Not Working

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What to expect

Claire Flannery has quit her job in order to discover her true vocation - only to realize she has no idea how to go about finding it. Whilst everyone around her seems to have their lives entirely under control, Claire finds herself sinking under pressure and wondering where her own fell apart. 'It's fine,' her grandmother says. 'I remember what being your age was like - of course, I had four children under eight then, but modern life is different, you've got an awful lot on.'

Sharp, tender and funny, Lisa Owen's brilliantly observed debut Not Working is the story of a life unravelling and a novel that asks the questions we've never dared to say out loud.

Critics Review

Lisa Owens is a comedy genius and a seriously skilful and beautiful writer. Not Working is so clever and original, pithy and poignant, capturing the voice of a bright, lost generation

Emma Jane Unsworth, author of ANIMALS

I love Not Working. As close to the tenderness and funniness and uniqueness of real life as books get. It makes me feel like I did when I found Adrian Mole decades ago . . . It’s really very rare, and very special

David Whitehouse, author of MOBILE LIBRARY

Not Working is absolutely brilliant. Insanely funny but also moving and true. Lisa Owens is one of those writers on whom nothing is lost

Nathan Filer, author of THE SHOCK OF THE FALL

Pin-sharp, utterly addictive

Vogue

A deadpan comic debut for the procrastination generation

Guardian

Full of crackling, voice-of-a-generation observations

Glamour

Sharp and funny . . . exquisitely nails the sensation of being the only one in a group of friends who can’t work out what life is supposed to be about

Stylist

As insightful about the contemporary dilemmas facing young professionals as it is sharp, incisive and laugh-out-loud funny

Observer

Piercingly observant and funny

Express

Agenda-setting . . . Combining the honesty of Bridget Jones with the bang-on social observation of early Sex and the City, this nails it

The Pool

If you’re not trapped in the 9-5 office routine this is the book for you. If you’re trapped in the 9-5 office routine and fantasising about quitting, this is the book for you. Lisa Owens’ heroine, Claire Flannery, has been described as a very modern Bridget Jones. It’s not a man that she’s after, it’s a job! Claire is funny, endearing and self-deprecating and her job-hunting sagas will strike a chord. If you’re looking for a new job Not Working won’t help you, but it will make you laugh out loud along the way.

Reader's Digest

Get ready to LOL at Not Working, the dazzling debut from Lisa Owens

Look

Very funny and very true, Owens totally nails that tricksy twentysomething period when you’re yet to work out what the hell to do with your life

Glamour (10 Best Novels of 2016)

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