Sorrow and Bliss

Spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark and tender, full of pathos, fury and wit, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is a dazzling, distinctive novel from a boldly talented writer – now an instant Sunday Times bestseller and shortlisted for the Women's Prize.

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 realised that I wanted to send it to everyone I know' Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth

'As soon as I finished Mason's tragically funny debut novel, I gave it to a friend, bookmark and all. I have a feeling my much-underlined paperback has changed hands a dozen times by now; Sorrow and Bliss is too good to hang on to... Mason navigates [Martha's challenges] with dark charm.' New York Times

'I am adding Sorrow and Bliss to my list of the best novels of 2020.' The Australian

'Both fantastically dark and almost unbearably funny... its beautifully understated, airy style conceals the fiercest intelligence. I loved it so much that I stalked the author on social media - a first. Just read it. It's unforgettable.' India Knight, The Times

'Such a good book and so richly warrants the Fleabag reference... So funny, so devastating, it's really spiky and completely compelling, I absolutely loved it' Annabel Crabb

This novel is about a woman called Martha. She knows there is something wrong with her but she doesn't know what it is. Her husband Patrick thinks she is fine. He says everyone has something, the thing is just to keep going.

Martha told Patrick before they got married that she didn't want to have children. He said he didn't mind either way because he has loved her since he was fourteen and making her happy is all that matters, although he does not seem able to do it.

By the time Martha finds out what is wrong, it doesn't really matter anymore. It is too late to get the only thing she has ever wanted. Or maybe it will turn out that you can stop loving someone and start again from nothing – if you can find something else to want.

The book is set in London and Oxford. It is sad and funny.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2020 JANN MEDLICOTT ACORN PRIZE FOR FICTION in the NZ BOOK AWARDS

'Gloriously tender and absorbing... It is impossible to read this novel and not be moved. It is also impossible not to laugh out loud... Mason pulls off something extraordinary in this huge-hearted novel, alchemising an unbearable anguish into something tender and hilarious and redemptive and wise, without ever undermining its gravity or diminishing its pain.' The Guardian UK

'Compulsively readable, Sorrow and Bliss is one of the funniest books I've read... It is tempting to compare Martha to other tragicomic greats, Fleabag in particular. But Martha is such a brilliant, singular creation... that it is more interesting to imagine not the characters that have inspired her but the ones she will inspire.' The Independent

'This is a romance, true, but a real one... as devastating and sharply witty as Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag.' Books+Publishing

'A triumph. A brutal, hilarious, compassionate triumph.' Alison Bell, The Letdown

'A heartbreaking debut... simultaneously funny and sad – and aching. Witty and stark, Martha's emotionally affecting story will delight fans of Sally Rooney' Publishers Weekly starred review

Sorrow and Bliss is a book you'll want to devour in one sitting... an adult coming-of-age novel told with force, breathlessness and a confessional style that makes you feel as if you're sharing intimacies with an old friend... Mason's writing has been compared to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag for good reason... fresh and revelatory... sharp, racy and entertaining throughout.' The Saturday Paper

Sharp yet humane, and jaw-droppingly funny, this is the kind of novel you will want to press into the hands of everyone you know. Mason has an extraordinary talent for dialogue and character, and her understanding of how much poignancy a reader can take is profound. A masterclass on family, damage and the bonds of love: as soon as I finished it, I started again.' Jessie Burton, bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Confession

'Sophisticated and often blackly funny' Sydney Morning Herald

'I just adored this book. It's timely and dark and poignant and funny. It was filled with such eviscerating compassion and rage; I couldn't get enough of it. I inhaled it in a single weekend, unable to put it down. Meg Mason is a searing talent.' Kate Leaver, The Friendship Cure