[Review] What Does It Feel Like? - Sophie Kinsella

Summary: Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella (Pub Date: Oct 08, 2024)

 

How do you even rate this? I had no idea of what Sophie Kinsella was going through, so I thought I was just reading another of her yearly releases. I was looking forward to it, especially after The Burnout, a favorite for me.

So you're not me: this is a short story about a writer who has finally built a beautiful family with a loving husband, and found success. Until one day, she wakes up in the hospital after a surgery to remove a mass in her brain of which she can't remember anything. She's so weak, she can hardly hold memories for a while as her body recovers.

And yes, this is inspired on the author's own experience with a few changes even though I had no idea until I reached a point in the book I couldn't ignore how real all the descriptions seemed.

Kinsella is still alive, we know the ending, but I still couldn't stop hurting from the pages. Of course, as this is fiction, we do get an ending, and it's flawless. This isn't a story about tragedy.

Still, keep in mind all the context in case it can be a trigger for you. Otherwise, I recommend it to everyone.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Rating: 5 out of 5.