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Fiction & Poetry, Modern & Contemporary Fiction

How to Be Somebody Else

Miranda Pountney (author)

Paperback Published on: 20/02/2025

£9.99

19 reviews

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Synopsis

‘A stunning novel’ SAMANTHA HARVEY
‘Impressive’ OBSERVER
‘Stylish, sharp, genuinely funny’ CLAIRE POWELL

When Dylan begins an affair with Gabe, nothing will be the same again.

On the surface Dylan has achieved the impossible – a life in New York. And yet it is not the thing she’d imagined. When she walks out of her career, then apartment, and into a housesit for an artist she’s never met, she does not tell her friends, her family, or her boyfriend Matt.

But how much can a person change? At a party she meets her new neighbour Gabe, who is married to Kate, and the affair that follows consumes her. She resolves to explore what is fixed and what is variable, until an unexpected encounter between the two couples forces Dylan to confront her future.

‘Unsettling and original’ TESSA HADLEY
‘So sharp and well observed’ REBECCA WAIT

***A MARIE CLAIRE BEST BOOK OF 2024***

Publisher information

Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781529933390
Number of pages: 288
Dimensions: 199 x 127 x 19 mm
Weight: 203g
Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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razor sharp novel

I really enjoyed this book. more so as I spent fifteen years in advertising. Pountney is on point in her description of marketing etc. The plot moved along... READ MORE

Paula Sterling-stead

Mature, intelligent writing.

I read this book straight through over two days. As soon as the relationships between the main characters ensues, sharp insights and unpredictable, non-mel... READ MORE

Edgar Laguinia

Clever, sharp and brilliantly written

38 year old Dylan quits her job, rents out her New York apartment and sidelines her predictable relationship to try and find a different, more fulfilling w... READ MORE

Sarah C

Witty, troubling, unforgettable

For me, the mark of a good literary novel is that you're still thinking about its ideas or vibes a couple of weeks on. That's the case for Miranda Pountney... READ MORE

Tom Carlisle

How we all construct ourselves... and get it wrong!

At the start of this novel, Dylan – the female protagonist – gives up her successful job at an advertising agency in New York, promptly lets out her flat a... READ MORE

Jim Sweetman

Wonderful book

I couldn’t stop reading this book. Hard hitting but has such wit and flair as well as heart. And New York felt so alive on the page. Loved it. Can’t believ... READ MORE

Hannah Mitton

Clever, witty, wonderful read

I LOVED this. It's clever, it's witty, relatable, disorientating, poetic, accessible but challenging. Some epic unforgettable moments, such as Chapter 10 -... READ MORE

Anna Wetherell

Gorgeous, absorbing read

Finished in a couple of days, mesmerised by the voice of the main character - reminded me of Nora Ephron, Barbara Pym even, in the vivid portrayal of a mom... READ MORE

Fern Miller

Sharply observed and compelling

I couldn't put this down. The observational detail is astonishing, with beautiful, sharp turns of phrase and an amazing eye for characters, place and rela... READ MORE

Gerald Breatnach

A Stunning Novel

Miranda Pountney’s How to Be Somebody Else is a MAGNIFICENT novel. To think of it only as a successful debut would be to underestimate it. By any standards... READ MORE

Benedict Morrison

Wham Bam Wonderful Novel

Pountney gets to the nub of what it is to be somebody/anybody/somebody else. With intense sensitivity and wry humour, she exposes the vulnerabilities, de... READ MORE

lizzie corbett

Sharp and compelling

I couldn't put this down. The observational detail is astonishing, with beautiful, sharp turns of phrase and an amazing eye for characters, place and relat... READ MORE

Gerald Breatnach

An Extraordinary Novel

Miranda Pountney’s How to Be Somebody Else is a MAGNIFICENT novel. To think of it only as a successful debut would be to underestimate it. By any standards... READ MORE

Benedict Morrison

Razor sharp novel

I really enjoyed this book. more so as I spent fifteen years in advertising. Pountney is on point in her description of marketing etc. The plot moved along... READ MORE

paula sterling-stead

An impressive debut novel!

Described as “an uncoming-of-age in New York City”, Miranda Pountney's debut novel is a dazzling, sensuous, whirlwind-like exploration of female existence ... READ MORE

elleestviolette

A brilliant debut!

I had an arc copy of this book and was so excited for it to finally come out so that I can give it to everyone I know. Miranda Pountney has a clarity of vo... READ MORE

Oonagh DT

Totally brilliant!

I had an arc copy of this book and was so excited for it to finally come out so that I could give a copy to all my friends. Miranda Poutney has a clarity o... READ MORE

Oonagh Devitt Tremblay

A brilliant fresh new voice which had me fully absorbed.

As soon as you start reading ‘How to be Somebody Else’ you sense immediately you’ve stumbled upon a fresh and unique new voice. So astute in her observatio... READ MORE

Daina Mccauley

Astonishingly good

This is beautifully crafted and sharply observed. I found myself turning back to previous pages to re-read sections where a thought or moment was just perf... READ MORE

Sarah H

How to Be Somebody Else

Synopsis

Publisher information

Customer Reviews

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