Title: Breastrokes

Author: Margaux Vailleron

Genre: Literary Fiction

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: 9th May 2024

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Summary:

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 else’s home; Gertrude starts her shift in the pub kitchen, while Mathilde and Sarah are on their way to lunch.

Soon, these four women’s 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.

Review:

Breastrokes is one of those books that feels wholly unique, really not like anything else I’ve read. Admittedly it took me a little while to get used to the style which is a little unusual but once I got into it, I was completely hooked by the language and narrative. The story follows four women, who, aside from the two sisters, have never met. Over the course of a few days their stories interconnect as their past experiences with the question of consent are unraveled. There is a really beautiful sense of fluidity to the writing of Breaststrokes, it flows lyrically from character to character in a way that makes it feel like an almost gentle, sensitive read, despite focusing on some thorny and emotional topics. Consent in many contexts is addressed and it is dealt with both thoughtfully and with grace by the author. Breaststrokes is an introspective, vulnerable and beautifully crafted examination of what it means to be a woman, of female friendship and a nuanced take on the urgently relevant question of consent and fear. This is a considered and intelligent read and one which I would definitely recommend.

★★★★

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

Buy the book:

https://amzn.to/4bjJO58

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