Sad Girl Novel

‘a stroke of genius’—Diana Reid, author of Love & Virtue and Seeing Other People

‘extremely relatable’ —Sydney Morning Herald

‘wildly amusing, sharply relevant’ – The Australian
 
‘Relatable AF.’ – Pedestrian.TV

‘Both inhabiting and deconstructing the genre, it’s meta and twisty, with a wry narrative voice.’ – The Guardian

A young woman tries to figure out if she’s the best (a creative genius) or if she’s maybe just the worst (completely delusional).

I’d be in heaven but on the edge of a deeper misery than ever, I’d be on top of the world and then they’d ask me, Did you make the right choice Kim? Are you currently, still, making the right choices Kimberly Mueller?

Over the course of a year in Berlin, an aspiring novelist, Kim, and her historian best friend, Bel, confront their twin acts of creation.

Kim is becoming a writer, and is determined to write a bestseller. She's been convinced of this idea by Matthew, an American literary agent who is as emotionally unavailable as he is handsome (very). Kim lives in her own carefully constructed reality, which her imagination is constantly pumping full of hot air. As she attempts to buoy herself using other people for external motivation, they poke holes in her fantasies, leading her to wonder if she’s going to come crashing down or somehow stay afloat.

Meanwhile, Bel is becoming a mother, and gives birth, certain it will fulfil her in ways her career does not seem to. Kim and Bel support and deceive each other as only the best of friends can.

In the face of probable failure, how do we convince ourselves to try and become something anyway? And how do we live with the choices we make?

‘Pip Finkemeyer has drawn such a unique, funny and painfully astute character in Kim. I could keep reading her inner monologue forever. It is rare to pick up a novel so simultaneously hilarious and moving. I loved it.’—Laura Kay, author of Wild Things and Tell Me Everything

‘a beautifully crafted character with all the flaws we've come to embrace in our modern heroines.’ —Sydney Morning Herald

‘a humorous, heartfelt novel about finding one’s identity and purpose, the expectations held against you, and following your dreams even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone.’ —Readings Monthly

‘This book is a labour of writerly love, devoted to projects conceived and delivered.’—ArtsHub

‘Finkemeyer’s novel stays one step ahead of the reader by critiquing the genre’s tropes and trademarks along the way.’—The Guardian

‘a punchy satire’ —The Saturday Paper

‘funny debut’ —The Age

 

‘glittering with acute and often funny observations about the ups and downs (mostly downs) of being an aspiring writer — or an aspiring anything, really’ The West Australian
‘While Kimberley Mueller spends a lot of time wondering whether she's talented, Finkemeyer need have no such doubts. Finkemeyer's narrator--with her gift for both self-delusion and self-awareness--is a stroke of genius. Sad Girl Novel achieves all we can ask of contemporary fiction: it mocks and sympathises in equal measure. I closed it feeling better able to laugh at myself.’ Diana Reid, author of LOVE & VIRTUE and SEEING OTHER PEOPLE
‘Brilliant.’ Daily Mail UK
‘Brimful of humorous one-liners, amusing aphorisms and subverted meme references, the author’s prose is colloquial, casual and occasionally irreverent. Kim’s character will resonate most strongly with readers under 30, but even those who don’t connect with her personality will find something tangible in this book to appreciate.’ ArtsHub
‘Finkemeyer’s novel stays one step ahead of the reader by critiquing the genre’s tropes and trademarks along the way.’ The Guardian
‘Relatable AF’ Pedestrian.TV
‘this is a novel that tackles that simple quandary: is the grass really greener on the other side?’ InStyle
‘a hot book for this year’ The Weekend Australian

Pip Finkemeyer's fiction has been listed for the Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize, the Richell Prize for Emerging Writers, the Disquiet Literary Prize and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She co-founded the Berlin-based zine Nothing To See Here, and completed a Masters in Publishing and Editing at RMIT. She lives in Naarm/Melbourne and Sad Girl Novel is her first novel.
 

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