Delighted to include this title in the July edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

A woman skips church with her husband and children to swim in their apartment complex pool and then refuses to come out when they return. If that sounds boring to you, trust me it’s not. This is a slim novel but somehow manages to pack in the entire back story of a marriage where you learn about secrets, grievances and desires from both sides. I loved the tension, especially towards the ending.

During an unusually warm November day in Delaware, and Kathleen decides to stay home from church because she’s feeling unwell. When her husband Virgil and two children return home, they find her in the apartment’s pool, and she doesn’t want to get out. The plot feels so simplistic, but Jessica Anthony treats us to a vivid, and multilayered backstory that unfolds beautifully on the page. Once immersed in Kathleen & Virgil’s world, we see how flawed and nuanced they both are beneath the surface of their seemingly perfect mid-century marriage. Secrets are slowly unraveled through husband and wife’s alternating perspectives, while power dynamics and gender roles are thoroughly explored. The story also meditates on unfulfilled dreams and lives not lived. While I didn’t feel deeply connected to either character, I still really enjoyed the story overall, and highly look forward to checking out more of Anthony’s titles in the future.

A slim novel, all of 144 pages, set in the 1950s, that dives into the marriage of Kathleen and Virgil. A more innocent time one may wrongly think about the 1950s, at least it is not innocent for this married couple with two sons, whose lives, especially during the course of their marriage thus far, are filled with un-marital behavior and secrets. Kathleen, who'd thought she might have what it takes to become a professional tennis player, opted for the safer course of marriage and children, and yet she isn't constrained so much by her husband - nor is he constrained by her - but by the choices she herself made, that she didn't have to make. The set-up is clever, on a fall day that seems warm as summer, Kathleen, fearing what awaits her in the future, opts out of Sunday church - the family-churchgoing a new activity that Virgil has instituted for his own reasons - and gets into the pool in the apartment complex where the family has been living, ostensibly temporarily, and stays there for the next several hours. She. her past and parents and aspirations and loves, are not the only focus, Virgil gets equal, if not more, time, his life and father and workdays, are under examination, and hours later the question left open-ended is whether they will or won't move forward together. I enjoyed the throwback, the details, the revelation of secrets, and found it interesting that no present-day sensibility really intruded on the unfolding story. That being said, I also lost some interest along the way and I'm not sure why.

Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for the arc.

"From "one of our most thrilling and singular innovators on the page" (Laura Van Den Berg), a tightly wound, consuming tale about a 1950s American housewife who decides to get into the pool in her family's apartment complex one morning and won't come out.

It is an unseasonably warm Sunday in November 1957. Katheen, a college tennis champion turned Delaware housewife, decides not to join her flagrantly handsome life insurance salesman husband, Virgil, or their two young boys, at church. Instead, she takes a dip in the kidney-shaped swimming pool of their apartment complex. And then she won't come out.

A riveting, single-sitting read set over the course of eight hours, The Most breaches the shimmering surface of a seemingly idyllic mid-century marriage, immersing us in the unspoken truth beneath. As Sputnik 2 orbits the earth carrying Laika, the doomed Soviet dog, Kathleen and Virgil hurtle towards each other until they arrive at a reckoning that will either shatter their marriage, or transform it, at last, into something real."

There's something so nostalgic about this book.

I did not like this at all. It was full of repetitive writing and story telling. Ultimately, this was just a sad and boring story of a husband and wife who have continuously cheated on one another and have always been unhappy in their marriage. This was not the story that I thought I was going to get and I hated it.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I honestly thought this novella didn't fit the description very well and was a bit disappointed. It tells the story of a marriage in the 1950s, told from both the perspective of the husband and the wife. That said, I thought the pool would be more of a integral part of the story, and I didn't love the ending.

This book takes place all in one afternoon while Kathleen camps out in a swimming pool and her husband, Virgil, wonders what’s going on. Highly introspective and very much a set of character studies, this book delves into the pasts and current circumstances of this couple. It’s simple and complex at the same time and I found it captivating.

This novella is based on a crossroads of sorts when a woman enters a pool one day and will not get out. It is about a married couple and whether they move forward in the relationship, or end things. It is hard at the first of the book to figure out what was going on. Both sides of the marriage have their walls torn away so the readers can see, but they are still blind to what the other partner had going on in their relationship. I thought it was a fairly good character study, however felt that it really didn't go anywhere and there was no resolution. This was just ok for me. I felt invested, but was frustrated when no decision was made. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

A portrait of an unhappy 1950s marriage, a la Mad Men or Revolutionary Road or John Cheever's "The Swimmer." I thought there was going to be something more made of the premise, the housewife's staying in a swimming pool and Laika orbiting the earth—something supernatural or absurd or historical (Laika <--> Wife bodyswap?)—but this was a pretty much straightforward domestic novella that easily could have been a short story.

I didn't find the main characters' marriage or backstory that interesting, which is surprising because Jessica Anthony's "Enter the Aardvark" was a really stylish satirical novel with a crazy historical backstory. This novella was well written but more muted, and for what?

It’s an unusually warm November day in Newark, Delaware. Kathleen Beckett looks out from her balcony to the kidney shaped pool below, the pool nobody uses, and decides to go for a dip. As the day passes, Kathleen refuses to get out of the pool leaving her husband, Virgil, concerned about her… He thinks maybe she’s having one of those “episodes”.

This novella follows the domestic life of one American couple in the 1950s, shifting point of view from husband to wife. Each has their own secrets, grievances, and longings. Anthony does a wonderful job creating a 1950s atmosphere and capturing the complex feelings of longing. However, this novella felt a little drab to me. Considering it’s only 144 pages, it could be read in one sitting but it took me about 3 days to finish because once I put it down, I didn’t care to go back to it. I think this novella would have worked better from first person narrative to create a more personal narrative. I don't think this was bad, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. Available 07/30/2024!

The Most is a beautifully written novella about Kathleen and her husband Virgil and takes place on an unseasonably warm November day in the 1960s. Kathleen spends the entire day in the pool of their apartment complex reflecting on her childhood, marriage, lovers, and her past success in playing college tennis. Meanwhile Virgil settles into his day following routine, church and golf, and reflects on his career, passion for jazz, and a former lover who has recently reached out. Ultimately, this novella volleys between the two and each come to a point that they need to be honest about their marriage.

I read this one in basically one sitting! It's such a weirdly simple idea but it's executed so well. The way the tensions just slowly rise and rise throughout the book before crescendoing at the end it so engaging! I almost wish the book had been a bit longer, because I'm so curious about what happened between the couple, but I also kind of like that it ends ambiguously. Either way, I loved this one -- the vibes were immaculate, the writing was incredible, and it was expertly paced.

Wonderful book! You can finish this book in one sitting. It holds your attention. You will not want to put this book down.

A solid 5 out of 5 for this one. I was captivated from the start and loved the story. I was sucked into the scene from the very first sentence and didn't want it to end. The storyline takes place over a single day, Kathleen is in the pool at the apartment complex where she and her husband and two children live. Everyone tries to get Kathleen out of the pool, but she won't budge. While Kathleen is in the pool, we get the back story on her life, her romance with Virgil (her husband), and her what-ifs.

This book is not only entertaining but also short. If you only have a little time or need a book that is good and will raise your "Read" number, this is THE BOOK!!!

I thought this was a decent little novel. I enjoyed reading about the main characters, Kathleen and Virgil. set in 1950s America. It was simple and straightforward, but still enjoyable.

The first few pages of 'The Most' were so so sharp, reading them was like a knife through butter (or however that saying goes). Each of the characters were richly written and I fell easily into the little domestic bubble of Acropolis Place. But perhaps it was a little too easy. I did enjoy the read, but wish there was something left to savor, something I can take with me to ruminate. The drama was almost too neat, too contained. Incisive reflection on the culmination of what-ifs and could-have-beens, but ultimately I was expecting something more observational, more critical.

3. 5 stars rounded up to 4

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own. I am auto-approved by this publisher.

This novella was a great read for a sunshine-kissed day. It's the 1950's and from all appearances, Kathleen and Virgil have a solid marriage. They have two beautiful sons-Nathaniel and Nicholas and they are living in the "perfect home." But on one Sunday in November, Virgil goes with the boys to church and Kathleen takes a dip in the pool. What follows is a story of secrets, regrets and the choices that we make.

I like unusual reads. The concept of a woman who just refuses to get out of the pool even though her husband, neighbours, and children are wondering if she's lost her mind- truly held me in its hands. It somehow makes the entire story all that more alluring. Jessica Anthony allows both Kathleen and Virgil to share the narrative and I appreciated having both their perspectives. Even if, sometimes, it made the story repetitive.

There's a lot to discuss and I think it makes it a fitting selection for a future book club chat.



#TheMost #NetGalley
Expected Publication Date 30/07/24
Goodreads Review 01/06/24

This is such a perfect read over the summer, specifically a pool or beach day because you can finish this in one sitting, and you will want to because of all the tea you are about to be given for the couple we follow in this book.

Set in the 1950s over the span of a day, we are thrown into the lives of Kathleen and Virgil, we get a glimpse into their current life, their history growing up, the relationship with their parents, how they met, some choices and thoughts over the span of their life as they reflect on everything. Honestly it is impressive how much info we get in such a tiny book!

Kathleen has hit a breaking point and the only thing she wants to do is go in the pool and not come out, Virgil tried multiple times throughout the day to convince her to come out. We bounce back and forth in this novel getting both of their perspectives, thoughts, and secrets. There is one secret that absolutely had my jaw drop, because I didn't expect it to happen.

Jessica Anthony paints such strong characters in this novel and such a strong story, it was so delightful to read and would love to read more by her!

I am so thankful to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this thriller before it hits shelves on June 25, 2024. This one wasn't for me, but I am still so thankful for the opportunity to read and review it.