bad dates and dysphoria he’s a breath of fresh air. Their connection seems genuine, his care feels real.
But Vincent is carrying his own baggage. On his gap year in Thailand a decade prior, he vies for the attention of a gorgeous traveller, Alex, with secrets of her own. Is Vincent really the new face of the Enlightened Man, or will the ghosts of his past sabotage his and Max’s happiness?
Disappoint Me is an incisive reckoning with forgiveness and the complexity of modern relationships, told with Nicola Dinan’s trademark wit and heart.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
In her own words, Max “fell down the stairs and woke up a trad wife”. She’s a published poet, has a well-paid day job and occupies an established place in east London’s queer scene. But when she wakes up alone in hospital, she knows she wants to make changes. Max begins to aspire to a different kind of life and a heteronormative relationship with Vincent, a corporate lawyer. But as a trans woman, she feels she is betraying the queer community who have previously surrounded her. Nicola Dinan’s second novel, Disappoint Me is a thoughtful look at what love means and the secrets we all have. Max’s journey of self-discovery also takes in her years of dysphoria and broken relationships. The contemporary London worlds she moves through are as brilliantly rendered as her emotional landscape, from queer poetry nights to the social lives of thirty-something careerists.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the sharp and insightful latest from Dinan (Bellies), a British trans woman from Hong Kong searches for love and fulfillment in London. Max Murphy, a 30-year-old poet and legal adviser at a tech company, is struggling with writer's block following a recent breakup. After deciding to date again, she meets Vincent Chan, a cis corporate lawyer and son of Chinese immigrants. Despite their genuine connection, not just as Asians in the London business world but as kindred spirits, their relationship is tested by Vincent's occasional thoughtless remarks about Max's trans identity and her emerging health concerns resulting from her gender-affirming care. Complicating matters further are revelations from Vincent's gap year in Thailand in 2012, where he and his best friend Fred formed a love triangle with a beautiful young woman named Alex that led to harrowing results. During a trip to France with Max, the old friends nearly come to blows, and the truth about the way they treated Alex threatens to tear Max and Vincent apart, just when Max needs Vincent the most. Dinan portrays her characters with staggering depth and sharp nuance as they grapple with each other's complexities and frailties. With this striking work, Dinan establishes herself as an invaluable voice in contemporary fiction.
Customer Reviews
Good, need to work on the peace and ending
Good book, starts really shallow but then the character development gets really good and interesting.
The ending is somehow, as the book title suggests, disappointing.