Pretend I'm Dead
FROM THE AUTHOR OF BIG SWISS
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4.0 • 6 Ratings
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- £4.99
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
'It's Mona's ballsy, kickass voice that makes this novel tick. Unreliable, sharply observant and funny, she recounts her journey of self-discovery in a way that is immediate and intriguing.' Daily Mail
Mary Karr meets Miranda July in this hilarious debut about a young woman’s quest for self-acceptance and belonging
Mona is twenty-three, emotionally adrift and cleaning houses to get by.
While handing out clean needles to drug addicts, she falls for a man she calls Mr Disgusting, who proceeds to break her heart in unimaginable ways.
In search of healing, she decamps to New Mexico for a fresh start, but always lurking just beneath the surface are the ghosts of her past, and the crushing legacy of a chaotic, destructive childhood. It seems running further away from her problems could just leave more inventive ways for them to find her.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
If Beagin's debut novel feels voyeuristic, it's due to its incisive realism and the protagonist's fascination with the people around her. Mona spends her 20s cleaning other people's houses and observing her clients intently. After a heartbreak involving an addict Mona calls Mr. Disgusting, she leaves Lowell, Mass., for Taos, N.M. The book comes alive in this new location, where Mona encounters New Age neighbors, a family that may be hiding something, and a cleavage-bearing, leopard print wearing psychic. As Mona gains insight into the lives of those around her, she comes closer to confronting her own traumas. Her quick wit (she tells people that oven cleaner is her poison of choice) and the surprising turns in the narrative (Mona's clients are always more complex than they initially seem) keep this journey of self-discovery from veering into clich . The result is a funny, touching look at loneliness and the search for belonging.
Customer Reviews
Adored every word
Couldn’t put it down. Hilarious and weird and so good. Will recommend to every friend.