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Sophie, Standing There

by Meg Mason

A life narrowed to the page

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A life narrowed to the page

Sophie Pattison’s life has come apart in ways that are hard to reconcile with its former comforts: a beloved husband, close family ties, a best friend and work at a book festival. As those connections fray, reading becomes a source of company—and a renewed attachment to an author’s novels raises the prospect of a different kind of closeness. Meg Mason’s novel brings that thread together with questions of heartbreak, isolation and how people connect. The publisher’s description also points to dark humor in its treatment of complicated relationships and the human heart.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in fiction about family, friendship and romantic relationships under strain.
  • Readers drawn to stories in which books and reading become part of a character’s search for connection.
  • Readers who appreciate dark humor alongside themes of heartbreak and loneliness.

Themes

Heartbreak and isolationFamily and friendshipReading as solace and companionshipConnection and love

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A TOP TEN LIBRARY READS PICK - AN INDIE NEXT PICK

"So smart, so funny, so moving. I absolutely loved it."--Bonnie Garmus, New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

The "brilliant" (Ann Patchett) and much beloved author of the critically acclaimed Sorrow and Bliss returns with a tender and hilarious novel about heartbreak and the journey from isolation and loneliness towards love.

Sophie Pattison loves books. And as well as a dream job at a local book festival, she has a husband she adores, a lifelong best friend, Emma, and a brother she's always been close to. Which makes you wonder why since Christmas Sophie has been living alone, estranged from Emma, avoiding her brother, and about to be fired.

Now it feels like the only thing she has left is reading. When Sophie re-discovers an author she first read in her twenties, the words on the page reach her in a new way--becoming both solace and company. Sophie devours every one of the author's novels and begins to dream of meeting her, but knows they never will. But what if she did? What if, by then, the author feels like a friend? What if, for Sophie, it feels almost like love?

In this much anticipated novel, Meg Mason captures the heartache and dark humor of our relationships in all their complexity, with a story about the power of connection and an ode to the inexplicable nature of the human heart.

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