Not Working by Lisa Owens
Claire has taken the giant leap that we’ve all considered on exceptionally dull or stressful days at work, she quits. Instead of working in a job she has no real interest in, she decides to discover her true passion and find a vocation that drives and fulfils her.
Discovering your true path is not as easy as it sounds though and Claire’s easily distracted by rogue plants, online competitions and the world of social media. Plans to run a marathon, finish books and even just drink a little less are all seeming out of reach. Days turn in to weeks, into months and soon the fear begins to creep in. What if she doesn’t have a calling? What if that job was as good as it was going to get? Where did that last bottle of red wine go?
‘It’s fine,” her grandmother says. “I remember what being your age was like – of course, I had four children under eight then, but modern life is different, you’ve got an awful lot on.’
Lisa Owens gives us an incredible debut novel with Not Working, moulding Claire into a likeable, realistic and wonderfully sarcastic character in just a handful of pages. The novel is made up of small, journal style snapshots of her life, sometimes even just one-off thoughts. This unusual style adds to the insight you get from her sporadic thought processes and her inability to make decisions. Her closest relationships with both her partner and family all change during her unemployment and it’s fascinating to read how they start to treat her differently.
I adored Not Working for its sharp insight, sarcastic humour and great lead character but I did feel ever so slightly let down by the ending. Without spoiling anything, all I can say is I wanted her to find her own way. This is such a small portion of the book it shouldn’t put you off grabbing up a copy.
If you want a book to make you laugh, that you can relate to and also to discover an incredible debut author then Not Working is for you.
Buy your copy of Not Working by Lisa Owens