Paul (Paperback)

A brilliantly unsettling debut about male power and female passivity A work of dark, shimmering genius, which explores the toxicity of patriarchy with excoriating intelligence, verve and originality I cherished this moreish, dreamy, hazy novel... I know I will return many times to inhabit the world Lafarge has written so exquisitely As unsettling as it is captivating, Paul is a brilliantly subtle excavation of a toxic relationship Daisy Lafarge brings the same scientific rigour and startling intelligence that so distinguish her poetry to this taut and lyrical novel Daisy Lafarge excels at portraying the untethered, unnerving stage of life most of us know intimately; that moment between the unravelling and its aftermath... A hauntingly moving book Lafarge has written a book that feels intimate and epic, gives pleasure even as it makes pleasure the site of loss: "the limit of everything" [A] tense debut from an acclaimed poet... a compellingly creepy study of psychosexual power dynamics that doubles as a shrewd portrait of drifting millennial womanhood Lafarge is one to watch if this dazzling debut is anything to go by... cinematic Arresting... a creeping sense of claustrophobia that expands with such overbearing stealth, it practically becomes a character in itself... a white-knuckle ride not because of any attendant thrills and spills but because the tension is perpetually on the brink of boiling, and then boiling over Paul has a neat, intuitive structure... Its plot is light and fast-moving... [a] beautifully constructed novel Crisp and elegant, the sentences both vivid and precise... With an intelligence lightly worn, this is an immersive, maddening, unsettling read Lafarge's writing really shines... Essentially a novel about a toxic relationship, Paul's many layers of imbalance cover language and voice, complicity, age, and life experience Hypnotic... A formidable and heady novel Carefully structured and at times an uncomfortable read, the book has shades of Sally Rooney's hit novels Normal People and Conversations With Friends. Just as it feels that Frances will not be able to escape Paul's hold on her, Lafarge offers a sliver of hope for the fight against the patriarchy It's beautifully written, Lafarge's well-observed exploration of the power disparity between the pair [is] deepened and textured by intricate, allusive shades of meaning Enviably, coolly intelligent without ever becoming ironic or snide