What a Shame

Abigail Bergstrom

From Shelf: Read in 2022

With blistering humour reminiscent of Emma Jane Unsworth and the raw vulnerability of I May Destroy You, What a Shame offers a powerful reading experience like no other - a book about female shame that will resonate with any woman who has tackled the beauty and the pain of having to come to terms with herself.

THE WORD-OF-MOUTH PHENOMENON THAT EVERYONE HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT:'Intelligent, moving and darkly comic . . . taking us deftly from serious explorations of trauma to riotously funny scenes of modern life' The Sunday Times'Haunting and hilarious' Daily Mail'A brilliant debut' Cariad Lloyd'Full of heart, wit and feeling' Caroline O'Donoghue'I loved it!' Lauren Bravo'Heartfelt, sharp-but-tender' Erin Kelly'I couldn't stop reading' Angela Scanlon'A glorious new talent has arrived' Emma Gannon'Raw and utterly brilliant' Otegha Uwagba'Absorbing and clever . . . I fell in love with Mathilda' Cathy Rentzenbrink'Will be read for years by any and all young women looking for a friend' Scarlett Curtis__________________________________ There is something wrong with Mathilda.She's still reeling from the blow of a gut-punch break up and grieving the death of a loved one. But that's not it. She's cried all her tears, mastered her crow pose and thrown out every last reminder of him. But that's not helping.Concerned that she isn't moving on, Mathilda's friends push her towards a series of increasingly unorthodox remedies. Until the seams of herself begin to come undone. Tender, unflinching and blisteringly funny, What a Shame glitters with rage and heartbreak, perfect for fans of Emma Jane Unsworth, Dolly Alderton and Holly Bourne.__________________________________'Ever-so-relatable' Cosmopolitan'Delightfully frank' The Skinny'A modern story of grief and loss' Refinery29'Dazzling . . . By turns funny, sharp, raw and overwhelming' Heat'Fizzes with energy, rage and love' Jessica Moor'A book that beautifully balances the light and the dark' Chloe Ashby'Dark, nuanced and provocative' Laura Jane Williams'An extraordinary novel that will stay with me for a long time' Laura Kay