Expectation: The most razor-sharp and heartbreaking novel of the year

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The woman speaks about the tomb, about how it was found on her father’s land, a mile or so from where she and her family live today. About the human remains that were found there – no skeletons, only jumbled bones, thousands upon thousands of them. About the eagle talons found in amongst them. About the theory that the bodies were left out to be eaten by the birds. Like the sky burials of Tibet. How only the clean bones were saved. Dabei fällt das Lesen nicht immer leicht, es ist mitunter sehr schmerzhaft und auch zuweilen fast unangenehm, Hannah, Cate und Lissa auf ihren sich immer wieder kreuzenden Wegen zu begleiten. Die Geschichte ist wie ein Sog, aus dem man sich nur schwer befreien kann - ich konnte mich vor allem gedanklich lange nicht mehr von den drei Freundinnen losreißen. Zusätzlich wird der Roman auf ganz großartige Weise in prägnante Schauplätze (London, Canterbury) und das jeweilige (feministische) Zeitgeschehen eingebettet - inklusive einiger wirklich hinreißender Nebencharaktere, die mein Herz gewinnen konnten.

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The most razor-sharp and heartbreaking novel of the year, EXPECTATION is a novel about finding your way: as a mother, a daughter, a wife, a rebel. Expectation is a beautifully written tale about the ups and downs of female friendship. Truthful, vivid and absorbing, this is a novel which is easy to get lost in.Expectation was the satisfying, complex yet somehow airy, read that I want right now. We follow three friends from college, Hannah, Lissa and Cate, who are now in their late thirties. Chapters alternate perspectives between the three women. There are also a few chapters interspersed throughout the book that tell how they all met, and memories from when they were younger.

Expectation: The most razor-sharp and heartbreaking novel of

The more I think about the handling of Lissa's character, the worse it all seems. She is repeatedly stated to be the most beautiful member of the group. At the very beginning of the book, she is introduced as the one who stays out late and wakes up hungover. The party girl. And yet she is also the only one of the main three we ever see working - we see Hannah at work, but the author never actually describes the work itself, only the phone calls from the fertility clinic that Hannah steps out of the office to answer. Whereas we see Lissa attend multiple auditions, rehearse with other actors, star in a Chekhov play, and eventually return to her soul-destroying gig as a life drawing model. This novel felt like releasing a deep breath. It reminds me a lot of Sally Rooney, but without that characteristic detachment. It reminds us that everyone is on their own path with their own struggles and hurdles, but that we shouldn’t feel guilty for fixating on our journey. It reminds us that friendships grow, evolve and sometimes go. I was surprised to find myself relating to Lissa, who differs from me in many ways, and yet felt like a twisted reflection of what I would be if I let go. Wake, published in the UK in 2014, has now been translated into over 20 languages. It was called ‘a masterclass in historical fiction’ by The Observer and shortlisted for New Writer of the Year at the National Book Awards in the UK.

Ten years on, they are not where they hoped to be. Amidst flailing careers and faltering marriages, each hungers for what the others have. And each wrestles with the same question: what does it take to lead a meaningful life? But what is it all worth - the beauty, the parties, the doomed attempts to forge a career - what is it all worth, Anna Hope seems to ask, without a baby to make your life truly complete? There's even a bit where Lissa brings up her abortion and dutifully bursts into tears, because heaven forbid that a woman terminate her pregnancy and not regret it later.

Expectation by Anna Hope - Culturefly Book Review: Expectation by Anna Hope - Culturefly

In a nutshell: I’m not saying it’s profound or even very memorable, but it’s relatable and enjoyable, and it made me sad that I don’t have any really close girlfriends.Hannah, Cate and Lissa are young, vibrant and inseparable. Living on the edge of a common in East London, their shared world is ablaze with art and activism, romance and revelry – and the promise of everything to come. They are electric. They are the best of friends.