Our February book club pick was Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. The novel was about a young Irish woman who moves to Hong Kong and has trouble fitting in and finding her bearings while also entering in a relationship with Julian as well as Edith. Everyone who talks about the book, can't help but mention Sally Rooney because the vibes are very similar. So if you like Rooney, you might love Dolan as well. However, I'll recommend some other Irish authors in this post, some you might not know or think about but should give a try! If you have any other recommendations, please leave them in the comments! I also have some discussion questions at the end just in case you're talking about this book with your own book club.
Reading recommendations for Exciting Times
Exciting Times is Naoise Dolan's first novel, but she's written a bunch of short fiction and essays, so I'm recommending one of those here. The story Family News is available online so you can even read it immediately if you'd like. The story is about a woman on the run from her abusive boyfriend in London and then moves in with her sister and niece.
Not the same as the movie from 2021, but Promising Young Women by Caroline O'Donoghue is about the danger of women living in a man's world as well. Jane works as an advice columnist giving women good advice when it comes to dating. If only she would listen to her own advice when she launches head-first into an affair with her boss. The consequences of which could endanger her friendships, career and even her life.
I already mentioned Sarah Maria Griffin as my personal favorite Irish author, but her book Not Lost also feels like an apt recommendation for Exciting Times. It's a memoir about her time living in San Francisco and feeling both lost and not lost in this new country. I also recommend that you read both of her other novels, but that's up to you!
Discussion questions for Exciting Times
- Ava has an interest in linguistics which we see throughout the novel. How did this fit into the narrative for you?
- How does Exciting Times engage with subjects of race, class and colonialism?
- How different is Ava with Julian and Edith? Was one relationship better than the other?
- Why do we see so many novels with young female protagonists who are detached and full of ennui?
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