WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
Twenty-one, friendless, without money but not without hope, Sickan's arrival at Stockholm University represents a new start. Her lonely childhood in a small southern town has left her utterly unprepared for intimacy: for friends, for sex, for love even. But Sickan is determined to build a new version of herself from the ground up, to make up for lost time. To simply be normal.
‘Mustard is a measured and gorgeous writer, in command of the senses in a way that makes the reader feel alive alongside the characters. But what a time to be alive... and to be a reader, when this writer is at work.’ The New York Times Book Review
‘A beautifully written novel that avoids cliches and comes to a moving conclusion that left this reader wanting more’ – Irish Times
'A fresh, tender, and resonant bildungsroman' – R. O. Kwon, author of Exhibit
'A dark coming-of-age story set in Stockholm [with] a really light touch that makes it really beautiful' – Natasha Brown, author of Universality
'Enchanting and piercing, a dance and a delight. Mustard’s prose captures the effervescent and the luminescent, a joy to read and share.' – Bryan Washington, author of Family Meal
‘A beautifully plangent coming-of-age novel . . . written with an openness and a melancholy that frequently catches you off guard, and will go straight to your heart’ – Lucy Caldwell, author of These Days
‘Playful and witty . . . with her sharp prose, Mustard conveys a vivid sense of longing, and the difficulties of finding your place in the world’ – Cecile Pin, author of Wandering Souls
‘A novel about innocence, curiosity, and discovery, full of the big and small questions of stepping into oneself ’ – Ayşegül Savaş, author of The Anthropologists
Buy my novel WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE :
Bookshop.org
OKAY DAYS
Sam is 28, Swedish and spending the summer in London, working for a top marketing agency. Over the course of the sticky summer months, she falls hard for Lucas, a man she first met as a teenager. Lucas is working at a boutique clothing store whilst trying to get a foot on the corporate ladder, and struggling to hold the pieces of his life together. Sam is a gorgeous distraction. But you can only avoid reality for so long, and both Sam and Lucas know their relationship can't last. Nobody can be this happy forever, surely?
‘A beautifully-observed portrait of self-discovery and uncertain love. Jenny's sharp and evocative prose gave me a feeling of immense nostalgia for London's long summer days’ – Natasha Brown, author of Assembly
‘Jenny Mustard’s debut, OKAY DAYS, is an intimate drama of what matters in stories: relationships. Mustard is a talented portraitist in whose hands these two characters become real, enthralling, and viscerally realized. It is one of the most entertaining novels I have read of the times we live in.’ – Chigozie Obioma, author of The Fishermen
‘Jenny Mustard's writing is fresh and sharply observant. A writer full of insights on the human condition and relationships, I loved the off-kilter tone, and clever shifts in perspective between Lucas and Sam. Mustard has her very own original rhythms; a smart eye for detail and compelling insights into love and life. One of the most intriguing books I've read in some time.’ – Elaine Feeney, author of How To Build A Boat
Buy my debut novel OKAY DAYS :
Bookshop.org