Elaine was a really interesting read. I appreciated the character study and the writing was engaging

Elaine based on Will Selfs mothers diaries is an intimate raw look at at a woman’s thoughts, secrets desires.I found it a fascinating read a peak inside the mind of a woman of the 1950s struggling to stay in a failing marriage and role of wife and mother that don’t fulfill her.#netgalley #groveatlantic

This didn’t work out for me. The writing felt messy and almost like AI at times. Nothing flowed well and the story seemed stagnant. Being familiar with the area the book was set in (referenced) the writing did not evoke a feel for that area.

i think maybe his mom’s diaries should have stayed private.
i think will self is funny in person but this did not translate to his writing.
i don’t ever love when a man tries to write a woman’s perspective and this was no different. too wordy, like it is trying too hard to be intelligent.
it just fell flat for me.

It's a joy to read a novel by a writer who pays as much attention to language as Will Self.

But this is a disturbing book. I kept thinking what I would think of it if I hadn't known it's the product of Self's interpretation and retelling of what he found in his late mother's diaries.

When he writes that his mother writes badly, hat she can't stand herself, for how badly she writes--is that her judgment, or his? I kept being distracted by questions by there. When Will Self writes: "She has felt his tongue twine in hers, his hands on her hips and her back" do I blame Will Self, or is that an example of his mother's bad writing? (Let me add that I do think this is bad writing, tongues don't twine.)

So I ended up thinking too much about every sentence. On the other hand, I was invited and encouraged to think about every sentence, and it's maybe even true that my head was held in place, and I was forced to look at every sentence. This is a claustrophobic story, told with uncomfortable intimacy, and I guess that is the point. A story fashioned by and inspired by the diaries of an imprisoned mind who wrote thoughts warped by misogyny and self-loathing, and the fact that I couldn't tell what were thoughts coming from a real person who suffered, and what were thoughts filtered through the memory and imagination of her son, was disturbing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately this book was a major let down. I found it boring and hard to connect with the story. I was very disappointed because the plot sounded interesting. Ultimately, I should've looked at the reviews before requesting this book, as it turns out that I was not the only one who didn't love this book. Oh well.

I had such high hopes for this one, but it unfortunately fell a little flat for me. I loved the whole premise of a 1950s housewife feeling stifled by society's expectations of her, and wanting more for herself. I understood where Self was trying to go with that, and thought it was interesting that he constructed the narrative based on his own mother's diaries—it was a very creative idea, and definitely well-written. However, a male author writing "from a woman's POV" always kind of gives me pause. Which isn't to say that it can't be done well in some cases, but it just doesn't tend to work for me, and that was also the case here, especially since this was described as "auto-oedipal fiction." Stylistically, ELAINE was an interesting read, but it didn't completely work for me in some aspects! Still, I would give it a try if you enjoy stories set in this time period, and are intrigued by the premise. Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC.

This is at best cringe-y and at worst, well, an odd and uncomfortable appropriation of Self's mother's diaries. I'm certain some will find this brilliant and praise it for the insight into a woman's mind but remember- this is drawn from Elaine's diaries. It's written with stylistic quirks that didn't bother me (I like ellipses and dots). Self tries to be incisive and funny as well as sad and desperate but again, that's his mother. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This wasn't for me.

Really intriguing backstory to this premise -- and even better execution. Elaine is the type of careening woman on the verge who could only have been played by powerhouse Gena Rowlands. Delighted to include this title in the September 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)

Most definitely not for me. The star is for me though- because I finished it.

This novel is based on diaries that Will Self's mother kept. I think I'd have kept them to myself.

The "story" is negligible. Elaine is a bored housewife who, it appears, has had affairs previously in her marriage. She seems to find everything dull except for her brilliant son, Billy (I wonder who that is?) She virtually throws herself at a man who flirts with everyone and cons herself into believing that he desires her too.

However the truth is that the object of her desire -Ted - is just as dull as she is.

My problems with this book began almost immediately with the style. There are myriad ellipses and phrases in italics- neither of which I can fathom the reason for.

The last time I tried to read a Will Self book I gave up and I wish I had done this time. There are lots of clever literary devices, Latin, rarely used words etc presumably to demonstrate how very clever Will Self is. I've seen the man interviewed - he's funny and witty - I just wish he'd applied some of that to this dull book that is merely about an affair.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance review copy.

Using her diary entries from the 1950s, Will created this fictionalized account of his mother and captured her secret thoughts of motherhood and womanhood. I'll admit, at first I guffawed at the thought of someone writing this about his very own mom. But, pushing that aside, it's clear that Will Self knows how to write. His use of language is exemplary, even if at times I thought, "Okay, I get it - you're smart!"

This book isn't heavy on plot, so this may not be the book for you if you're looking for a story with a classic format. That doesn't bother me, and I enjoyed the sometimes meandering musings of a woman with a lot of her mind. This was a unique novel, but it really felt like I was stuck in Elaine's brain. I haven't read too many books like this, but this is one that I'll remember.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press for the ARC!

Will Self’s "Elaine" is a colossal and forceful misstep—a textbook example of authorial self-indulgence that seems to loathe both its subject and its audience. It's one of the rare pieces of writing where I can't find anything good to say about it.


In this “auto-oedipal fiction” (okay, gag), Self draws from his mother’s private diaries to craft a story about sexual frustration in the life of a 1950s housewife. It’s definitely a worthy subject for a novel, but its execution is egregious.

Any book written by a man “from a woman’s perspective” should cause the reader to pause, but this spirals immediately into bad taste, showcasing a protagonist that only avoids being a manic pixie dream girl by aging out of it. Self replaces that trope’s fixation on effortless cool with an insistence that women actually *can* be pretty deep. "Elaine" argues for female complexity with such fervor that it becomes reductionist—the author seemingly needs the titular character to *earn* readers’ respect, rather than just assuming she deserves it. This gets even grosser when one considers that at least some of the novel’s thoughts originate from the author’s mother, yet he feels entitled to mediate them through his own lens and for his own purposes.


Furthermore, the prose is insufferable. Elaine is one of the most grating, overwrought things I’ve read in a while, and I say that as someone who loves writing that flirts with the poetic. I love elevated language. I love academic opaqueness. I love when I need to look up a word. The problem is that Self wields his lexicon like a blunt instrument, forcibly bludgeoning the reader in almost every line. As an example, consider this early sentence:

“Despite the tubular dress and the lampshade coiffure, young Genevieve appeared simultaneously gamine, nubile . . . and intelligent.”

Aside from the fact that the word “nubile” should be placed on the literary equivalent of a no-fly list, this sentence also reflects how Self’s writing style never finds a rhythm that balances its dense peaks with approachable valleys. It’s always turned to 11 and often incomprehensible in its desperation to sound bookish—the print equivalent of a podcast bro.

By the end of "Elaine," I just wasn't sure of who was meant to read the book other than its author, and I think that's a problem.

Good writing may start for oneself, but I'm not sure it can successfully end there.

*Elaine* is a contemplative look at a 1950s housewife grappling with her choices and societal expectations. Through Elaine's affair and inner turmoil, the novel delves into the frustrations of her era.

The book reads like a series of diary entries, which felt both introspective and somewhat lacking in plot structure. It’s a bit dry at times, focusing heavily on psychological exploration rather than action.

Though Elaine is a challenging character to warm up to and her situation is sometimes unsettling, the book offers a thought-provoking portrait of mid-century domestic life. It’s a smart, engaging read for fans of character-driven historical fiction. I’d give it 3.5-4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Will Self, booker prize winner takes us to Ithaca, New York in the 1950's . Elaine is wondering "is this it?" of her life with her husband and child. In this case however, the child is Will himself! Self fictionalizes the story of his mother's life and sheds light on her thoughts, her fears and her dreams. Using his mother's own diaries, Self is able to imagine her affair and her utter boredom with the life of a woman is gold.

In a highly personal account (through diaries) of the early sexual revolution, the highly educated wife of a successful academic becomes disenchanted with her marriage and position of housewife and mother. This is a detailed and engrossing fictional account of her emotional breakdown and ultimate end of her marriage.

Will Self writes like no one does any longer. Modernist, with all the focus on an internal world. This is a great read that builds and builds as you move through it. Elaine is a fascinating character and I enjoyed all my time with her.

Elaine is a 1950s housewife who is contemplating her life and the choices she has made. Pushing back against what is deemed the norm, she damages her marriage by having an affair, and within her inner dialogue, we see the frustrations firsthand of a housewife of the 50s.

I’m not sure if this novel was for me. There was too much contemplation and not enough plot. I would have liked to see more structure to the story, but it read precisely what it was based on—diary entries.

Overall, I would recommend it to someone looking for an in-depth psychological auto-oedipal fiction. It's a tad dry at times, but interesting nonetheless.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It took a long time for me to get into this book. Elaine is hard to like, a housewife to an academic, rather obsessively fond of having affairs, real and imagined, with a variety of men. Her marriage is uncomfortable, enough to beg the question, how did they ever decide they should marry? Elaine seems to have some sort of mental health issue, and I got through the first 2/3rds of the book trying to decide what she might be diagnosed with. Her situation becomes increasingly unsustainable, until eventually something, the Thing happens. Elaine becomes maybe more likeable, and the curtain closes. This book reminded me a lot of the sorts of character-driven stories on modern theater, and I think I liked this book. This is one I'd have to think about a while though to decide just how much I liked it and to see how well it stuck with me. Definitely a 3.5-4 star book for me.

"Elaine" is historical fiction written about a woman by her son. Self enters into the world of his mother's frustrations, isolation, and sexual entanglements as a 1950s housewife with great intellect and detail. Yet, at times I found myself wanting to skip ahead in the narrative, I think due to the claustrophobia of being in Elaine' somewhat scattered thoughts, but overall the book was smart and engaging. I would recommend this for fans of Self, historical fiction, and of 50s culture. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
#Elaine

In some ways this is a companion to WS's earlier novel How the Dead Live - another story of death-in-life as it affects a woman not unlike his late Mother. Only this time, no phantasmagoria is needed - getting through the day is more than enough.

As in his memoir Self, the main character's thoughts and memories, offset in italics, fly across the page like a pinball - handy, given Elaine is a seething mass of neuroses about to go critical at virtually any point.

I don't think Self is given enough credit for writing convincingly about women, especially when seen from within. Not many male authors do, with the exception of the late Brian Moore. Self is another.

I admit that I prefer the relative discipline of this work to the other novels, which all suffer from self-indulgence and an acute failure to take the reader much of anywhere. His short stories, interestingly, seldom suffer from the same problem, where he can play out a conceit to its logical conclusion and then quit while he's still ahead.