This grew on me. I was sceptical at first, fearing it would become a self-absorbed account of a young person struggling with relationships, sexuality and the demands of modern life.

But it became much more interesting when questions were explored about how well we can know others, how does the previous life of a partner or friend impact them, how desires work, etc. I thought this was done cleverly by integrating (psychoanalytic) theory in the story that revolves around two couples who lived in a Parisian apartment decades apart.

Read very well by the author (who also sings well :))

Recommended!

I was realy excited to read this book but sadly, it was just not for me. Although the premise was intrigueing, I did not connect with teh characters and the narrative felt too slow paced for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and thepublisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pensive and philosophical in its very French way, Scaffolding reads like a long walk in the park. It's soft in certain places, ebbing and flowing between matters such as sexuality and desire and infidelity (practically multiples of one another), all the while being invariably meditative in its explorations. Although the plot is rather light, I found that its lack actually illuminated the characters of interest and allowed their depth and complexity to feel more material. The book's most consistent and delightful quality is how grounded it is in its location imagery — for a story so central to both the city and the Parisian apartment, the writing feels like an invitation to stay.

The concept of this novel seems so new yet it is so simple. The same apartment and the tenants who have lived there at different time periods. I devoured this.

Scaffolding is a intriguing exploration of womanhood and motherhood. There's a lot more to Scaffolding in terms of character development and vibes, much less plot. I think Elkin does a fantastic job exploring the book's themes and engaging the reader but this book won't be for everyone.

The audio production was fantastic and I really enjoyed the author's narration. I don't always find that authors do the best job with their own material but in this case I think it worked out very well.

I was easily absorbed into this atmospheric and sensual story of the affairs of two couples in different time periods. The pace was perfect and I especially enjoyed the layers of history as they unfolded. This intriguing story twists and turns in all the right ways and will certainly leave you feeling satisfied.

I am a LitFic reader through and through, so I enjoyed this story and its exploration of topics like motherhood, feminist politics, marriage, sexuality, and even time itself. That said, I wouldn't recommend this book to those who haven't explored the genre. With a heavier focus on vibes and situation, and less on plot, we peek into the inner turmoil of our characters. There was an interesting emphasis on Lacanian psychoanalysis, which I thought offered readers a glimpse into a more high-brow approach to character exploration and development. The allegorical use of scaffolding and renovation, and their recurring representation of life itself was incredible. I loooooooooooooooove a good metaphor, and it's pieces like that which will leave me thinking about this book for a long time after I've finished it. I will definitely be recommending this book on my bookstagram, as LitFic is the largest part of my "brand."

Although I was interested in the characters and their life stories in the beginning, the book failed to keep my attention after the first 1/3 of the book.
By then I just didn't care for what (little) was happening with them.
I'll admit I did like a lot of dialogues on this book, but other than that...this will not be memorable to me.
I'm sure other readers (mostly lit. fiction readers) will like this.
The audiobook was decently done, in my opinion. However, personally, I'm not a fan of authors narrating their book themselves.
Thank you, NetGalley and Tantor Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free audiobook copy of this novel.

Yanno the books that upon finishing, your heart feels 14lbs heavier? Like, it literally hurts; and this is without the negative connotations typically surrounding a heavy heart?
Scaffolding did that for me.

...rest of my review to come! 😋

In regards to the audiobook specifically, the narrator did a wonderful job of conveying emotion without it feeling performative or taking away from the novel itself. Unique to this audiobook - when one character is thinking during dialogue, you still hear talking in the background while the listeners thoughts are narrated.
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Lauren Elkin and publisher for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!}

Just didn’t really enjoy this one :( I loved the concept and was excited to read it, but sadly found it pretty dull and I just couldn’t connect to the characters.