“So smart, so funny, so moving. I absolutely loved it.” — Bonnie Garmus, New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry The “brilliant” (Ann Patchett) and much beloved author of the critically acclaimed Sorrow and Bliss returns with a tender and hilarious novel about heartbreak and the journey from isolation and loneliness towards love. Sophie Pattison loves books. And as well as a dream job at a local book festival, she has a husband she adores, a lifelong best friend, Emma, and a brother she’s always been close to. Which makes you wonder why since Christmas Sophie has been living alone, estranged from Emma, avoiding her brother, and about to be fired. Now it feels like the only thing she has left is reading. When Sophie re-discovers an author she first read in her twenties, the words on the page reach her in a new way—becoming both solace and company. Devouring every one of her novels, Sophie begins to dream of meeting her, knowing she never will. But what if she did? What if, by then, the author feels like a friend? What if, for Sophie, it feels almost like love? In this much anticipated novel, Meg Mason captures the heartache and dark humor of our relationships in all their complexity, giving us a story about the power of connection and an ode to the inexplicable nature of the human heart. “So smart, so funny, so moving. Mason has done it again, this time using the behind-the-scenes mechanics at a literary festival to reveal the complexity of loneliness and how one woman attempts to dig herself out. I absolutely loved it.” —Bonnie Garmus, New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry “I loved this book . . . funny and as endearing as a good friend.” - Barbara Kingsolver, on Sorrow and Bliss “Witty and affecting.” - David Nicholls, author of You Are Here and One Day, on Sorrow and Bliss “ Sorrow and Bliss is a brilliantly faceted and extremely funny book about depression that engulfed me in the way I'm always hoping to be engulfed by novels. While I was reading it, I was making a list of all the people I wanted to send it to, until I realized that I wanted to send it to everyone I know." - Ann Patchett, on Sorrow and Bliss “Completely brilliant. I loved it. I think every girl and woman should read it.” - Gillian Anderson, on Sorrow and Bliss “A quiet and achingly beautiful love story. . . . LOVED it. Masterfully written. And powerful.” - Elin Hilderbrand, on Sorrow and Bliss "Brutal, tender, funny, this novel—a portrait of love in all of its many incarnations—came alive for me from the very first page. I saw myself here. I saw the people I love. I am changed by this book." - Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, on Sorrow and Bliss “ Sorrow and Bliss is hilarious, haunting, and utterly captivating. Meg Mason has created a heroine as prickly as Bernadette in Where’d You Go, Bernadette . Her humor is as arch and wise as the best work of Joan Didion and Rachel Cusk, yet completely original. What a thrilling new voice!” - Amanda Eyre Ward, New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters, on Sorrow and Bliss “A truly comic novel about love and the despair of depression. It’s a rare and beautiful thing when an author can break your heart with humor; it’s also the quality I admire most in a writer.” - New York Times Book Review “Improbably charming . . . will have you chortling and reading lines aloud.” - People, on Sorrow and Bliss "Exploring the multifaceted hardships of mental illness and the frustrating inaccuracy of diagnoses, medications, and treatments, Sorrow and Bliss is darkly comic and deeply heartfelt . . . Martha’s voice is acerbic, witty, and raw." - Booklist (starred review), on Sorrow and Bliss “Mason excels in her heartbreaking U.S. debut, an account of a woman’s self-discovery amid her struggle with mental illness. . . . Witty and stark, Martha’s emotionally affecting story will delight fans of Sally Rooney.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review), on Sorrow and Bliss "An incredibly funny and devastating debut. . . . enlivened, often, by a madcap energy. Yet it still manages to be sensitive and heartfelt, and to offer a nuanced portrayal of what it means to try to make amends and change, even when that involves 'start[ing] again from nothing.'” - The Guardian, on Sorrow and Bliss "So dark, so funny, so true. You will see your sad, struggling, triumphant self in this deeply affecting novel. What a debut." - Laura Zigman, author of Separation Anxiety, on Sorrow and Bliss “A truly comic novel about love and the despair of depression. It’s a rare and beautiful thing when an author can break your heart with humor; it’s also the quality I admire most in a writer.” - Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest and Good Company, on Sorrow and Bliss "Sharp yet humane, and jaw-droppingly funny, this is the kind of novel you will want to press into the hands of everyone yo