The Odyssey
- Cosmopolitan
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by The Millions, a Best Book to Read in April by Town & Country and The AV Club, and one of 2022’s Best Beach Reads by Southern Living
“This book is a serious vibe . . . it’s a slyly poignant satire on cruise ships, crappy jobs, and capitalism.” —Cosmopolitan
“Darkly comic existential fiction at its best.” —Culture Whisper (UK)
“Deliciously unpredictable” —Mateo Askaripour, author of Black Buck
“Utterly sharp, slyly humorous . . . Startlingly unique and beautifully written.” —Frances Cha, author of If I Had Your Face
9781638930068
English
240
Hardcover
April 26, 2022
5.5 x 8.25
Read if you like: Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation, artificial flavors, avoidant behavior, wondering what a 'lifestyle' is and whether you have one.”
Utterly sharp, slyly humorous, and at times devastating in its courageous attempts to make sense of extreme loneliness. The Odyssey is a wildly original dystopian satire about the desire and struggle to forge human connection and the craving for some semblance of progress and order when one’s life has fallen apart. Startlingly unique and beautifully written.”
Deliciously unpredictable . . . an entertaining examination of work, the lengths we go to feel a sense of belonging, and how difficult it can be to navigate the ever-shifting seas of friendship and love . . . I have never read anything like this, which is a testament to Lara Williams’s craft, as well as her fearlessness in diving into the more absurd, cringeworthy, and downright uncomfortable aspects of life.”
Tantalizing . . . Readers who enjoy Melissa Broder and Ottessa Moshfegh will appreciate this surreal trip through a troubled woman’s psyche.”
Takes the reader on a memorable journey.”
Vivid and compulsive . . . an addictive and intriguingly dark (if not profound) take on an ancient narrative.”
Big news: We already found your summer 2022 reading pick.”
Couldn't stop reading . . . Original and intriguing, I'll be digesting this one for a while.”
An intriguing twist on the epic voyage. ”
An unflinching and razor-sharp satire exploring consumerism and the monotonous life of a disturbed and directionless woman working aboard a cruise ship. The Odyssey is a bleak and biting ride, with pitch-black humor and a progressively off-kilter protagonist. Reading it is a disorienting experience, with a hallucinogenic feel that becomes increasingly sobering as Ingrid nears closer and closer to her home: both on land, and within herself. Absolutely brilliant.”
The Odyssey is a rueful antiheroine's journey full of dynamic absurdity that left me shell-shocked and clamoring for a higher page count. Supper Club catapulted Williams to the top of my (very short) must-read list and The Odyssey cements her place in the echelon. With its propulsive plot and macabre humor, the book is a fantastic send-up (takedown?) of modern life's knack of leaving us always craving more, more, more. If she keeps this up, I will follow Williams into the bowels of hell. Possibly lower.”
Perceptive, enigmatic and thought-provoking—I couldn't put it down. Wonderful! ”
To celebrate our first ever book release, we’re giving away one of our custom limited edition THE ODYSSEY boxes on Instagram.