Don't Be a Stranger

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).

Will always recommend a book where the middle age FMC gets some loving. Especially if that loving delves into the darker psyche and are most basic instincts. Minot's writing is as sharp as it ever was.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.