Shortlist for the 2021 Booker Prize. A contemporary novel that would have been impossible ten years ago. Is there life after the Internet? She is a modern woman. She lives on the Internet. She talks about politics, religion, tolerance, ecology and constantly scrolls social media feeds. But one day reality overtakes her like a cannon salvo. Two short messages from the mother, and overnight everything that seemed important turns to dust in the face of life. “I am absolutely delighted with this book. Patricia Lockwood's talent is unique, and this is her strangest, funniest and most touching text yet." – Sally Rooney “Lockwood's style is not laconic but inventive; not mannered, but skillful. This novel is a true irony upon irony, but as it progresses it becomes a quiet and touching story of love and loss.” – The Wall Street Journal “Everyone will be talking about this book.” – Harper's Bazaar