Named a Best Book of 2020 by Time Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Vulture, The New Yorker, and Kirkus Grappling with motherhood, economic anxiety, rage, and the limits of language, Want is a fiercely personal novel that vibrates with anger, insight, and love. Elizabeth is tired. Years after coming to New York to try to build a life, she has found herself with two kids, a husband, two … found herself with two kids, a husband, two jobs, a PhD–and now they’re filing for bankruptcy. As she tries to balance her dream and the impossibility of striving toward it while her work and home lives feel poised to fall apart, she wakes at ungodly hours to run miles by the icy river, struggling to quiet her thoughts.
When she reaches out to Sasha, her long-lost childhood friend, it feels almost harmless–one of those innocuous ruptures that exist online, in texts. But her timing is uncanny. Sasha is facing a crisis, too, and perhaps after years apart, their shared moments of crux can bring them back into each other’s lives.
In Want, Lynn Steger Strong explores the subtle violences enacted on a certain type of woman when she dares to want things–and all the various violences in which she implicates herself as she tries to survive.
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Honestly, this book was sad, almost lifeless but still managed to capture me with it’s dreary, empty, and constant art of writing, kind of like depression exists, you know? It made me wonder how book would sound and feel if I wrote one when struggling with depression and/or anxiety. Truly.
I identified so much with the protagonist (minus the breastfeeding of a 2 1/2 year old whom she persists in calling The Baby) — if you’ve ever been an adjunct or taught in a school trying and failing to serve the underprivileged, you’ll appreciate her situation and ache for her. But there’s more than just that. She’s also dealing with a crumbling financial system that serves only the very wealthy. Finally, Steger Strong brings in multiple important issues on top of all that, weaving them seamlessly into the narrative. Highly recommend.
I saw some stellar reviews for this book, read its blurb, and was excited about it. Thank you, NetGalley, I thought as I cranked up my Kindle app.
And that’s about the end of any joy I had.
Your main character, Elizabeth, is a miserable wretch. I felt for her clear depression, but she’s also a bit of a snob and far too self-involved for me to sympathize too deeply. Her husband and children are props, there to make you feel her frustration over having to declare bankruptcy. Into this comes Sasha, a friend from Elizabeth’s teen years with whom she is obsessed. OBSESSED. I was obsessed too, but my obsession was over why Sasha would give Elizabeth the tiniest amount of time as opposed to Sasha’s glamour and charisma.
Nearly every scene felt flat and dull. You follow Elizabeth to her teaching jobs, and you see her cuddle her children. You are there for conversations with her husband, and you hold your breath for Sasha as the two rekindle their friendship. The hope that Sasha would wake the hell up and kick Elizabeth to the curb in a spectacular fashion kept me reading.
The litany of glowing reviews is a head-scratcher for sure. I am convinced I read a different book than those people because this one was underwhelming and uninspired. Except for Sasha. Thank goodness for her.
3.5 stars …
The feeling of this book is an eternal suspenseful sadness, I felt at all times like the main character was always battling with her feelings and her own demons, I never felt any happiness or joy in her life
No matter what was happening Elizabeth always felt out of sorts, she was determined to find happiness even if that meant remembering her past at all times what she did and what she wanted to do. I felt at times like Elizabeth was living her life in autopilot, no enjoy, not fun, nothing that really made her feel alive, her marriage and kids were there but her mind was always in another place and time.
I had a hard time reading this book not because it wasn’t enjoyable, it was more because the sadness of Elizabeth was like a permanent fixture and feeling in the book and that somehow made it hard to read.
Want is the story of two friends that have become strangers due to life and circumstances, Elizabeth wants to reconnect with Sasha her long lost friend, she is married and having a new life, and apparently happy but not everything is what it seems, and she will learn that sooner or later.
Want is the story of a character that is struggling to survive this cruel world, juggling many jobs, filing bankruptcy, and many things that are making Elizabeth’s life a living hell and not enjoyable.
I really felt for Elizabeth, she was doing everything in her power to succeed and life kept throwing balls to her.
it was a good book, I did enjoy it, I only rated 3.5 because I never felt any smile or joy while reading the book it was like reading an interminable sad story. but other than that the writing was good, the characters were good.. it had so much to give.