I first came across the Irish writer Caroline O’Donoghue when I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts on a morning run. For a brilliant episode titled ‘How to Write That Novel’, O’Donoghue was a guest on the sensational ‘Nobody Panic’, a light-hearted audio guidebook to adulthood hosted by the hilarious comedians Stevie Martin and Tessa Coates. The episode was engaging, informative, witty and as a budding writer myself, it was possibly one of my favourite of the whole series. As I listened, I was instantly drawn to Caroline’s bubbly, enthusiastic personality and thought-provoking words of writing wisdom and after she briefly discussed the premise of her novel whilst talking on the show, I knew that I needed to read it. I was not disappointed. Not at all.
The novel is about Jane Peters, a recently single young woman in her twenties. She works at an office in London during the day but in the evenings, she is also secretly an agony aunt on her blog, answering personal questions written by anxious strangers with direct, comprehensible advice and a slight comic touch. The book follows her as she attempts to get over a heartbreaking separation from a long-term boyfriend and forms an intimate relationship with her charming, married boss, Clem, after an office party has an unexpected turn. Yet, as she spends more time with Clem and her position at work becomes increasingly complicated, her friendships, her mental health and her blog start to lack their previous stability.
Even though the plot begins with a rather common, conventional premise of a young woman working in London, this book was not your usual, unimaginative chick-lit read. I was shocked to discover that ‘Promising Young Women’ was a debut novel considering the almost overwhelming strength and fluidity of the prose. At certain times, the novel was certainly light, entertaining and I found it so easy to fly through the pages (I read it in only three sittings). Yet, the intricacies of the relationships between characters that developed immensely as the story thickened, both platonic and romantic, and the sharp, enlightened exploration of power, sex and mental health proved the quality of O’Donoghue’s writing. In fact, her approach to the dynamics of power in romantic relationships reminded me massively of how Sally Rooney approached similar subjects in her brilliant books ‘Normal People’ and ‘Conversations with Friends’, highlighting the talent of contemporary Irish writers.
I have to admit that when I come across novels that blatantly tackle gender issues, I am always slightly concerned that the way in which the author approaches the subject might be too forceful and insistent, ruining the potency of the matter with too much unnecessary repetition. Yet, the feminist values in this novel were always artfully and carefully managed by O’Donoghue, spreading a clear and important message with great insight and perception. Primarily, O’Donoghue’s presentation of female vulnerability in the workplace and her examination of the topical issues of masculine toxicity engrossed my attention. There was an evident exploration of the glass ceiling complex and the impact of a patriarchal system in contemporary society, particularly the subtle misogyny and notions of hypocrisy that the characters often confront. For example, in the book, the company that Jane works for were planning to advertise a Think Gym for women, a sort of bizarre rehabilitation facility for anxious women to meditate and relax, and conveniently had no women on their team, providing no platform for females to contribute ideas. I was shocked and upset and angered and yet so glad that O’Donoghue had made these situations, so similar to those that occur daily in the real world, explicit in her book. Another example that stuck in my head was when Jane hesitantly visits the doctor to discuss her anxiety and is completely dismissed by him. He refers to how his daughters have also been stressed in their jobs and that she is overreacting. Even though she tries to articulate that this isn’t just stress and that she is mentally and physically crumbling, he refuses to listen to her and she has to leave. I am sure this situation wouldn’t have occurred if the person in front of the doctor had been male.
This leads me on to discuss Jane’s breakdown that, for me personally, defined the book. Her loss of control over her actions and her vulnerability as a result of her relationship with Clem became frightening at times and the lack of support from friends and family ensured that her defencelessness only escalated faster at a terrifying rate. The deterioration of both her mental and physical health sickened me and made certain parts of the book very difficult to read. But what I found most fascinating was how someone who came across so strong and indestructible and acted as a lifeline for others, with the popularity of her blog, could fall apart so easily. I thought that the character’s alter ego as an Agony Aunt was a genius idea that added a whole other dimension to the book. Online, Jane respected other people’s problems and was able to provide clear, honest advise but could never do the same with her own issues, something that became increasingly frustrating for the reader. Clem’s total power over her and the extent of his domestic abuse became even more petrifying because the novel made it obvious that this type of situation could happen to anyone.
Alongside this, I felt that O’Donoghue was superb at articulating the complicated nature of female friendship, underlining the urgency of women accepting that some friends may have flaws and certain insecurities and that they may always have them no matter what you say or do. She emphasised how we have to learn to respect and care for each other despite disagreements and opposed attitudes. We have to accept that we may not always agree with one another and that it isn’t always a dreadful thing. I loved the moment when Jane realised that it didn’t matter that all her friends were completely different: that some liked to gossip, some were very private, some liked to go on nights out and some were not so keen on a party. As her character grew, she became aware of how she could rely on different friends for different circumstances and that not all of them were perfect in every situation. I feel like this is something that we can all learn from.
Without a doubt, O’Donoghue’s novel was illuminating, thrilling and entertaining in all aspects and I can’t wait to read more work by this brilliant writer.
How you read this book? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
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