Sep 19

Sep 19 The Most

About the book

Author: Jessica Anthony
Publisher: Little, Brown

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print) | Libro.fm (audio)

My Review

The Most wasn’t on my radar until it was nominated for the National Book Award, but it’s on everyone’s radar now. It’s definitely a quick and fun reading experience, even if it doesn’t really say anything new.

The book is about a couple in the 50s on an unseasonably hot day in November. The wife skipped church and decided to go for a swim in their apartment complex’s unused pool and then refuses to come out. However, we spend most of the book in flashback, either from his perspective or hers, and get a rich and rewarding look into their marriage.

If there’s one word to describe this book, it’s taut. You’ll spend its 140 pages glued to your seat, unable to look away from the tension — and the ending pays off, in my opinion. Like I said, it doesn’t say much new, but it says its things in a really skillful way, which can be just as good. Not surprised it didn’t make the NBA shortlist, but I can definitely see why it was nominated and I’m glad I read it!