Breaststrokes: 'A study of womanhood, vulnerability, and the secrecy of the inner-life'

(Paperback)

Available Formats

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A novel on consent told in five acts over the course of one weekend.

Cloe and Gertrude and the Jenkins-Bell sisters, Mathilde and Sarah, have never met.They are strangers who share a city.

It is Sunday morning. Cloe has woken-up in someone elses home; Gertrude starts her shift in the pub kitchen, while Mathilde and Sarah are on their way to lunch.

Soon, these four womens lives will overlap.

Saturday felt like a normal day, but on Sunday the past will catch-up with them as they realise that there never is only one side to a story.

Sharply observed and painfully relatable,Breaststrokesis a novel that seems to emerge from the haze of our current time. This story of unexpected encounters and intimacies is perfect for fans ofCleopatra and FrankensteinandBeautiful World, Where Are You.

'Breaststrokes is a study of womanhood, vulnerability, and the secrecy of the inner-life. Viallerons writing is laced with a love for these women who can barely love themselves. A novel for anyone interested in the way the body keeps score or in the complex intimacies between women'Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

'Reading Breaststrokes felt a little like watching ribbons unfurl or intertwine. Margaux Vialleron writes tenderly and evocatively about female friendship, fear and desire'Chlo Ashby, author of Wet Paint and Second Self

Reviews

'Breaststrokes is a study of womanhood, vulnerability, and the secrecy of the inner-life. Viallerons writing is laced with a love for these women who can barely love themselves. A novel for anyone interested in the way the body keeps score or in the complex intimacies between women. -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
ReadingBreaststrokesfelt a little like watching ribbons unfurl or intertwine. Margaux Vialleron writes tenderly and evocatively about female friendship, fear and desire -- Chlo Ashby, author of Wet Paint and Second Self
Timely, structurally inventive, with delicious prose. A deep-dive into what consent - in all its forms - actually means, in a modern young womans life, and into what happens when you pair ideas of pleasure and consent. A joy in its originality, Vialleron lights up the inner lives and perspectives of four women across a day. Theres a question at the heart ofBreaststrokesthat you feel compelled to find the answer to -- Pip Finkemeyer, author of Sad Girl Novel
'Breaststrokes is a tender, lyrical novel about the ripples caused when consent is taken away from women and the loneliness this causes, even when you're surrounded by people. It will tug at your heart strings -- Araminta Hall

Author Bio

Margaux Vialleron is a writer andco-host of the SPK Book Club, a podcast, reading and culinary community. Her short stories and essays have been published in magazines includingHarpers BazaarandCompound Butter.She is the author of The Yellow Kitchenand Breaststrokes is her second novel. Read more from Margaux by subscribing to her substack newsletter, The Onion Papers, or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @margauxvlln.