Hysteria

One of Refinery29's Best Books of the Summer
One of Lit Hub's Best New Books of the Summer

“If Ottessa Moshfegh and Phoebe Waller-Bridge painted the town red together." (Courtney Maum)

In Hysteria, we meet a young woman an hour into yet another alcohol-fueled, masochistic, sexual bender at her local bar. There is a new bartender working this time, one she hasn't seen before, but who can properly make a drink. He looks familiar, and as she is consumed by shame from her behavior the previous week - hooking up with her parents' colleague and her roommate's brother - she also becomes convinced that her Brooklyn bartender is actually Sigmund Freud. They embark on a relationship, and she is forced to confront her past through the prism of their complex, revealing, and sometimes shocking meetings. With the help of Freud - or whoever he is - she begins to untangle her Oedipal leanings, her upbringing, and her desires. Jessica Gross's debut is unflinchingly perceptive and honest, darkly funny, and unafraid of mining the deepest fears of contemporary lives.

©2020 Jessica Gross (P)2020 Scribd Audio

Great Writing; So-So Material

At the outset, it’s apparent that Ms. Gross is talented. The writing is great! The elements and development are there. Even the narrator was spot-on.

The drawback for me was the substance of the book. I just couldn’t get into the aggressively sexual nature that of the book.

For some, I’m sure it won’t be an issue. If that’s you, then I’d highly recommend this book.

I’d definitely check out other work from the author—assuming it isn’t about someone’s journey through the gutters of sexuality.

Delicious disaster woman novel

If you’re the type of person who enjoys morally ambiguous female disaster novels (the pisces, my year of rest and relaxation) you’ll love this book. Equal parts hilarious and devastating I found myself on the edge of my seat for most of its bewildering plot. Great narration by the reader as well.