<\/p>\n
Mary has a mysterious ailment and is undergoing a treatment called Pneuma Adaptive Kinesthesia, PAKing for short, that involves think crystals and paired yoga in dark rooms and is outrageously expensive. A quick look for a secondary source of income leads her to Matheson and after a series of bizzare interviews, Mary is appointed as the Emotional Girlfriend. The Girlfriends are constantly monitored by scientists, including their heart beats and stress levels and they are given pre-planned time slots to be with Kurt, much like a regular job. Each girlfriend is given a handbook and under no circumstances is she allowed to cross boundaries. For eg: If the plants in the house need watering, an Emotional Girlfriend can get fired if she waters them because that is the duty of the Maternal Girlfriend. Being the Emotional Girlfriend, Mary is required to maintain eye contact, give reassuring touches on the arm and listen attentively. As the \u2018work\u2019 progresses, they exchange keys and even have an \u2018I love you\u2019 session. Kurt seems to get attracted to her and the boundaries between them seem thin enough to cross. However Mary is stuck between her true feelings, Kurt and the other girlfriends.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I was enthralled by this novel and found it to be both engaging and entertaining. The characters are interesting and the writing keeps the reader on the edge thinking \u2018What is going to happen next?\u2019<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There is an underlying tone of sarcasm in the whole novel as Lacey makes fun of the haves and have-nots. The rich find ridiculous (not ridiculous for them) ways to spend money such as trying to define the components that would result in a \u2018perfect girlfriend\u2019, spending time at a juice counter where it is nearly impossible to order water, being fascinated by a \u2018cocktail artist\u2019 who mixes drinks according to the person\u2019s moods. Lacey also makes fun of the whole experiment about men thinking that they can come up with a secret formula for a Perfect Girlfriend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mary on the other hand comes from the section of \u2018have-nots\u2019 and struggles to make ends meet. I found the glimpses into the life of the Anger Girlfriend very interesting and Lacey makes some snarky comments about women pursuing their dreams in a world of patriarchy. Matheson is a difficult boss and very interfering in the personal lives of the girlfriends he hires; just like some of the real-life bosses. The highlight of the novel is how flawed our relationships are, whether we are rich or poor, because like Kurt, Mary has her share of broken relationships with her family and ex-es.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As for the ending, I was not fully pleased with it but it was a relief to know how things ended, especially since I was very curious about how the author would wrap up the plot. So I was not very displeased either. The novel makes us think of many of the rules we try to bind \u2018love\u2019 with without offering solid closures on any of the questions raised. As Mary says about love, \u201cSuch a serious thing we are doing, and no one really knows how to do it\u201d.<\/p>\n Those who loved Atwood\u2019s The Handmaid\u2019s tale<\/em> and the Baileys Prize winner, 2017 – Naomi Alderman\u2019s The Power<\/a><\/span><\/em>, would love this novel; it builds up and expands the basic premise in the same fashion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nWho is the perfect girlfriend? Find the answer in The Answers <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Title : The Answers Disclaimer : Much thanks to Granta for sending me the book. All opinions are my own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What if you can divide the various tasks that define one girlfriend among many? Would such a collection…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6307,16],"tags":[462,6369],"thb-sponsors":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.thebooksatchel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/the-answers2.jpg\")
![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.thebooksatchel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/the-answers.jpg\")
\nAuthor : Catherine Lacey
\nPublisher : Granta Books
\nPublished : 2017
\nLanguage : English
\nPages : 304
\nRating : 3\/5<\/p>\n