Into the car with the passionate taxi driver. “You stay young forever,” the man told me, whipping around moodily, “because you look good.” And drew a meditative face with his hand over his face… “Kind,” he said to himself, “you seem kind. I speak English to you,” he said, “because you make me dream.”
— Patricia Lockwood, Will There Ever Be Another You: A Novel (Riverhead Books, September 23, 2025)
Notes:
- Some real nuggets in this book but regrettably cannot (NOT, absolutely NOT, unless you are a masochist) recommend this book.
- NY Times Book Review by Dwight Garner: “A Novel That Captures the Agony and Absurdity of Covid Brain Fog. In “Will There Ever Be Another You,” Patricia Lockwood recounts the pandemic’s devastating effects on her life.”
- Image: Boston Globe by Greg Hoax
Forewarned is forewarned, much appreciated here from Camp Krumholz. That said, the chosen sentences are truly evocative and loving
🙂
Thank you for the warning!!
You are welcome!
I really have got to use spellcheck – or at least read what the heck I mean “forewarned is forearmed”..duh!!
I translated and got it! No worries!
If you can’t recommend it…. Must really not be a Cara read….
NOT.
are you trying to use reverse psychology? 🙂
No!
ok, I’ll take your word for it. I’ve got more than enough books to read 🙂
would you be willing to say why you would NOT recommend this book, or would that be poking the bear?
I should have said it was definitely not for me Beth. Perhaps it was intellectually miles and miles over my head but it was awful for ME. Waves amd waves pf Brain fog, Delirium and threadless, disjointed passages. This reviewer captures it beautifully esp the yellow highlights.
https://readwise.io/reader/shared/01k5yw4mq2t9g4c4ymwwwx8t33
thanks for letting me know, I don’t think I could take it on either, it sounds like a heavy load to carry. thanks for letting me know.
At one point, the NY Times’ reviewer said (of “her dream-logic sentences”), “Her brain is no longer a sequential processor; the cheese is sliding off the cracker.” I about died laughing!
So good right!?!?! Better than the book!!!
I just started reading Nausea (Sartre) and this seems somewhat akin – have you read it? I’m actually somewhat intrigued, but I also don’t think I need to relive the worst of Covid…
Hi Laila. I think I started Nausea and quit!!!
I’m only on page 30-something, and I can see why 😂
OMG, you get extra points for effort. (Note to Self: So glad to get Laila’s early review. Makes me feel less ignorant aka “maybe I just didn’t get it”)
Without knowing anything at all about said book, I fully relate to the damage covid did to some of us. Had a conversation yesterday with a dear, super intelligent, introvert friend and we both confessed that covid damaged our brains; we both had it confirmed by our respective doctors and we are by far not the only ones. i wouldn’t go so far as to write a book about it though.
Hi Kiki. I’ve read that those afflicted by long COVID are experiencing significant health issues with no cure in sight. Frightening… Have a good week. Dave
I read the Wikipedia page, about Patricia Lockwood. She has a following. Though, I’m not interested in reading any of her work…Just doesn’t click w/me…Thanks for sharing about her, though…
Thank you! That’s what makes us human.