Jessie Stephens’ debut novel, Heartsick, has taken the Australian book charts by storm and made her a best selling author. Her novel was created following intensive interviews with three heartsick real people: Claire, Patrick, and Ana.
Claire and her freshly broken heart have left Toowoomba and moved to London (as so many Aussies do) in search of a do-over. There, she meets Maggie, and her new love story begins.
Patrick is a university student with a crush on his classmate Caitlin. Caitlin; however, is in a long term relationship with her highschool sweetheart, but cannot stop sparks from flying.
Ana is a happily married mother of three. Until something within her unexpectedly shifts, and suddenly a long term platonic friendship becomes something much more.
You know from the outset that Claire, Patrick and Ana’s love stories are doomed. That’s in the title. However, the detailed unfolding of these three people’s relationships was an addictive journey. Reading this novel was like munching on salt and vinegar popcorn. Light, addictive, but with a bit of extra bite. I consumed it in three days, which is unusually fast for me.
In writing this novel, Stephens’ has skillfully captured human frailty. Claire is constantly battling with her depression and codependent tendencies. Patrick is inexperienced with big feelings, and made acutely aware of his low emotional intelligence. Ana is in a cloud of lust, blind to all that she already has and risking everything for the thrill of the chase. These are flawed people in flawed relationships. It’s not hard to believe that they are real people and these are real stories – they are messy in every sense.
Though I knew that these relationships were doomed, I still found the ending unsatisfactory. The stories just kind of wither away at the end, drying up to nothing. And the epilogue failed to give a satisfying ending. Having said that, I’m not sure what I wanted at the end. I just know it was not what I got. I don’t expect a novel called ‘Heartsick’ to end with a happy little bow, but something more than what I got would have been appreciated.
Overall, 3 too-tight denim shorts out of 5.