Format: ARC, sent in exchange for an honest review
Links: Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US
Blurb: Dark, raw and very funny, Problems introduces us to Maya, a young woman with a smart mouth, time to kill and a heroin hobby that isn’t much fun anymore.
Maya’s been able to get by in New York on her wits and a dead-end bookstore job for years, but when her sweet, heavy-drinking husband leaves her and her favorite professor ends their affair, her barley-calibrated life descends into chaos, and she has to make some choices. Maya’s struggle to be alone, to be a modern woman and to be thoughtful, imperfect and alive in a world that doesn’t really care what happens to her is rendered with dead-eyed clarity and unnerving charm.
Review: Thank you to Emily Burns and Tramp Press for sending me a copy of PROBLEMS to read and review. It was certainly a memorable read… to say the least! Problems is about Maya, a young woman living in New York with an extensive drug problem. She has a dead-end job, a husband who she’s not even sure she loves and is having an affair with a professor from her college. She’s an addict with a drug problem, sex problem and an eating disorder and just when you think things can’t get worse for her, her husband leaves her and Maya is left in a drug-ridden limbo.
All things considered with this book, it’s a fairly straight forward story-line. It’s just a girl, trying to survive, basically. But written from Maya’s point of view, we hear all the truths, the intrusive thoughts and the damaging behaviors that go on in Maya’s mind and in her life. She’s clearly a very confused and damaged girl who has been swept up in the pressures of life. There’s a quote in the book which says;
Dear World, I’m sorry, but I don’t know if I will ever be the kind of person who can live with you
which I think sums up this book perfectly. Maya seems to be at constant war with life and herself. Although Maya is vastly different from myself, I resonated with some of the stuff she said. When it boils down to it, drug problem or not, I think Maya really knows the struggle of being a woman, in today’s world of self-destruction, not feeling good enough and wondering what the heck is the point? She says things how they are, she utters things that most of us wouldn’t dream to admit and she is completely and utterly relentless.
Why can’t someone interest me in my own life?
Was another of the quotes which stood out to me, so much so that I took a photo of it on my phone. Boredom of life in general is something I experience regularly so I totally related to that element of Maya’s thoughts. This has genuinely been one of the hardest books to review because I absolutely loved it but I just don’t know what to say. It’s left me word-less and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I would definitely recommend warnings in and around this book for anyone who’s sensitive towards graphic depictions of sex, graphic descriptions of drug use and swearing. It’s vulgar but it needs to be. This book wouldn’t be what it was; raw, honest and true without the vulgarity within in. PROBLEMS is dark, unapologetic and challenges topics such a feminism, addiction of all kinds and self-destruction. It’s the epitome of “nitty gritty”. So raw it’s liberating.
Omg. I want to read this right now!
Would definitely recommend 🙂 x
This sounds so interesting, I need a new holiday read and I think this could be it.
http://littlemissmelanie.com
Hope you enjoy! x
May have to check this one out x
Would definitely recommend x
Sounds like a really great read will have to check it out!
Would definitely recommend 🙂 x
Great review, and seems like a good read 🙂
Thank you 🙂 x
Oh wow, I would actually really like to read this now I’ve seen your review x
It’s out now I believe! Definitely worth a read x
This one sounds really good, and different from something I would pick up myself 🙂
It’s different from anything I’ve ever read EVER hah x
This sounds like quite a hard read but something I would probably really relate to (not that I have a drug problem haha!). I find books that are so honest about real issues like addiction and mental health absolutely fascinating, I would definitely be keen to read something like this. Great review!
Beth x
Oh absolutely it was fascinating! x
This has already hooked me! Yet another one for the reading list!
Rosie
Haha whoops! x
sounds like a good read,what a good review xx
Thank you very much 🙂 x
Ooh this sounds like a really good read x
It was indeed x
I’ve been looking for something new to read and this is perfect:)
Hope you enjoy! x
This is such a great book review, I’ve never thought that I would usualy read a book like this but it actually sounds really interesting! I do love gritty books and I feel like this one would be perfect! X
This is definitely the definition of nitty gritty x
This sounds like such an interesting book. I might have to skip all the graphic details, but I’d still love to read it
There are a lot of graphic details they’d be pretty hard to skip!
This sounds like a really deep book and, even though it’s out of my preference for reading, I might just have to pick it up!
x0 S http://samsramblings91.blogspot.com/
It is pretty deep! x
This sounds like a very interesting read! I’ve never read a book about addiction but I think it’s a fascinating topic to learn more about. Especially as this is such an honest and raw story. I’m going to add this to my never ending list of books I want to read 😂🙈. Thanks for the great review Jenny! 💖 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
If you want honest then this is the book! x
I love a good ‘nitty-gritty’ book and the quotes you’ve pulled out sound like ones everyone thinks at some point or another in their lives, great review!
They’re great quotes aren’t they!
Wow this sounds so intriguing! I’m going to have to give it a read at some point, I’d not even heard of it before! Brilliant review and whilst you said you felt word-less with it, you’ve made me want to read it! 🙂
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
Thank you 🙂 x
I had never heard of that book but I need it in my life! It got me so intrigued! Not sure that is something i’d read at the beach but I will defo give it a go!
No I don’t think it’s a beach read either 😂 x
This reminded me of the book ‘The vegetarian’ and although it’s a really well written book, I tend to stay away from such intense extremely sad books. I tend to get emotional attach to the characters in a way that it affect my daily life after I have read the book. I feel like i’m still stuck in the imaginary world.
http://capturesunshine.com
It’s definitely not a sad book x
This sounds like such an incredibly interesting read! I’ve never heard of this before but I really like the sound of it; it’s definitely a book I can see myself reading and enjoying! x
http://www.imjustagirl16.co.uk
It was interesting indeed! Definitely unique! x
It sounds like an interesting read x
http://www.ofbeautyandnothingness.co.uk
It was indeed.
I like how honest this book sounds. So many books glamorise topics like drugs.
Oh yeah for sure. This one definitely doesn’t, it was vile!
Now that piqued my interest. Thanks for reviewing Jenny. 🙂
Thanks for commenting Marjorie 🙂 xx
I so need this book in my life, I mean I don’t need another book, but I need this book in my life!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
Haha it’s very good xxx