True Love

May 25, 2020
Gossip, sexual desire, and the uncompromising economics for aspiring artists guide the action in Gerard’s lurid, captivating tale (after the essay collection Sunshine State). Nina Wicks, a 20-something writer with an eating disorder and pill addiction who dropped out of college in New York City, is back home on the Florida Gulf Coast, dating a pretentious artist named Seth while sexting with her magazine editor, Brian, and talking on the phone with her best friend, Odessa, about an attempt to reconnect with her emotionally distant mother. Nina and Seth move to Brooklyn for her to begin a writing program, and she finds a low-paying gig that affords her a space to write. After Nina reconnects with Aaron, an acquaintance from college, they discuss making a movie titled True Love, and their volatile attraction leads to her dizzying breakup with Seth and harrowing fights between Nina and Aaron, which reach a fever pitch after Nina becomes the victim of revenge porn from Brian. Aaron’s movie idea (“a series of ill-conceived relationships that flame out in humiliating ways”) partially describes the book, but Nina’s defiance against labels and mansplaining as she works through her pain on her own terms adds an arresting feminist layer. Gerard’s unflinching look at youthful desperation marks an exciting turn in her work.

Sophie Amoss's superb narration enhances the raw and electric prose of author Sarah Gerard's second novel. The blunt force of 20-something Nina's reckless behavior comes through in Amoss's almost careless tone and unforced pacing. Amoss engages the listener's sympathy for the impetuous, erratic Nina even while conveying the explicit details of her involvement with several remarkably unsuitable young men. Amoss creates a vivid portrait of Nina's circuitous route to self-acceptance through her writing; therapy sessions; conversations with her messed-up best friend, Odessa; and struggles to understand her neglectful and critical mother. Amoss's compelling performance guides listeners through the visceral appeal of this audiobook, allowing listeners to empathize with Nina amid her frequent missteps and bad decisions. M.J. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine