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Nobody, Somebody, Anybody
Nobody, Somebody, Anybody: A Novel | Kelly McClorey
13 posts | 9 read | 35 to read
Named a Best Debut to Read This Summer by Entertainment Weekly A moving and darkly comic debut novel about an anxious young woman who administers a self-made placebo treatment in a last-ditch attempt to rebuild her life Amy Harney has a job as a maid for the summer, but on August 25, she will take the exam to become an EMT (third times the charm!) and finally move on with her life. In the meantime, she doesnt mind scrubbing toilets immaculately clean or tucking the sheet corners just so. In fact, she tells herself that her work is a noble act of service to the rich guests at the yacht club. Amys profound isolation colors everything: her job, her aspirations, even her interactions with the woman at the deli counter. And as the date for the EMT exam comes closer, Amys anxiety ratchets up in a way that is both familiar and troubling. In desperation, she concocts a placebo programa self-prescribed regimen for her confidence, devised to trick herself into succeeding. When her landlord, Gary, starts to invite her over for dinnerto practice his cooking skills as he awaits approval of his Ukrainian fiancs visaAmy makes her first friend since her mothers passing. Alongside this unexpected connection comes a surge of hopeful obsession that Amy knows she must reckon with before the summers end. Tender and laugh-out-loud funny, Nobody, Somebody, Anybody explores the shadowy corners of a young womans inner world of grief, delusion, and self-loathing, revealing the creeping loneliness of modern life and our endless search for connection. Kelly McClorey captures the hilarity and heartbreak of American ambition.
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review
BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

Amy is a chambermaid but that‘s just temporarily: she‘ll become an EMT. When things don‘t really work out she decides to speed things up a bit by using a placebo method. In a whirlwind of a summer Amy becomes acquainted with a bunch of people, among whom her landlord who‘s about to get married. We learn about her dark backstory while Amy keeps making wrong decisions. ⬇️⬇️

BarbaraBB It‘s all so sad yet tragicomic and I kept hoping for Amy‘s personal development to be like the title implies.

A great read with Moshfegh vibes. Thank you @Megabooks for sending me this book! 🩷
2h
Megabooks You‘re welcome! I‘ll put a bit about what I think about the title in a spoiler. 1h
Megabooks I've read this a couple of times, and here's what I think about the title. She feels like a nobody when she's just working as a chambermaid and has not passed EMT. But then she's a somebody when she's helping her landlord and finds purpose. Then as she boards the ship at the end, I think there is an actual line that talks about how she could be anybody now. She's stepping into a new life that's not connected to her old one. 1h
Megabooks And that trauma with the professor that seems to have set her on such a crazy course. It looks like you are all having such a good time. Sending love and Christmas wishes! 1h
BarbaraBB @Megabooks I thought the same and I am glad for the anybody-future that opens for her! That professor is interesting too, I just didn‘t exactly get what happened when her mother died. 1h
22 likes5 comments
blurb
BarbaraBB
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#WeeklyForecast 52/24

I am reading the Marrs, which is always a good idea when on vacation. Next will be the tagged, a Christmas gift from Meg. I also hope to read another #ToB25Longlist book, Wolf at the Table.

Megabooks Oh yea! I hope you enjoy it! 1d
63 likes1 comment
review
Ruthiella
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One of my favorite literary sub-genres: the disaster woman narrative. Amy is so lonely, she reads her landlord‘s mail and thinks she has a special relationship with the woman behind the deli counter at the supermarket. Her self delusion is cringeworthy. Just why she had to leave college and is avoiding contact with her family is slowly revealed. Meets #Booked2022 prompt “Set in a hotel” since she works as a chambermaid at a yacht club.

truthinfiction Sounds fascinating!!! 3y
Ruthiella @truthinfiction It was kinda like a traffic accident where you can‘t look away. 3y
EvieBee One of my 2021 top 5! 3y
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Ruthiella @EvieBee I remember your review! It definitely pushed me to pick it up. 😃 3y
Cinfhen Nice pick!! I recently read this but I don‘t remember too much 🤷🏼‍♀️I‘m glad you enjoyed 3y
Cathythoughts Love your review! Sounds great , stacked 3y
Ruthiella @Cinfhen We‘ll see how long Amy sticks with me! 3y
Ruthiella @Cathythoughts If you also like the Disaster Woman Narrative, I think you‘ll like this take on it. 3y
batsy The disaster woman narrative! I like that term and I'm drawn to those books, too (I'm thinking of Moshfegh or Mary Gaitskill's Two Girls, Fat and Thin). 3y
Ruthiella @batsy I got the term from booktuber Matthew Sciarappa. I still need to read Mary Gaitskill and (edited) 3y
65 likes4 stack adds10 comments
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Cinfhen
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Midway through, this book took a turn and went from quirky & whimsical to weighty & somber. Amy works as a chambermaid, just passing the time until she completes her EMT certification and can finally achieve her dream of being a real life Florence Nightingale. But is that really what Amy wants? This book will slowly break your heart as you discover the events that derailed Amy. Great audio narration 🎧♥️ Definitely some Eleanor Oliphant vibes.

BkClubCare That cover suggests drama, for sure. 3y
Cinfhen I 😍the cover @BkClubCare it reminds me of this book / 3y
BkClubCare @Cinfhen - yes, wild ride that was and also had a great cover 3y
78 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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Cinfhen
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#CurrentListen #Scribd #BONKERS But in a really engaging way…Milk Fed meets My Year of Rest & Relaxation with a dash of Eleanor Oliphant. Thanks for the recommendation @Megabooks

Cathythoughts Great description!! I think I‘ll add it to the list 👍🏻❤️ 3y
Megabooks I think I‘m going to give it a relisten after I finish 3y
Cinfhen Vanderbilt is on my #wishlist @Megabooks I‘ll be watching for your review and now this book is turning darker & deeper…it‘s a little sad and giving me some Tampa vibes, I can see why you listed it as a missed rooster 🐔 3y
Cinfhen It‘s a strange book @Cathythoughts but I‘m enjoying it 3y
63 likes4 comments
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Andrea313
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Pickpick

I blazed through Nobody, Somebody, Anybody, a quick, tight story of an isolated, alienated young woman with ambitions she can never quite manage to fulfill. Several reviews I read compared it to My Year of Rest and Relaxation, so I had to check that out, too. I found Moshfegh's story fascinating but ultimately as shallow as its main character. My recommendation goes to the tagged book- Amy's conflicting desperation and inertia totally drew me in.

EvieBee So glad you like it! I am still thinking about it. I love lonely people. 3y
Andrea313 @EvieBee I'm still thinking about it, too! In a lot of ways, I found the "voice" of the book more similar to Convenience Store Woman than anything else, even though there are many differences. But mostly it stands on its own in its beauty/ weirdness/ tragedy. 3y
EvieBee So true! That is another one I really liked! Whatever this is, I want more of it. 3y
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Ruthiella @EvieBee @andrea313 one book that I enjoyed that kinda fits the criteria is 3y
Andrea313 @Ruthiella Thanks for the recommendation! This will be going in my list! 3y
EvieBee @Ruthiella Thank you! I will definitely be checking this out. 3y
36 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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EvieBee
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This morning on my way to the library, I stopped by my favorite #lfl and found this gem. The very book I had planned to buy after loving it! It was a library ebook loan, so now I have my very own copy! I left some Salinger paperbacks that I‘ve given up on—hopefully someone else‘s treasure.

LeahBergen What luck! 👏🏻 3y
EvieBee @LeahBergen Yes! Out of all the books, right?! 3y
marleed I love it when that happens and I find the LFL growing a favorite book - right there for the taking! 3y
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Christine Amazing!! 3y
EvieBee @marleed It‘s so perfect isn‘t it?! 💕 3y
DivineDiana Serendipity! 👏🏻💗📚 3y
EvieBee @DivineDiana Definitely! Out of all books, right?! 💕 3y
69 likes1 stack add8 comments
blurb
Andrea313
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Skipping out of work a little early today to enjoy this slice of Heaven. 🧡📚🫖 #currentlyreading

review
EvieBee
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Pickpick

HBO shows are my jam but get bogged down with language, nudity, and violence—I avoid them. But what McClorey has crafted here makes for excellent reading AND viewing. It‘s dark comedy that envelopes a troubled young woman who is struggling to keep afloat. It‘s equally deep and ridiculous, unflinching and cathartic. I haven‘t read too many five star books this year, but this is definitely one! Reminds me of Anita Brookner.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Nute You‘ve got my full attention! 3y
Megabooks Glad you loved it!! 3y
EvieBee @Nute Lol! 🤗 3y
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EvieBee @Megabooks Yaaas! I couldn‘t quite put my finger on what I was craving, and this was definitely it. Thanks again for the recommendation. 3y
DivineDiana I feel exactly the same about so much TV viewing. It is difficult to find adult viewing that I enjoy. Masterpiece Theater usually works! ❤️ 3y
EvieBee @DivineDiana Yes! So glad I‘m not alone. 💕 3y
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EvieBee
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I can‘t stop laughing at this. Our main character is an oddball in the best possible way. She describes her first almost love and his extreme dedication to marathon running. It‘s what drew her to him. His single-mindedness. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Megabooks This is such a funny book! 3y
EvieBee @Megabooks I‘m dying! It‘s so funny. Thank you for putting this on my radar. 3y
44 likes2 comments
review
Megabooks
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Pickpick

The more I think about this Moshfegh-esque novel, the more I like it! Amy is chambermaid that wants to be an EMT. She can‘t seem to pass her state exam, but she‘s pretending she has as motivation. Her awkwardness gives off vibes of past trauma. Then she starts reading her landlord‘s mail. She draws closer in his orbit, going shopping and over for dinners. This further gives her purpose, but her house of cards is very precarious… #audiobook

Megabooks @BarbaraBB I think this is one to watch for in paperback for you. It was right in the “I‘m glad I spent $11.50 on it.” sweet spot. 👍🏻 i wish I had more in print to share with you! (edited) 3y
Cinfhen Hmmmmm, definitely intrigued!! 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen it was exactly worth an audible credit! Really glad I tried it. 3y
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BarbaraBB Thanks! Love your review. Stacked! 3y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB thanks! This is definitely in your wheelhouse. 👍🏻 3y
BarbaraBB It‘s expensive in hardcover indeed. I‘ll wait for the paperback as you suggested 🤍 3y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB I figured it would be. It‘s a great debut, but I‘m not 💯 enough that you would enjoy to recommend spending that many €. 💜 The Molly countdown is still on! I just tried to sleep for the last hour, and it‘s just completely eluding me (worse than usual). I am one of those crazy people who sleeps with her dogs, and I haven‘t slept as well since Henry died. 🤞🏻 Molly‘s a good snuggler (after she has a bath)! 😂 3y
Cathythoughts Sounds great … stacking 👍🏻 3y
BarbaraBB You will sleep so good tonight!!! 3y
Megabooks @Cathythoughts fantastic!! 😀💜 3y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB oh looking forward to it! Just got up. I slept three hours. 😂 4:15 until noon here! Dad and I are going together. It will be like old times! 3y
BarbaraBB Great! How many more hours to get rid of? (edited) 3y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB 2 and 1/2 now!! (It‘s 9:30 AM here.) The shelter is 45 minutes away, so we‘re leaving a little after 11 AM. 😀🐶 3y
BarbaraBB One more hour. Make it a memorable day with your dad and Molly on the return trip! 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen here‘s my review!! 3y
Cinfhen The cover totally reminds me of 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen this book is definitely moshfegh-esque! 3y
100 likes5 stack adds17 comments
review
catiewithac
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Mehso-so

This novel disturbed me. There are some elements of humor, but the MC is clearly unwell beyond the average anxiety/depression spectrum. Calling the book “quirky” seems inappropriate, but I‘m sure that‘s how some read it. There‘s something transcendent missing that Ottessa Moshfegh always delivers. Let‘s call this an interesting debut by a promising new author.

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ReadingEnvy
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Pickpick

This is for readers who like Melissa Broder, Otessa Moshfegh, and other Gen Z adulting books. Amy is cleaning rooms at a resort for the summer with aspirations of becoming an EMT and that's the narrative she tells everyone, including an ongoing obsession with Florence Nightingale. When she struggles to pass the final stage she has to figure out how to keep up appearances, and it gets dark and complex before the reader knows the entire true story.

Ruthiella Sounds right up my street! 😀 3y
batsy What @Ruthiella said! 😁 3y
ReadingEnvy @Ruthiella @batsy if you read it, let me know if I‘m close! 3y
Ruthiella Jus finished it and your read-alikes are spot on Jenny! And it‘s no surprise that it was a pick for me too. 👍 3y
53 likes4 stack adds5 comments