Vacuum in the Dark

A Novel

By: Jen Beagin

Narrated by: Jayme Mattler

From the Whiting Award–winning author of Pretend I’m Dead and one of the most exhilarating new voices in fiction, a “thoroughly delightfully, surprisingly profound” (Entertainment Weekly) one-of-a-kind novel about a cleaning lady named Mona and her struggles to move forward in life.

Soon to be an FX television show starring Lola Kirke.

Mona is twenty-six and cleans houses for a living in Taos, New Mexico. She moved there mostly because of a bad boyfriend—a junkie named Mr. Disgusting, long story—and her efforts to restart her life since haven’t exactly gone as planned. For one thing, she’s got another bad boyfriend. This one she calls Dark, and he happens to be married to one of Mona’s clients. He also might be a little unstable.

Dark and his wife aren’t the only complicated clients on Mona’s roster, either. There’s also the Hungarian artist couple who—with her addiction to painkillers and his lingering stares—reminds Mona of troubling aspects of her childhood, and some of the underlying reasons her life had to be restarted in the first place. As she tries to get over the heartache of her affair and the older pains of her youth, Mona winds up on an eccentric, moving journey of self-discovery that takes her back to her beginnings where she attempts to unlock the key to having a sense of home in the future. The only problems are Dark and her past. Neither is so easy to get rid of.

Jen Beagin’s Vacuum in the Dark is an unforgettable, astonishing read, “by turns nutty and forlorn…Brash, deadpan, and achingly troubled” (O, The Oprah Magazine). Beagin is “a wonderfully funny writer who also happens to tackle serious subjects” (NPR).

Great character development

Confused by the negative reviewers who liked Part I. Leaves me to believe they didn’t “get it.” This book isn’t ABOUT incest or rape etc. I wouldn’t find that a pleasant read, either. It’s about how Mona is coping with those issues and one that I think we’ve all faced - abandonment - and the adventures it leads her on. If you’re even a little bit voyeuristic, you’ll love this book. Mona doesn’t hold back and she doesn’t fade to black when it gets juicy. If you’re an NPR fan, you’ll probably love it too. Terry Gross is back in full force. What I really appreciate about Mona is that it’s like she’s a grownup having a “Yes Day.” She ends up in situations most of us couldn’t imagine by virtue of almost always going with the flow. In turn, Beagin can introduce us to the most delightfully weird but totally believable characters throughout the book. Yoko and Yoko…classic.

Weirdest characters ever! I adore them all

Before I decided to download and read this I checked the reviews and saw so many people hating on it. How?? A little poop talk scared you off? LOL! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I burned through it in 2 days and was sad when the ride was over. I love Mona's adventures and her strange encounters and utter lack of boundaries. The narrator perfectly captured the characters as well. This book made me appreciate life a little more. After finishing this one, Pretend I'm Dead, and Big Swiss, I have to say Jen Beagin is one of my favorite authors.

Love the weird!!

dark and funny! makes you feel like you're not the only weird one out there.

Loved it.

The same dry humor and tragic realism from Pretend I’m Dead makes this an almost-too-quick read. I noticed that the dog is also in the Big Swiss. I hope to read more of Mona’s adventures again in the future. JB is officially my favorite author now.

Jen Beagin is a Genius

Jen beagin is a genius. Every book she has written is a masterpiece which I could read and reread over and over and still find bits which puzzle me and entertain me to no end.