by Ali Smith
First published 2024
The protagonist embarks on a journey that interweaves questions of creativity and constraint. Smith constructs a narrative that moves between different time periods and perspectives, examining how artists navigate the tension between limitation and expression. The story follows characters who grapple with the boundaries that define their work and lives. Through encounters with various forms of artistic practice, the central figure discovers unexpected connections between confinement and liberation. The novel explores how creative spirits respond when faced with restrictions, whether self-imposed or external. Smith weaves together themes of artistic process and personal freedom, showing how the search for authentic expression can lead to surprising revelations about the nature of creativity itself.
Genres: fiction, art, literary-fiction, novels, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Period: 21st-Century
224 pages · Paperback · Catapult