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Quietly Hostile: Essays
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A hilarious new essay collection from #1 bestselling unabashed fan-favorite Samantha Irby invites us to share in the gory particulars of her real life, all that festers behind the glitter and glam.
"In case you haven't wet yourself laughing recently…. One of our culture's greatest humorists is back with another collection." -Glamour
"Has anyone else written so movingly about Trader Joes?" -The New York Times
Samantha Irby's career has taken her to new heights. She dodges calls from Hollywood and flop sweats on the red carpet at premieres (well, one premiere). But nothing is ever as it seems online, where she can crop out all the ugly parts.
Irby got a lot of weird emails about Carrie Bradshaw, and not only is there diarrhea to avoid, but now-anaphylactic shock. She is turned away from restaurants for being inappropriately dressed and looks for the best ways to cope, i.e., reveling in the offerings of QVC and adopting a deranged pandemic dog. Quietly Hostile makes light as Irby takes us on another outrageously funny tour of all the gory details that make up the true portrait of a life behind the screenshotted depression memes. Relatable, poignant, and uproarious, once again, Irby is the tonic we all need to get by.
"In case you haven't wet yourself laughing recently…. One of our culture's greatest humorists is back with another collection." -Glamour
"Has anyone else written so movingly about Trader Joes?" -The New York Times
Samantha Irby's career has taken her to new heights. She dodges calls from Hollywood and flop sweats on the red carpet at premieres (well, one premiere). But nothing is ever as it seems online, where she can crop out all the ugly parts.
Irby got a lot of weird emails about Carrie Bradshaw, and not only is there diarrhea to avoid, but now-anaphylactic shock. She is turned away from restaurants for being inappropriately dressed and looks for the best ways to cope, i.e., reveling in the offerings of QVC and adopting a deranged pandemic dog. Quietly Hostile makes light as Irby takes us on another outrageously funny tour of all the gory details that make up the true portrait of a life behind the screenshotted depression memes. Relatable, poignant, and uproarious, once again, Irby is the tonic we all need to get by.
Editorial Reviews
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK from: TIME Magazine, The New York Times, Elle Magazine, Oprah Daily, TODAY, Harper's Bazaar, Lit Hub, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Parade, Zibby Mag, Sunset, Good Housekeeping, San Francisco Chronicle, The Millions, Electric Lit, Publishers Weekly, BookRiot, Autostraddle, The Week, She Reads, and more
A BEST BOOK: from Vogue, Esquire, PopSugar, Glamour, The Skimm, The Philadelphia Inquirer, HuffPost UK, and BookPage
"Fans of laughter, assemble. Samantha Irby is back with another essay collection that's so relatable, so funny, so exactly what we needed right now that we could scream. . . . Purchase and read immediately, if not sooner."
-The Skimm, "17 of Our Favorite Books Coming Out This Summer"
"Warning: Do not read [Quietly Hostile], or anything else by Samantha Irby, in public if you're not willing to freak people out with uncontrollable laughter. . . . as funny as fans of Irby's work would expect."
-Vogue, "10 of the Best Beach Reads to Lose Yourself in This Summer"
"No one describes the human body quite like Irby. She's a poet of embarrassment: Her confessional style is frank and unashamed. . . . her writing about the great transition from being ‘young and lubricated' to middle-aged is reliably moving in its own way, and consistently hilarious."
-The Atlantic
"Samantha Irby is one of the funniest writers on this planet."
-GQ
"Whatever she's writing, Irby brings a singular biting humor and sneaky charm that has you laughing out loud."
-Vulture
"Samantha Irby knows her shit-figurat...
A BEST BOOK: from Vogue, Esquire, PopSugar, Glamour, The Skimm, The Philadelphia Inquirer, HuffPost UK, and BookPage
"Fans of laughter, assemble. Samantha Irby is back with another essay collection that's so relatable, so funny, so exactly what we needed right now that we could scream. . . . Purchase and read immediately, if not sooner."
-The Skimm, "17 of Our Favorite Books Coming Out This Summer"
"Warning: Do not read [Quietly Hostile], or anything else by Samantha Irby, in public if you're not willing to freak people out with uncontrollable laughter. . . . as funny as fans of Irby's work would expect."
-Vogue, "10 of the Best Beach Reads to Lose Yourself in This Summer"
"No one describes the human body quite like Irby. She's a poet of embarrassment: Her confessional style is frank and unashamed. . . . her writing about the great transition from being ‘young and lubricated' to middle-aged is reliably moving in its own way, and consistently hilarious."
-The Atlantic
"Samantha Irby is one of the funniest writers on this planet."
-GQ
"Whatever she's writing, Irby brings a singular biting humor and sneaky charm that has you laughing out loud."
-Vulture
"Samantha Irby knows her shit-figurat...
Readers Top Reviews
SarasPope MelKarl
I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. This book is H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S unless you are easily offended in which case definitely don't read it, but everyone else should. I was reading it during an early lunch at work when everyone around me was still working and it was super hard for me not to laugh snort out loud many times. I have to confess that I don't know who the author is, but now I have to look her up.
Carma HaugeSarasP
First time reading Samantha Irby and what a delight it was!!! Highly entertaining, hilarious, real, relatable, honest, and smart writing. I love her style and sense of humor. Even the most mundane, sad or serious stories she can spin and make it comedic. She definitely puts herself out on the line at her expense for our entertainment - so happy to have read QUIETLY HOSTILE! Thank you to Vintage Anchor and NetGalley for the ARC!
Cari E ZuckermanC
Irby has produced another collection of essays in her signature smart and funny style. She writes about finding bathrooms to have diarrhea in while on book tour, surviving anaphylaxis, writing a never-to-be-seen pilot episode, and sharing a fridge with a spouse. Through it all, readers will be laughing at her turns of phrase and her ability to bring the absurdities of life to the page. This book is a master-class in making fun of one's own misfortunes for the enjoyment of others. I sped through essay after essay, wishing there was someone close by to share the more hilarious bits with. My only wish is that I could have had an ALC to listen to Irby narrate her own work. I'll continue to read whatever she produces.
Kimberley Cari E
3.5 stars If you’ve read or listened to any of Samantha Irby’s other books, you know what you’re getting for this one! I was laughing right from the start with the first chapter. I like it! (Exclamation point included) All of the stories were on brand (the bathroom is always a central character). Some of the sections/chapters were more relatable/easier to follow than others. Even though I listen to the Dave Matthews band, I don’t know the songs well enough to break them all down. Likewise, I watched every episode of the original SATC so I loved hearing about her involvement with the reboot, but it kind of lost me with the breakdown of every original episode. I don’t remember enough of things for it to fully hit me. And I know the author won’t judge me for being way too lazy to put in the work to make those sections relatable/relevant. Super fans will enjoy the blow by blow of the attempt to launch a show based on her life. As ever, I can’t imagine why anyone would read these stories when they’re definitely best enjoyed listened to with all of the inflections from the words on the page.
Ann Marie NorridA
Sigh. I freaking love Samantha Irby’s books. My copy is highlighted and disgusting from being wagged around in my purse as my emotional support book for a few weeks. I am messy and it brings me unparalleled JOY to read about others’ messy-ness. I’m either completely relating to every story or honestly feeling a bit relieved I haven’t hit that level yet but still making extensive notes because I’ll get there soon enough. There are some fantastic chapters in here, folks. I could read an entire series of books just on her SATC considerations chapter. I never want to read anything else. Also Big is trash. Fight me. The guileless affection that Sam Irby has for Cheesecake Factory and Red Lobster is the sort of love I Corinthians 13 was talking about. I physically read this book AND listened to it. Irby’s writing is so humorous and conversational that you don’t even need to listen to the audiobook. I don’t give this advice lightly. Most of the time I feel like authors have to read their essays to get their hilarious point across but Sam doesn’t need that. Her writing is so spot on that I already HEAR her reading it anyway. I swear this isn’t a knock on her reading voice. 😬 Are there a couple of gross stories in here I would have carried to my grave? Absolutely. Am I mad that she told them? NEVER.
