Breakaway Books

Authored by Lily King; Published 2020; Fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writers & Lovers drew me in with a magnetism that I don’t normally associate with romances like this one. The characters have flaws visible enough to make them nearly unappealing, and yet…

In Writers & Lovers, Casey has been working on her novel for six years while she wanders around the world and works dead-end jobs. Back in Boston after her mother’s sudden death and a love affair gone heartbreakingly cold, she is determined to finally finish the novel. With two suitors on her heels, a cancer scare, and the threat of losing her waitressing job over her head, she has her work cut out for her. 

A lot of bad things happen to Casey in this book–let me just say that upfront. It’s the 90s, and it’s apparently still fair game to be a jerk to waitresses, so she suffers abuse at the hands of her customers; humiliation from her lover, who lies about being married; and even disdain from her landlord, who threatens to evict her as soon as an opportunity for more cash comes his way. It seems unrealistic, although never comic, how many misfortunes Casey comes upon at once. Some of the misfortunes, though, are unfortunately very true to life—see: her lack of access to healthcare. When success finally, finally comes her way, after nearly an entire novel of her being trod upon, I definitely wanted to stand up and cheer for her. 

The love triangle that serves as not-quite-the-centerpiece of the novel is a messy one. As in life, there is no obvious good choice. Oscar, with his successful career and his adorable children, appears to be a safe choice–but his arrogance and his anger make him difficult to love. Silas is much more of an artsy type, difficult to pin down, but passionate in the same way Casey is. As always, regardless of whom she chooses, I rejoice with Casey at the full life she’s found even without a romantic partner, especially after such a long season of grief. The depiction of the force with which her mother’s death hits Casey feels so real: the repeated waves of grief, the fact that she is forced to wrestle with the things she will never be able to say to her mother now that she is gone. I wouldn’t read this book if I had recently lost my mother; it would just be too difficult.

Writers & Lovers, is, admittedly, probably more enjoyable for aspiring writers, with its ample discussion of the difficulties of publishing and the ins and outs of literary fiction. But if you’re just in for a story of transformation from down-on-your-luck to success, you’ll love it too.