Crudo

Kathy is about to be married. She is 40 and her future husband is 69. This short novel covers three months of the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2017 when uncertainty reigned with Brexit, Trump, threat of nuclear war with North Korea, rise of Fascism, climate change debates .... Kathy's hopes, fears and insecurities are interspersed with  reports of world and local events constantly being reported on social media of all kinds.

Olivia Laing has created aspects of Kathy based on herown  life experiences but also on the experiences of the punk writer Kathy Acker (1947-1997). Sometimes the book is written in the first person or in the third person, often making the reader uncertain of which aspect of the character, Kathy, is currently involved. The book is largely written as a stream of consciousness. Sections of the book read fluently however other sections are confusing (in my opinion). I suspect that more than one reading of the book would be required to fully appreciate it. Crudo means 'raw' in Italian (often referring to raw fish) which explains the picture on the cover of the edition of the book that I read. Raw adequately describes Kathy's feelings about contemporary life and love in this book.

Crudo won the James Tait Black prize in 2019.

Olivia Laing splits James Tait Black prize win with fellow short listees - The Guardian 19 August 2019

Crudo by Olvia Laing review - a shimmering experimental novel - Guardian 18 June 2018

Kathy Acker - Britannica.com