Emily R. Austin

Thanks Atria/NetGalley for the gifted DRC book.

The death of her ex sends Darcy into a mental breakdown, spiraling in regret and guilt. After taking a medical leave, she returns to her librarian job to find protests, unrest, calls for book bans, and questioning of DEI programs.

Is This a Cry for Help? explored mental health, grief, queer life, love, challenges of providing communities with library services, bigotry, censorship, and the power of libraries.

Austin’s compelling characters show more written within realistic situations had me hooked from the beginning. The way she presented the internal monologue of Darcy was so perfect in conveying her anxieties and emotions. The repetition and obsession really put me in her head, giving an unsettled feeling throughout.

I loved seeing Darcy explore her identity, what sexuality means to her, how societal expectations shaped her life. There’s a lot of social commentary, some of which felt awkward as it came off a bit heavy handed. Nonetheless, this book tackled so many important topics in a caring way.

Libraries are integral parts of communities. Censorship and anti-DEI are so harmful. This book is a heartwarming queer love letter to libraries. Another read by Austin that I loved! show less

Enid lives alone. She works at the Space Agency, has one good friend at work, and looks in on her mom, who goes through depressive episodes. She dates women, but has never been in a serious relationship. She listens to true crime podcasts almost obsessively. She has a phobia of bald men, and someone has been sneaking into her apartment when she's away. Naturally, this freaks her out, but others in her life seem less concerned, even when she gets a doorbell with a camera and app so she can show more prove it. Is her new (bald) neighbor the culprit? Meanwhile, a new relationship with a woman named Polly seems to be turning into something serious, but Enid fears that it will all fall apart when Polly realizes that she (Enid) is actually a terrible person.

This was... a lot. I think I liked it, but also, reading about people feeling anxious makes me feel anxious. That's a me problem, not a book problem, but if you have the same reaction, it's something to keep in mind. This reminded me in some ways of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and I would definitely recommend it to readers who enjoyed that book. show less

I'm becoming a big Emily Austin fan! This book was a really intimate, very funny, and emotionally affecting portrait of one woman and her very complicated grief for someone with whom she had a very complex, foundational relationship. Mourning the person—a significantly older, singularly male ex—cannot really be extricated from mourning the relationship, and, as a lesbian, also falling somewhere between mourning the fact that the relationship ever happened and mourning the entire life and show more future that that relationship implied. Add in some general neurodivergence, and a mental breakdown is not surprising. What was surprising was how deftly Emily Austin weaves the heartbreak and the humor of this story.

All of this has as its backdrop a library and its patrons and employees, and a maybe too-timely story about right wing attacks on libraries and inclusion. It's depressing, but it seems to me like this part of the story ends much more happily than these things have been ending in libraries in real life, lately. It's grim out there for librarians, everybody. Get involved and support your local library! show less

I loved this book! It’s part access-to-information propaganda, part love letter to libraries, while deeply moving and hilarious. Despite some differences, it felt weirdly specific and familiar. Reading the acknowledgements, I understand why: like the author, I went to Western University and lived in Ottawa. I was just talking to my partner about the “Don’t Smoke Pot” infomercial this week. I’m currently sick and absolutely feel like the deflated balloon woman. The cats. The books. show more The spiraling insecurities. It all hits. Darcy and Joy both felt inspiring in a very grounded way. There were so many lines I highlighted and reread. Reading this felt like being kind to myself, hanging out with friends, and going to therapy. Darcy has more guts than I think I ever would. I’m so impressed by Emily Austin writing a book like this, putting it out into the world, it takes real nerve. I will absolutely be buying and reading whatever she writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books and Scribner Canada for access to this book. show less