Acts of Desperation: The must-read novel of 2022

(Paperback)

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A bitingly honest, darkly funny debut novel about a toxic relationship and secret female desire, from an emerging star of Irish literature SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES YOUNG WRITER OF THE YEAR AWARD 'Crushing...intensely vital' Observer 'It's impossible to tear yourself away' The Times 'Such brilliant writing about female desire...honest and visceral' Marian Keyes She's twenty-three and in love with love. He's older, and the most beautiful man she's ever seen. The affair is quickly consuming. But this relationship is unpredictable, and behind his perfect looks is a mean streak. She's intent on winning him over, but neither is living up to the other's ideals. He keeps emailing his thin, glamorous ex, and she's starting to give in to secret, shameful cravings of her own. The search for a fix is frantic, and taking a dangerous turn... We're all looking to get what we want - but do we know what we need *GRAZIA BOOK CLUB PICK OF THE MONTH *

Reviews

Please believe the hype . . . Nolan's book describes a very particular experience and it does so with rare intelligence and courage . . . [Her] headlong, fearless prose feels like salt wind on cracked lips. You wince and you thrill. * Sunday Times *
Deeply felt and seriously, spikily intelligent . . . The millennial author everyone should be watching right now. * Daily Telegraph *
Tapping into the zeitgeist comes one of the books of 2021: Megan Nolan's Acts of Desperation . . . a heartbreaking-but-resonating portrait of one woman's savage mistreatment of herself in the name of love. * Stylist *
There is so much to admire in this extremely impressive first novel, which captures an intense experience with clarity and style. It is fully itself, and flawless in its way. * Guardian *
Nigh-on impossible not to devour. * Daily Mail *

Author Bio

Megan Nolan was born in 1990 in Waterford, Ireland and is currently based in London. Her essays and reviews have been published by the New York Times, White Review, Guardian and Frieze amongst others. Her debut novel, Acts of Desperation, was published by Jonathan Cape in 2021 and was the recipient of a Betty Trask Award, shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.