LUCIE BRITSCH
What people are saying about Sad Janet:
"Surprising and irreverent...Be prepared for edginess, dark humor and profanity. The only sweet thing
about "Sad Janet" is its cover, which might be the most adorable one I've seen all year"
New York Times
"A gentle, yet precise probe into the nature of melancholia . . . Sad Janet is a strangely exuberant
meditation on sadness; Britsch articulates the conflicting comforts and pains of depression in a
distinctively memorable, wise way."
Refinery29
"A darkly humorous debut." "So apt right now."
Kirkus Review
"Funny and touching and highlights some very real truths about what it means to be a sad woman in
our world."
Hey Alma
"A whipsmart, biting piece of tragicomedy which manages to inspire real laughter while celebrating
sadness. Hilarious, profound and deeply refreshing."
Huffington Post UK
"Sad Janet doesn’t know why she’s sad. She doesn’t want to be. She just can’t help it. Can a pill
transform her world? Britsch’s tart debut is a wicked satire of our obsession with happiness."
The i newspaper
"A searing, comedic and accessible take on depression and personality, Sad Janet delivers a
comforting message about the value of individuality."
Shelf Awareness
"The narrative voice of Janet in Britsch’s debut novel is a skin-tingling combination of new and
necessary. . . . This book and this character are radical, and readers are likely to feel a relief at reading
the thoughts they’ve had but not spoken."
Booklist (starred review)
"Britsch’s monologue about the experience of unhappiness is undeniably infectious."
Publishers Weekly
"Hilarious, wise, wicked, and tender."
Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest
"Try reading Sad Janet ... It might just make you happy"
Marcy Demansky, author of Very Nice
"A timely and trenchant debut."
Courtney Maum, author of Costalegre
"A tragicomic riot of a book - charging, foul-mouthed and tender, across the modern condition"
Claudia Dey, author of Heartbreaker
"If you’re a Halle Butler fan or like despair cut with humour, you’ll love this"
Leigh Stein, author of Self Care.
"My partner kept asking why I was laughing. This book is dark and hilarious and will speak to
everyone who’s ever wondered why they spend time with humans and not just dogs"
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days and Harmless Like You.
"Like a grown up Daria, still trying to live authentically while wracked with depression. Funny and
sharp as hell."
Helen McClory, author of The Goldblum Variations.
"Sentence after sentence of funny lil gems in Sad Janet"
Annie Hartnett, author of Rabbit Cake.
Named one of the Best Books of the Summer by LitHub, The Millions, Refinery29, and Hey Alma and one of the Best Books of the Autumn by Huffington Post UK and the i Newspaper.
Published in the US by Riverhead Books
THE DARKLY HILARIOUS, BRILLIANTLY WISE NEW NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF SAD JANET
All her life, Susan’s loved ones have been hiding a terrible secret from her: If she thinks too hard, her head will explode.
Luckily, her devoted boyfriend, anxious parents and fierce best friend are prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Susan safe in ignorant, thoughtless bliss. And until now, Susan has lived happily in a bubble of TV and takeaways, social media and small talk; anything to distract her from the spiralling thoughts that so often haunt the rest of us – thoughts that would be deadly for her.
But what happens when reality creeps in and Susan’s perfectly curated world starts to crumble? Can we distract ourselves from the real world forever… and should we?
Praise for Lucie Britsch
‘Surprising and irreverent’ NEW YORK TIMES
‘A strangely exuberant meditation on sadness’ REFINERY29
‘A whip-smart, biting piece of tragicomedy… Hilarious, profound’ HUFFINGTON POST
‘A wicked satire of our obsession with happiness’ THE i
‘A tragicomic riot of a book – charging, foul-mouthed and tender’ CLAUDIA DEY
‘Like a grown up Daria’ HELEN MCCLORY
‘If you’re a Halle Butler fan or like despair cut with humour, you’ll love this’ LEIGH STEIN
‘Dark and hilarious’ ROWAN HISAYO BUCHANAN