Welcome to Litsy!

July 2025 Book #9

This was a surprised. I was reluctant to read this book but I will say I enjoyed it. I liked the first part where first impressions are not always accurate. It was so well described. I liked the author‘s writing style. But then the second part was totally different. It shows the dynamic of a dysfunctional co-dependent family which was also well described. So what was then the problem? ⬇️

Shakespeare‘s “All the world‘s a stage” monologue kept coming to mind...

Weird and destabilizing, the novel is split into halves with its very premise inverting itself for part 2. But while what‘s true and who the characters are to one another shifts dramatically, the persistent matter of performance (on and off stage) makes for a fast, fascinating read about identity, authenticity, and the limitations to knowing/being known by those we love.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This simultaneously tried too hard and not enough.

In part one the unnamed protagonist meets a younger man in a restaurant. Then part two, the same characters, but an entirely different story. Despite my confusion I didn‘t dislike this. The writing was sharp and elegant and at times probed what we perceive as a family in a refreshingly uncomfortable way. As a whole, reading this made me feel grown up and almost elegant myself, completely swayed by the New York vibe. A brief, enjoyable conundrum.

Hugely anticipated this and then it felt odd.
I had a brief idea of the plot but not enough to pre empt what it would read like.
I think I need a book club focus on it?

A curious book in which 2 narratives show the same characters appear as actors in v different stories of their lives. In the 1st, an actress meets a young man for lunch, + he tells her he is her son, which she tells him is impossible. The story then explores her marriage as she stars on stage. In the 2nd, Xavier is her son, who brings his lover to the family home, a cuckoo in the nest. An unsettling read, stilted prose, but hypnotic + absorbing.

I hated it here…

⭐️⭐️

This is incredible…though I‘m not sure that my idea of what happened in this novel is what the author actually intended for me to think…but I don‘t care. I don‘t need to understand something to completely love and enjoy every minute of this. And what I think what happened is superb- the structure and writing makes this a strong, artsy pick from me.

Promising start but I felt like it lost momentum and really lacked originality. I can‘t see how this is on the Booker short list? I was glad it was short

#bookershortlist #audition

I attempt to read at least the Booker short list but usually fail. However, I did read this interesting book with its precise and refined writing style. The tension from both the writing and the mid book displacement kept me engaged throughout. One doesn‘t need to understand what exactly is going on to feel that whatever is going on, this is exactly how to write about it. Many friends hated this book. I rather loved it. #booker2025

I don‘t always enjoy reading “smart” literary fiction but I did enjoy this after listening to a discussion of it on Sarah‘s Bookshelves. It was a spoiler discussion but that doesn‘t really matter in a book like this. The experience is more about the writing and what the author is trying to do with it. I might read it again before it‘s due back to the library.

I‘m just going to assume that the reason I couldn‘t enjoy this Booker nominated piece is that my brain is just not wired in such a way as to be able to appreciate this level of pretentiousness.

Book 75/80 #Read2025 @DieAReader

This is definitely a book that'll linger for a while. My mind keeps returning to the story - was it a single story in 2 parts, or was it a dual story? Where does it start/end? The ambiguity feels intentional and IMO makes this book work. I also enjoyed the exploration of a woman's identity - what is gained/lost by choices made? (Also, it's been a stressful day so picture is my stress relief this evening. Ice cream makes everything better, right?)

Just started part 2. Seren's face says it for me. Definitely intrigued and ready to see where this goes.

Our panel has started our Booker reviews. Audition was the first book up for discussion. Check out all the reviews on the blog and link to your own reviews.

I did enjoy this one and I think #camplitsy discussions made it even more enjoyable

https://thereadersroom.org/2025/08/22/2025-booker-longlist-audition-by-katie-kit...

Please help me tag the other Booker readers. My brain is stalled this morning

My 4th from the #Booker longlist completely wowed me. Brain whirring. This was a really intense reading experience for me. The wording is precise and meaningful, but the meaning is elusive. I was just very engaged on the sentence level, in a fun way. I have too much to say for a Litsy post. ☺️

For those open to uncertainty, I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's not only doing a ton of stuff, but it's doing it beautifully.

#Booker2025

I wasn't sure about the first part of this book, but the second won me over with the sheer creepy discomfort I felt when I read it. I think I might have to let it percolate for a few days before I decide exactly how I feel about it, but it was really cleverly done and a good choice by the #Booker judges. I suspect this might make my personal shortlist.
#BookerLonglist

I love seeing Obama's summer reading list each year... and I feel oddly validated when I've read books he's read 😂 This year's list made me think he needs a #CampLitsy invite next year! I'm fascinated that he included Audition on his list: “A quiet novel about the ways we hide our true selves from others — and ourselves.“ Hmmm. I want to hear more...

https://www.obama.org/stories/president-obamas-favorite-books-summer-2025/

18 Aug 2025 (audiobook)
#Bookerlonglist2025 No 5
I am not sure I enjoyed this book, but I appreciated the discomfort it made me feel as a reader and that it truly went somewhere unexpected. In that way, it reminded me a little of All Fours. Not entirely sure what it was about.
I had not intended to listen to audio, and expect hard copy would have been better, but inadvertently purchased and could not return. Strange how that sometimes happens.

I‘m on chapter 3. Everyone seems bewildered trying to understand this one. Little 🧠 primed. #booker #Booker2025

What was that???
#Booker
@JenP @AnneCecilie @TheKidUpstairs @Leniverse @charl08 @Chelsea.Poole @JamieArc @BarbaraBB @Graywacke @Ruthiella @ChaoticMissAdventures @vikaplus321

Audition, by Katie Kitamura (2025)

Premise: A sliding doors exploration of relationships and the roles we play.

Review: This is a very smart novel: the first half explores an actress struggling with a new role who finds herself confronted by a young man who thinks he may be her son; the second explores that same woman thriving in her role and as the mother of that same young man. Both halves also explore her marriage from different directions.⬇️

https://youtu.be/irRbCL-8Jw4?feature=shared

I've started my series of book reviews and discussions on my channel.

This is the first one for Audition 🩷

First part is spoiler-free, then I flag up when I'm going to get into the nitty gritty.

Start your engines! The Booker Prize Longlist is here https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/2025?utm_source=subst...

Who's reading from the list this year? Which titles excite/interest you the most?

@BarbaraBB @squirrelbrain @Graywacke @JamieArc (I can't remember who else follows the Booker, feel free to tag others for discussion! Or just hop on in!)

Audition made the #BookerPrize longlist! Interested to see what other #camplitsy people think of this!

Personally I didn‘t enjoy reading it. But I can see how it‘s a good novel? I just don‘t like being confused! 🤣

#camplitsy25
@squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB

There are many ways I could read this novel, many clues I could (and did) highlight, many threads to pull. One thing I feel confident about is that it's about the parts that we play in our lives, the way that we sometimes continue to play the part even when it's not working anymore, the way that we get caught in our role and lose sight of who we are, if anyone, apart from it. There are other things here, but this one I'm pretty sure about.

So this book was fine enough of a listen. Although I‘m not sure what the author was trying to convey with this book. I wasnt always paying the most attention but still I‘ve noticed this book has a low Goodreads rating. So yeah I don‘t have any takeaways from this book. Kind of a waste of almost 5 hours. It was compelling until it wasn‘t. Maybe 3 stars was too generous.

Sleepy Silo is an excellent lap cat on this Sunday morning, but his contagious sleepiness isn't helping me lock in and finish this novel finally.

This book was just too weird, the characters were really unlikable and I still don't understand what happened 🤷🏼‍♀️
But I did have fun with the discussions.
#CampLitsy25
@squirrelbrain @Megabooks @BarbaraBB
#WickedWords #love
@AsYouWish

Like many of you, my reaction to this book is mainly “what did I just read?” I appreciate what she‘s trying to do here even while I don‘t follow a lot of it, but overall this was too tedious to be enjoyable. I loved Intimacies so this was a little disappointing.

Reading all the #camplitsy25 comments was super helpful, though! I‘m on a slight delay but trying to read all the books at some point!

Um… I… hmm. Okay.

I appreciate what the author is doing here, but I didn‘t so much enjoy reading it. I like how the book mirrors the play at the center of the book, but in the end I‘m not satisfied with what she did include (or rather, what she left out). Two contradictory halves that play with the concepts of perception, reality, and performance—and kind of rely on the reader to make meaning of it all—left me frustrated. I read for characters, ⬇

Late to camp, starting my homework today 🤪 #CampLitsy25

Now if only I could get a skip-the-line copy of Wild Dark Shore…

A book of two parts where I loved each part individually. She writes beautifully, but I‘m not sure I understand their connectedness even reading all the comments from the #Camplitsy2025 discussions

I read her previous book and will read more of her in the future

#camplitsy25

It‘s been a perplexing first fortnight at camp, hasn‘t it?!

That new girl, Katie, I think she‘s called, seems to think she‘s an actress and she has all sorts of stories to tell, but she changes her mind every few hours as well! Hopefully we can figure her out between us. 😜

Don‘t forget we‘re only tagging the first question each week, so scroll down for questions 2 and 3.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

#camplitsy25

What does the author mean by a family being a shared delusion or a mutual construction? Do you agree with this concept?

What did you think of the familial relationships in the two parts - did they differ?

What about the MC‘s husband - what is his role in all of this? And let‘s not forget about Hana - what impact did she have on the story, and on the other characters?

#camplitsy25

And, for our final question for this book and, as many of you have put in your reviews, WTF is going on?!

I know many of you have questions, so here‘s your opportunity and, hopefully, *someone* will have answers!

Here‘s a couple of questions from me to get us started:

Is one half real, the other fiction?
Is this meta-fiction?

Thanks for all your input and comments on this challenging book! 🏕️

I agree this is an odd book, but I enjoyed it. I have an idea about what I think it‘s doing. I‘m looking forward to seeing what the campers think. #CampLitsy25

We're having some good times this trip, but I'm looking forward to the next phase of the journey, which will be away from the older generation for a bit. I'm grateful to be able to visit with them, but every time I open my book, they want to talk about something else. I am accustomed to more quiet time than this.

Photo: Red squirrel having a snack in Summit County, Ohio.

I finished Audition.
I am perplexed. Baffled. What just transpired? Parallel Universes?
#Camplitsy25

All done and ready to discuss with other campers.

#CampLitsy25

⭐️⭐️

First #Camplitsy25 book is not a pick for me unfortunately!

I don‘t like reading things with unreliable narrators where you don‘t quite understand what is happening, and I get that the book mirrors the play, but it doesn‘t really rescue this for me. I‘m left with too many questions unanswered. Maybe I just didn‘t “get” it and the discussion will change my mind.

#camplitsy

I am thinking about this book, and what our conversation on Saturday will look like, and there is an NPR interview with Kitamura that is super interesting. She talks about how she wants the 2 halves of the story to sit along side each other, and the idea of this image comes up.

Is it a rabbit or a duck?

NPR article here: https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/nx-s1-5243214/katie-kitamura-says-a-solution-is-n...

I am not smart enough to understand this book. Looking forward to the #CampLitsy25 discussion on Saturday, hoping for some enlightenment. Or at least some commiseration, lol. 🤪😳😵‍💫

Well… I guess Saturday‘s #CampLitsy25 discussion will be interesting. 🧐 I am in the WHAAAT?? Group for this one.
I didn‘t have the strong feelings (positive or negative) that I‘m reading about in so many reviews for this book. I‘m really looking forward to the discussion to hear what the other campers have to say.

What a ride of a book! I absolutely loved it, and will be thinking about it for quite some time, just trying to wrap my head around it! The first part is fairly straightforward, but thoughtfully wrought. Then that second part comes in, full of questions and a growing sense of unease. Like many others, I am left wondering WTF exactly just happened, but in a really delicious way.

cont'd in comments