![Meg Mason - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B075SH1X7C.jpg)
Sorrow and Bliss: A Novel
Winner of the Book of the Year (Fiction) at the British Book Awards
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction
"Brilliantly faceted and extremely funny. . . . While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know." - Ann Patchett
The internationally bestselling, compulsively readable novel-spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark, and tender-that combines the psychological insight of Sally Rooney with the sharp humor of Nina Stibbe and the emotional resonance of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Martha Friel just turned forty. She used to work at Vogue and was going to write a novel. Now, she creates internet content for no one. She used to live in Paris. Now, she lives in a gated community in Oxford that she hates and can't bear to leave. But she must now that her loving husband Patrick has just left.
Because there's something wrong with Martha. There has been since a little bomb went off in her brain, at seventeen, leaving her changed in a way no doctor or drug could fix then and no one, even now, can explain-why can say she is so often sad, cruel to everyone she loves, why she finds it harder to be alive than other people.
With Patrick gone, the only place Martha has left to go is her childhood home, to live with her chaotic parents, to survive without Ingrid, the sister who made their growing-up bearable, who said she would never give up on Martha, and who finally has.
It feels like the end but maybe, by going back, Martha will get to start again. Maybe there is a different story to be written, if Martha can work out where to begin.
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction
"Brilliantly faceted and extremely funny. . . . While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know." - Ann Patchett
The internationally bestselling, compulsively readable novel-spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark, and tender-that combines the psychological insight of Sally Rooney with the sharp humor of Nina Stibbe and the emotional resonance of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Martha Friel just turned forty. She used to work at Vogue and was going to write a novel. Now, she creates internet content for no one. She used to live in Paris. Now, she lives in a gated community in Oxford that she hates and can't bear to leave. But she must now that her loving husband Patrick has just left.
Because there's something wrong with Martha. There has been since a little bomb went off in her brain, at seventeen, leaving her changed in a way no doctor or drug could fix then and no one, even now, can explain-why can say she is so often sad, cruel to everyone she loves, why she finds it harder to be alive than other people.
With Patrick gone, the only place Martha has left to go is her childhood home, to live with her chaotic parents, to survive without Ingrid, the sister who made their growing-up bearable, who said she would never give up on Martha, and who finally has.
It feels like the end but maybe, by going back, Martha will get to start again. Maybe there is a different story to be written, if Martha can work out where to begin.
Editorial Reviews
"Sorrow and Bliss is a brilliantly faceted and extremely funny book about depression that engulfed me in the way I'm always hoping to be engulfed by novels. While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know." - Ann Patchett
"Completely brilliant, I loved it. I think every girl and woman should read it." - Gillian Anderson
"An incredibly funny and devastating debut. . . . enlivened, often, by a madcap energy. Yet it still manages to be sensitive and heartfelt, and to offer a nuanced portrayal of what it means to try to make amends and change, even when that involves 'start[ing] again from nothing.'" - The Guardian
"Mason excels in her heartbreaking U.S. debut, an account of a woman's self-discovery amid her struggle with mental illness. . . . Witty and stark, Martha's emotionally affecting story will delight fans of Sally Rooney." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Exploring the multifaceted hardships of mental illness and the frustrating inaccuracy of diagnoses, medications, and treatments, Sorrow and Bliss is darkly comic and deeply heartfelt . . . Martha's voice is acerbic, witty, and raw." - Booklist (starred review)
"Meg Mason's unflagging comic impulses drive this novel about the havoc a woman's mental illness wreaks on her marriage." - Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"Brutal, tender, funny, this novel-a portrait of love in all of its many incarnations-came alive for me from the very first page. I saw myself here. I saw the people I love. I am changed by this book." - Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes
"A truly comic novel about love and the despair of depression. It's a rare and beautiful thing when an author can break your heart with humor; it's also the quality I admire most in a writer." - Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest
"Completely brilliant, I loved it. I think every girl and woman should read it." - Gillian Anderson
"An incredibly funny and devastating debut. . . . enlivened, often, by a madcap energy. Yet it still manages to be sensitive and heartfelt, and to offer a nuanced portrayal of what it means to try to make amends and change, even when that involves 'start[ing] again from nothing.'" - The Guardian
"Mason excels in her heartbreaking U.S. debut, an account of a woman's self-discovery amid her struggle with mental illness. . . . Witty and stark, Martha's emotionally affecting story will delight fans of Sally Rooney." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Exploring the multifaceted hardships of mental illness and the frustrating inaccuracy of diagnoses, medications, and treatments, Sorrow and Bliss is darkly comic and deeply heartfelt . . . Martha's voice is acerbic, witty, and raw." - Booklist (starred review)
"Meg Mason's unflagging comic impulses drive this novel about the havoc a woman's mental illness wreaks on her marriage." - Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"Brutal, tender, funny, this novel-a portrait of love in all of its many incarnations-came alive for me from the very first page. I saw myself here. I saw the people I love. I am changed by this book." - Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes
"A truly comic novel about love and the despair of depression. It's a rare and beautiful thing when an author can break your heart with humor; it's also the quality I admire most in a writer." - Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest
Readers Top Reviews
Dianne DiFriscoAl
“An invisible membrane coming down from under my eyelids…” and so many more pictures created from a collection of words cleverly describing things that are everyday, but still new and thrilling. This reader is familiar with the kind of mental illness that interferes with an entire family - and extended family’s - lives, but never heard it described as it’s happening, and understandably baffling to the one who is ill. Love Martha’s dad…
Kirsty RobyDianne
Funny and sad and a perfectly reflection on life and family and love. The first book for me this year and it may not be able to be beaten.
HannahKirsty Roby
This book was incredible. Meg Mason writes a very raw, honest novel about a woman who has struggled with an undiagnosed mental illness for most of her life. Martha finds herself sabotaging things and going through waves of indescribable sadness, and it makes no sense to her or many people around her. I was underlining quote after quote, and felt as though she'd taken my brain and put it on paper. It was the most accurate depiction of mental health I've ever read, and I find myself returning to this book constantly. I recommend it to everyone!
Beachi428HannahKi
Was my New Year’s resolution to read more and starting with this book was the push I needed. Great story, well told.
BeckyW01Beachi428
The hands down stand out part of this book is the look at mental illness from the perspective of the afflicted person. As someone who has had some struggles in this area, I unfortunately recognized myself occasionally. I was especially fascinated by the habits that are formed when the mental illness went untreated that were hard to shake after treatment. Other pros include the likable cast of characters and family dynamics. My only real beef with this book is that it’s yet another novel that glorifies staying in a bad relationship. The aunt made herself a martyr and allegedly stayed with the crummy husband for the kids while ignoring the cost to the kids and extended family - constant tension, confidence undermining jabs, and modeling a bad relationship. Like just once could a book point out the damaging reality of this?
