*** Winner selected! Congratulations to Steven in Brooklyn, NY! ***
Move to the big city. Take weird risks. Fuck up. That, in short, is the plot of a lot of my favorite novels — the latest among the Hermione Hoby’s debut novel, Neon In Daylight.
This is a New York coming of age story in the age of Facebook, where you can “friend” anyone you happen to run across — and online stalk their whereabouts aimlessly. Because what else are you going to do if you’re new to the Big Apple and know pretty much no one? Why not obsess about a random teen who bums a smoke off of you on the street, a handsome semi-celeb you meet at an art gallery, a friend of a friend you know from back home but don’t actually want to hang out with —
The novel follows Kate, a slightly lost twenty-something British girl who moves to NYC for no real purpose, killing time while getting some space from her uptight upper-crust boyfriend back home. She meets a teenager who seems older and wiser and more worldly — who introduces Kate to drugs and party people and really expensive six-inch designer heels. She then meets a hot, jaded, older famous writer who seems immature in many ways — who introduces Kate to rarebit and literary readings that actually draw a crowd and biodynamic wine.
Trouble ensues because, you know, the older famous writer is the precocious teen’s dad.
And there are more complications in the novel: Strange Craigslist gigs offered by creepy rich people. A wild Halloween party thrown by a dying man. Period sex.
And there are lines like these:
It’s never love, as soon as you feel the next love. Because isn’t that a prerequisite of the condition? That you tell yourself everything that came before wasn’t really it.
It makes you wonder if you’ve ever been in love, or if you might be wildly in love now —
I think you might fall in love with this coming-of-age story. I’m giving away a copy of Neon in Daylight to one of my readers! All current email subscribers will be automatically entered to win the copy. Subscribe now if you’re not yet getting my occasional newsletters.
For a second chance to win, comment on this post below, naming your favorite coming-of-age story. The giveaway closes March 31, 2018 at 11:59 pm PST. US addresses only.
Come back mid-month to read an interview with Hermione Hoby.
My friend and I made Rainbow cupcakes last night but instead of using the whole egg we just used the egg whites, also we used neon food coloring instead of red, orange,yellow,green and blue and they turned out pastel colors, so if you want to make these as an Easter dessert, I”d use the pastel neon colors they were very yummy as well 🙂