Literature & Fiction
![Ashley Hutson - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_ashley_hutson.jpg)
One's Company: A Novel
One of BuzzFeed's Must-Read Summer Books
For readers of Ottessa Moshfegh and Mona Awad, this fearless debut chronicles one woman's escape into a world of obsessive imagination.
Bonnie Lincoln just wants to be left alone. To come home from work, shut out the ghosts of some devastating losses, and unwind in front of the nostalgic, golden glow of her favorite TV show, Three's Company.
When Bonnie wins the lottery, a more grandiose vision―to completely shuck off her own troublesome identity―takes shape. She plans a drastic move to an isolated mountain retreat where she can re-create the iconic apartment set of Three's Company and slip into the lives of its main characters: no-nonsense Janet Wood, pleasantly airheaded Chrissy Snow, and confident Jack Tripper. While her best friend, Krystal, tries to drag her back to her old life, Bonnie is determined to transcend pain, trauma, and the baggage of her past by immersing herself in the ultimate binge-watch.
For readers of Ottessa Moshfegh and Mona Awad, this fearless debut chronicles one woman's escape into a world of obsessive imagination.
Bonnie Lincoln just wants to be left alone. To come home from work, shut out the ghosts of some devastating losses, and unwind in front of the nostalgic, golden glow of her favorite TV show, Three's Company.
When Bonnie wins the lottery, a more grandiose vision―to completely shuck off her own troublesome identity―takes shape. She plans a drastic move to an isolated mountain retreat where she can re-create the iconic apartment set of Three's Company and slip into the lives of its main characters: no-nonsense Janet Wood, pleasantly airheaded Chrissy Snow, and confident Jack Tripper. While her best friend, Krystal, tries to drag her back to her old life, Bonnie is determined to transcend pain, trauma, and the baggage of her past by immersing herself in the ultimate binge-watch.
Editorial Reviews
"Joyfully weird... Like many sitcoms, this novel balances lightness, humor and love with moments of darkness and even horror... Who among us has never longed to escape into a TV show, a movie, a written story, to live in it at least temporarily? One's Company, delightfully odd and beautifully written, is a pleasure to read."
― Claire Kohda, New York Times Book Review
"This novel hooked me from the very first line... Hutson's prose is both simple and captivating, containing nuggets of wisdom that peek into the complexity of humanity."
― Farrah Penn, Buzzfeed
"One of my favorite books of the year... [One's Company] is wildly original, and clever, and stunningly sad. It's an excellent look at trauma and loneliness and American culture and excess."
― Liberty Hardy, "All the Books" Podcast
"[An] affecting and ingenious debut... This darkly clever work dramatizes the necessity and fragility of illusions, showing how they can crumble when broadcast to the world. Hutson is off to a brilliant start."
― Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[Ashley] Hutson is far too smart...to turn Bonnie into an easy case study on the effects of trauma...Hutson's prose, too, is as cleareyed and convincing as the novel's premise is farcical...Looks at trauma, wealth, and infatuation through a startlingly original lens."
― Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[An] engaging debut… There's much to appreciate in Hutson's deft exploration of the toll trauma takes as well as both the lure and dangers of disappearing into a fantasy world."
― Booklist
"This book is such a savvy, deadpan, moving meditation-unto-absurdity on obsession and trauma and throwaway television and the ways that our hobbies can hurt us and heal us and sometimes overwhelm us. I absolutely loved it."
― Amber Sparks, author of And I Do Not Forgive You
"Like some uncanny hybrid of Tom McCarthy, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Mulholland Drive, Ashley Hutson's high concept black comedy, One's Company, packs deranged laughs against deep trauma ...
― Claire Kohda, New York Times Book Review
"This novel hooked me from the very first line... Hutson's prose is both simple and captivating, containing nuggets of wisdom that peek into the complexity of humanity."
― Farrah Penn, Buzzfeed
"One of my favorite books of the year... [One's Company] is wildly original, and clever, and stunningly sad. It's an excellent look at trauma and loneliness and American culture and excess."
― Liberty Hardy, "All the Books" Podcast
"[An] affecting and ingenious debut... This darkly clever work dramatizes the necessity and fragility of illusions, showing how they can crumble when broadcast to the world. Hutson is off to a brilliant start."
― Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[Ashley] Hutson is far too smart...to turn Bonnie into an easy case study on the effects of trauma...Hutson's prose, too, is as cleareyed and convincing as the novel's premise is farcical...Looks at trauma, wealth, and infatuation through a startlingly original lens."
― Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[An] engaging debut… There's much to appreciate in Hutson's deft exploration of the toll trauma takes as well as both the lure and dangers of disappearing into a fantasy world."
― Booklist
"This book is such a savvy, deadpan, moving meditation-unto-absurdity on obsession and trauma and throwaway television and the ways that our hobbies can hurt us and heal us and sometimes overwhelm us. I absolutely loved it."
― Amber Sparks, author of And I Do Not Forgive You
"Like some uncanny hybrid of Tom McCarthy, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Mulholland Drive, Ashley Hutson's high concept black comedy, One's Company, packs deranged laughs against deep trauma ...
Readers Top Reviews
LorinPatricia Mantlo
This was an interesting book, with a unique premise. I myself have seen plenty of Three’s Company episodes, which I think greatly enhanced the experience of reading this story. Being able to visualize Mr. Furley’s facial expressions, the tacky ‘70s decor, and the absurdity that is that entire sitcom is really vital to the central concept, in my opinion. I found the resolution satisfying, but I’m not sure I would recommend this to most readers, as it is a pretty abstract read with unlikable characters. There are spoilers in the rest of my review. Read no further if you don’t want to see them! Bonnie is a bit of an unreliable narrator, insisting that she is not mentally ill, only nihilistic and full of anger. This is pretty obviously untrue, even from the beginning. Her perception of events is not true to reality either, as we discover when Krystal is very much not dead at the end. Was Rita even real? I’m not entirely sure. And what on earth happened to the dog? The best part of the book was the canary getting struck by lightning, a strange and probably excellent metaphor for something far over my head. But it was visually jarring and a welcome break from the monotony of Bonnie’s fabricated reality. I didn’t like Bonnie at all. I don’t think I was supposed to. I didn’t like any of the characters, actually, except for Ray. So while this book was interesting and definitely unique, I didn’t find it fully satisfying on the level I usually expect from my fiction.
