This was hard to follow in some parts. It was a beautifully written story, but the plot was a bit twisty and confusing. Because there are no quotation marks, it made it more confusing. I enjoyed it, though, even though I wouldn’t have picked it up myself. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!

Susan Minot!!!!!! I will read anything by Minot, who is undoubtedly a literary legend. Lust, 12 Monkeys, Evening, are some of the best books written. And this one doesn't disappoint. Her prose, as always, is perfect. Detailing the intimacies of romance + friendship. Here, though, Minot wrestles with aging in a way I don't think she has before, which gets me excited for this new path she's venturing. I can't wait to read whatever she does next.

Thanks to the publisher for the e-galley.

It's been a decade since I've had the pleasure of reading new work by Susan Minot and I was very excited to see "Don't Be a Stranger" showcased in Net Galley. I've been familiar with the wildly talented Minot family and their multifaceted artistic talents (and just read sister Eliza Minots "In the Orchard" fairly recently -- it's just been released in paperback).

Susan Minot is a visual artist and painter as well. Her writing demonstrates an eye for detail that shines through in her setting descriptions and characters. Her language -- the emotions and passions put forth -- are vivid and fiercely relatable.

After reading the synopsis of this book (right up my alley) I hit request: a woman in her early 50s enters into a casual but passionate and increasingly addictive relationship with a handsome and mysterious musician seventeen years her junior. He has a history of jail time, issues with "trust" and other wounded traits that only make him more attractive and coveted. A quest and a challenge. It's not an uncommon story but in the hands of Susan Minot and her engaging and alluring use of language, I was increasingly drawn in as a reader. There were depictions of unrequited love, passion, guilt, shame, and deep want that nearly felt as if Minot was reading my mind from various points of my own life. That's incredible writing.

Ivy Cooper, the main character, is managing work as a self-employed writer who has already written a well-received contemporary novel and has been navigating the logistics of a divorce, being a single mother to Nicky, while also keeping up with friendships and day to day life in NYC. Her 9 year old son, Nicky, is still establishing his feelings since the divorce--with a mom in NY and a father in Virginia--and establishing his own independence and pushing boundaries. Nicky is apt to push Ivy away and voice his dissatisfaction toward her one moment and then seek his "Mumma" for wrestling and reassurance in the next. "Never had kindness seemed so precious" - becomes a lesson over the course of this novel. At times Ivy is bewildered by the fact that she is a mother at all and sincerely doubts her abilities and skills.

"You should be sure, Nicky said. You're a mother." A small man in a boy's body.

There are quotes from Rilke, Lao Tzu, Emerson, Rumi and other brilliant writers and thinkers throughout the book. Ivy seeks solutions within a variety of poetically described "rooms" in the fascinating third part of the book - a hero's journey, a mother's journey, a woman's journey to find herself. Of the greatest significance in this journey are these thoughts:

"Why did you have to have the wits scared out of you to feel sharp, to be content with being alive?"

"She was not aware of when she fell asleep; we never are."

I really enjoyed "Don't Be a Stranger" - the title itself took on multiple meanings as I read through it. I highly recommend it to all who enjoy the depth and messiness of human relationships and what it takes to walk through life and find gratitude. Thank you #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouse for the opportunity to read and review this novel which is due for publication on 10.15.2024.

Susan Minor is a gifted writer and terrific artist. This book made me grateful for the small things in life (which are, indeed, never small after all).

I had a mixed experience with this novel. Initially, I found myself somewhat engaged, but as I reached the halfway point, my interest waned significantly. The pacing felt excessively slow, and the story seemed to lack direction, ultimately coming across as dull and monotonous.

The writing itself wasn’t bad; in fact, it had the potential to create a peaceful yet emotionally resonant narrative. However, the slow-moving plot combined with an overly detailed yet unexciting storyline caused the novel to drag on, diminishing my enthusiasm.

The main male love interest, despite being a central figure, came across as distant and underdeveloped. While this might have been a deliberate choice to highlight the protagonist’s misguided obsession, it ended up making their relationship uninteresting and unfulfilling.

The protagonist’s backstory, which could have added depth to the narrative, felt contrived and was frequently overshadowed by the mundane aspects of her daily life and her bland musician love interest.

This book might appeal to readers who appreciate slow-paced, quiet storytelling and a straightforward plot. However, for me, it became increasingly tempting to abandon the book after the first quarter. I ultimately skimmed the remainder, feeling that the essence of the plot and the overall vibe could have been conveyed more effectively in a shorter, more nuanced format.

Ivy is a writer, mom, and in the aftermath of a tense divorce when she meets Ansel Fleming. Sparks fly, and Ivy enters into a passionate, thrilling affair. Soon however, Ivy’s feelings grow stronger and deeper, and she wants more from this relationship. Ansel is a very attractive man, but is blunt in his assertion that he does not want that.
There follows a long, sporadic succession of encounters initiated by Ivy, that leave her sexually fulfilled, but feeling rejected by Ansel. She hesitates to verbalize her emotional needs, and feels like she is neglecting her son Nicky to obsess over Ansel. It takes years and counseling, plus a health crisis to finally shake Ivy loose from this unhealthy relationship.

"Don't Be A Stranger" is a claustrophobic, slow-moving examination of an older woman's obsession with a younger man that just doesn't quite go anywhere. It's an intimate character portrait - Ivy is sympathetic but remote somehow, and it is difficult to really engage with what's happening on the page. It could also have been solidly 100 pages shorter. This one didn't do it for me, but perhaps someone who enjoys character study over plot will enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley for an E-Arc of this in return for an honest review!

Somewhat did not finish this one, arriving at the halfway point I proceeded to skim the rest of the novel as it felt it was not building towards anything and was coming across quite dull and one-note. The writing shown here was not at all terrible in style, I thought it wasn’t bad at all and had a lot of potential to cultivate a peaceful but emotional novel, but the slow nature of the plot combined with the over-writing of a story not extremely interesting or exciting caused the novel to drag on and consequently drop my interest. The obsession with the main male love interest felt distant, and lackluster, him not having much of a personality or developed psyche, though I could see that was maybe purposeful so as to communicate an unwarranted desire from our main character, but in reality just caused a ceasing in interest to see where this relationship would go, which ended up being nowhere.

The main characters lore seemed contrived and could’ve been potentially very interesting but was briefly slotted in and very often overlooked in favor of this bland musician and her dull and repetitive daily life. I think some might enjoy this, those who favor quiet and slow storytelling, and a novel easy to follow as it doesn’t have a very intricate plot, but as for me, I found myself tempted to abandon it after 1/4 of the book and ultimately ended up not completely finishing it yet still having grasped completely the essence of the plot and vibe, as it could’ve been communicated in a much shorter length and with more nuance and intrigue in a quicker format.

I love the description of this story. I knew I wanted to read it right away. I didn't immediately connect with the characters, but I pushed through and thought the overall book was interesting. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Three stars.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. I found myself unable to connect with the characters and did not finish the book.