Sedating Elaine
A novel
(Sprache: Englisch)
An exuberant dark comedy about love, grief, sex, guilt, and one woman’s harebrained scheme to tranquilize her voraciously amorous girlfriend for a few days so that she might pay off her drug dealer, make soup, and finally get some peace and quiet.
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An exuberant dark comedy about love, grief, sex, guilt, and one woman’s harebrained scheme to tranquilize her voraciously amorous girlfriend for a few days so that she might pay off her drug dealer, make soup, and finally get some peace and quiet."A brilliantly quirky, surreally funny story.... An intriguingly headstrong yet vulnerable character with an astonishing talent for making the worst possible life-decisions." —Sarah Haywood, best-selling author of The Cactus
Frances was not looking for a relationship when she met Elaine in a bar. She was, in fact, looking to drown her sorrows in a pint or twelve and nurse a broken heart, shattered by the gorgeous, electric Adrienne. But somehow (it involved a steady stream of beer and weed, as things often did with Frances) Elaine ended up in Frances’s bed and never left. Now, faced with mounting pressure from her drug dealer, Dom (and his goon, Betty), Frances comes up with a terrible idea: She asks Elaine to move in with her for real. Unfortunately, this seemingly romantic overture makes Elaine even more sex-crazed and maniacal with love. Frances fears she may never escape the relationship, so, given no choice, she makes the obvious decision: She will sedate Elaine.
A story as enthusiastically madcap and funny as it is smart and emotionally surprising, Sedating Elaine introduces a roster of unforgettable characters and an indelible, wildly exciting new voice in fiction.
Lese-Probe zu „Sedating Elaine “
1Elaine patted her furry mound as if it were a dog s noggin and said, Good girl. In a shaft of the day s declining light she lay on the bed in a dramatic almost poetic Rrecline, head sunken amongst the pillows, body heavy and flung apart, a golden glow upon her face. Outside, a fuzzy drizzle fell, as it had fallen all day, intensifying the mugginess of the bedroom, dampening the sheets, thickening the smells. Praised enough, the mound was gently stroked in an absent-minded way, pubic hair slicked, then boinging back up as the hand brushed over it. The room was finally still and quiet; all the buzzing and muttering and squelching was over, and both women fell into separate places of contemplation. For Elaine, it was a feeling of sleepiness, drained as she was by the repeated pulses of ecstasy. For Frances, this was nothing but a brief period of bodily respite because Elaine was finally though never permanently satisfied. She sat on the edge of the bed with her hands on her knees, aware that behind her Elaine was petting herself in the strangely self-congratulatory way she was accustomed to after sex as if her vagina alone had done all the work but Frances mind was already elsewhere. Normally by now she would be covering herself joggers, shorts, bathrobe, beach towel, bedsheet, anything following her outstretched arm in the direction of a cold beer, but today she didn t move, and suddenly, in a moment of uncharacteristic perceptiveness, Elaine s hand paused mid-pet as she said, Are you okay, babe? Is something wrong? You re just sitting there.
I m fine, Frances said.
But Frances was not fine. All day she had been troubled more troubled today than yesterday, but not as troubled as tomorrow, as is the way with problems we think we can ignore, wishing them away, but they refuse, and grow, double, quadruple. In a strange way it had been useful to have the distraction of a dilemma, something else to focus on throughout the day as
... mehr
Elaine whittered and bored her with stories and thoughts and endless enthusiasm. A letter had arrived which had so occupied her mind, she had managed to survive the whole ordeal brunch, shopping, drinks, the movies so utterly consumed with worry that Elaine might as well not have been there. It said a lot about Elaine that she had not noticed anything was wrong. Even as they had tumbled through the door and Elaine had scooped up Frances and spun her round, because Elaine seemed to live in a permanent Lindy hop, Frances eyes had landed repeatedly on the letter, propped up against an empty picture frame on the hallway sideboard, so that as she went round and round, looking over Elaine s shoulder, she saw it repeatedly, like a message flashing before her: You re fucked. You re fucked. You re fucked. She was amazed proud, even that she had managed to concentrate enough to have sex but, to be fair, her body and tongue were so well trained she could have done it semiconscious. She had done so many times before.
Elaine poked Frances with her big toe. You don t seem fine, she sagely observed. What s wrong?
Oh, where to begin? Frances sighed theatrically. She most certainly was not going to confide in Elaine about her problems, not when Elaine was a problem in herself, another issue Frances had been trying to sort out. Elaine was of course completely unaware that Frances had been thinking of dumping her, that she had in fact tried many times, but somehow it always went wrong. They would meet in a pub or a park and Frances would steel herself, take a deep breath, and say the words, Look, Elaine, we need to talk, but Elaine either moc
Elaine poked Frances with her big toe. You don t seem fine, she sagely observed. What s wrong?
Oh, where to begin? Frances sighed theatrically. She most certainly was not going to confide in Elaine about her problems, not when Elaine was a problem in herself, another issue Frances had been trying to sort out. Elaine was of course completely unaware that Frances had been thinking of dumping her, that she had in fact tried many times, but somehow it always went wrong. They would meet in a pub or a park and Frances would steel herself, take a deep breath, and say the words, Look, Elaine, we need to talk, but Elaine either moc
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Autoren-Porträt von Dawn Winter
Dawn Winter
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: Dawn Winter
- 2022, Internationale Ausgabe, 272 Seiten, Maße: 14 x 20,7 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: KNOPF
- ISBN-10: 1524712191
- ISBN-13: 9781524712198
- Erscheinungsdatum: 27.04.2022
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
In Dawn Winter s knockout debut, Sedating Elaine, Frances owes money to a drug dealer and, with no way of getting it, contrives to have her obnoxiously upbeat, generationally wealthy girlfriend, Elaine, move in with her so she can shake her down for money The prose, like Frances, is sprightly and dry. Crisp. Delivered with a shrug There are depths here; it is not all froth Frances is funny and winning... You find yourself rooting for the drugging to go off without a hitch. Erin Somers, The New York Times
Humorous, emotive, perplexing It is [Frances s] somewhat distasteful mission and overall ethos that makes her amusing, and which provides ample room for Winter to display her skill with humor, which she does often and with good reason .Engaging Sedating Elaine is a notable accomplishment.
D. W. White, Chicago Review of Books
"A remarkable feat: [Winter] makes an infuriatingly foolish protagonist with specific problems and specific ideas about how to solve them into a character who inspires compassion and gives voice to poignant truths...Carefully crafted...Moving."
Heidi Mastrogiovanni, Washington Independent Review of Books
Sedating Elaine s messy, queer energy reminds me of Milk Fed by Melissa Broder and Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier, and I am here for it!
Sharon Van Meter, Off the Shelf
This darkly intoxicating novel is outrageous from the first line to the surprisingly tender last.
Jordan Snowden, Apartment Therapy
"A novel of deep, transformative healing. Think Weekend at Bernie s meets Cheryl Strayed. Over the course of a few days, everything that can go wrong does, and Frances experiences sedation s opposite: awakening. Her memories, her beliefs, her family connections, and her self-concept all rise to the surface and demand reexamination. Debut novelist Winter oscillates between the satirically ridiculous to the profoundly important [T]he novel remains thoroughly interesting, unusual, and compelling.
Booklist
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"Brash and engaging."
Kirkus
Winter s sharp debut blends humor and emotional reflections with an exploration of trauma, substance abuse, and dysfunctional relationships Written in moving and candid prose, this takes an unflinching look at what troubled people are capable of, and what they might need to be healed. The result is amusing and touching in equal parts.
Publishers Weekly
"Electric prose paired with a sharp-edged wit, on its surface Sedating Elaine is an off-kilter bop that will make you sweat and flip pages. However, the true victory of Winter's debut is its unblinking desire to capture humanity in all its crooked beauty. Frances is a narrator who reminds us to look past people's rough exteriors and consider their vulnerable insides."
Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl
Sedating Elaine is a delightfully unhinged romp through romantic debacle, jaw-dropping decisions, and an emotional quagmire of guilt and longing. In this deft debut, Dawn Winters has created a modern, madcap comedy of errors that ultimately offers a touching lesson in forgiveness. Utterly bonkers and as darkly comic as it gets, Sedating Elaine is a brilliant, bingeable read.
Rachel Yoder, author of Nightbitch
Sedating Elaine is a brilliantly quirky, surreally funny story of a woman who comes up with the craziest idea ever for clearing her debts. In Frances, Dawn Winter has created an intriguingly headstrong yet vulnerable character with an astonishing talent for making the worst possible life-decisions. I laughed, cringed and held on to the edge of my seat as Frances hare-brained scheme hurtled along like a runaway train heading for a precipice. A thoroughly entertaining read!
Sarah Haywood, author of the bestselling Reese s Book Club Pick The Cactus
Sharply observed, morally chaotic, in moments both madcap and elegiac, Sedating Elaine does the surprising work of putting human emotional damage on display first for laughs, and then for love, if the reader s heart can bear it.
Rufi Thorpe, author of The Knockout Queen
Sedating Elaine is a tasty caffeinated jolt that grabs you from page one and races you to a surprisingly moving conclusion I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Dawn Winter's dazzling wit is beautifully coupled with a natural ability to explore difficult themes like loss and forgiveness. A winning debut.
Steven Rowley, bestselling author of The Editor and The Guncle
Sedating Elaine has everything I crave in a novel: a delightfully subversive premise; a narrator with her life in shambles; and a voice that crackles with heart and wit. What really kept me turning the pages, though, was Winter's unexpected and poignant look at loss and grief. I loved this book."
Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding and Let s Not Do That Again
Kirkus
Winter s sharp debut blends humor and emotional reflections with an exploration of trauma, substance abuse, and dysfunctional relationships Written in moving and candid prose, this takes an unflinching look at what troubled people are capable of, and what they might need to be healed. The result is amusing and touching in equal parts.
Publishers Weekly
"Electric prose paired with a sharp-edged wit, on its surface Sedating Elaine is an off-kilter bop that will make you sweat and flip pages. However, the true victory of Winter's debut is its unblinking desire to capture humanity in all its crooked beauty. Frances is a narrator who reminds us to look past people's rough exteriors and consider their vulnerable insides."
Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of Pizza Girl
Sedating Elaine is a delightfully unhinged romp through romantic debacle, jaw-dropping decisions, and an emotional quagmire of guilt and longing. In this deft debut, Dawn Winters has created a modern, madcap comedy of errors that ultimately offers a touching lesson in forgiveness. Utterly bonkers and as darkly comic as it gets, Sedating Elaine is a brilliant, bingeable read.
Rachel Yoder, author of Nightbitch
Sedating Elaine is a brilliantly quirky, surreally funny story of a woman who comes up with the craziest idea ever for clearing her debts. In Frances, Dawn Winter has created an intriguingly headstrong yet vulnerable character with an astonishing talent for making the worst possible life-decisions. I laughed, cringed and held on to the edge of my seat as Frances hare-brained scheme hurtled along like a runaway train heading for a precipice. A thoroughly entertaining read!
Sarah Haywood, author of the bestselling Reese s Book Club Pick The Cactus
Sharply observed, morally chaotic, in moments both madcap and elegiac, Sedating Elaine does the surprising work of putting human emotional damage on display first for laughs, and then for love, if the reader s heart can bear it.
Rufi Thorpe, author of The Knockout Queen
Sedating Elaine is a tasty caffeinated jolt that grabs you from page one and races you to a surprisingly moving conclusion I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Dawn Winter's dazzling wit is beautifully coupled with a natural ability to explore difficult themes like loss and forgiveness. A winning debut.
Steven Rowley, bestselling author of The Editor and The Guncle
Sedating Elaine has everything I crave in a novel: a delightfully subversive premise; a narrator with her life in shambles; and a voice that crackles with heart and wit. What really kept me turning the pages, though, was Winter's unexpected and poignant look at loss and grief. I loved this book."
Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the Wedding and Let s Not Do That Again
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