Sasha Worth is in a serious funk. She's so bogged down by her job that she can barely function. Making dinner seems like an insurmountable task, she has no energy for friends, and the only thing that comforts her is watching Legally Blonde. So when a cashier asks her out, she tells him she's not interested in sex because it's just "genitals rubbing together." (14) Pretty cringe, right? But also hilarious and charming and stranger-than-fiction real. Because this is Sophie Kinsella and her second-latest book, The Burnout.
That said, it's bizarre but not surprising when Sasha tears out of her office in a burst of can't-take-it-anymore anxiety and runs into a brick wall. Emotionally spent, she takes a leave of absence and holes up at the seaside resort where she vacationed as a kid. All Sasha wants is to be left alone. But the universe has other plans. Soon she befriends the quirky hotel staff, delves into a twenty-year-old mystery, and asks herself what she really wants. And she does it all with a man who seemed awful but turns out to be just what she needs.
Every time Sasha stumbles or has a wish-the-earth-would-swallow-her moment, I feel like it's happening to me, and I bet other readers do too. That's the magic of Kinsella. She shows us the dark in the light and the light in the dark through the eyes of relatable heroines. In a world where self care is often just a buzz word, Sasha asserts her worth and puts herself first, making The Burnout a standout.
So thank you, Sophie Kinsella, for giving us yet another wonderful read. There's no one I'd rather have a breakdown -- er, burnout -- with.
