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The Most
It’s November 3, 1957. As Sputnik 2 launches into space, carrying Laika, the doomed Soviet dog, a couple begin their day. Virgil Beckett, an insurance salesman, isn’t particularly happy in his job but he fulfills the role. Kathleen Beckett, once a promising tennis champion with a key shot up her sleeve, is now a mother and homemaker. On this unseasonably warm Sunday, Kathleen decides not to join her family at church. Instead, she unearths her old, red bathing suit and descends into the deserted swimming pool of their apartment complex in Newark, Delaware. And then she won’t come out.
A riveting, single-sitting read set over the course of eight hours, The Most is an epic story in one single day, masterly breaching the shimmering surface of a seemingly idyllic mid-century marriage, immersing us in the unspoken truth beneath.
A riveting, single-sitting read set over the course of eight hours, The Most is an epic story in one single day, masterly breaching the shimmering surface of a seemingly idyllic mid-century marriage, immersing us in the unspoken truth beneath.
144 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2024
472 people are currently reading
20760 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Anthony
5 books144 followersJessica Anthony is the author of four books of fiction, most recently THE MOST (Little, Brown & Co. 2024), which was longlisted for the National Book Award in Fiction. Her previous novel, ENTER THE AARDVARK (Little, Brown & Co. 2020), was a finalist for the New England Book Award in Fiction. Anthony is the recipient of the Creative Capital Award in Literature, and her novels have been published in fifteen countries. She lives in Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,261 reviews
July 12, 2025
to be honest...getting in the pool and then refusing to come out sounds like a lot of my childhood.
although being a washed up tennis star housewife on both sides of an affair is less familiar.
this book is uniquely confusing — not because it's about a woman refusing to get out of a pool (normal, relatable), but maybe because it needed another round of edits. a character who apparently hadn't realized how much he'd confided in another one remembers it at length pretty soon after, without acknowledgment. a character hearing a story by phone somehow knows that the character telling it was lifting up his gnarled hands when he said "these." the apartment referenced as new in chapter 1 is dingy and stained in chapter 8.
this is not so much about a woman drifting in a pool to escape the exhausting weight of midcentury patriarchal expectations (as the synopsis indicates) as it is the inconsistent story of two people who have cheated on each other, without any rhyme or reason in terms of how lengthy, emotional, significant, or even recent those affairs were.
for a while, i gave this story the benefit of the doubt, but there were too many small errors in this for me to be able to believe the bigger issues were intentional.
bottom line: trying to write a really short book about nothing in the hopes it seems profound is such a vibe.
(1.5 / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
although being a washed up tennis star housewife on both sides of an affair is less familiar.
this book is uniquely confusing — not because it's about a woman refusing to get out of a pool (normal, relatable), but maybe because it needed another round of edits. a character who apparently hadn't realized how much he'd confided in another one remembers it at length pretty soon after, without acknowledgment. a character hearing a story by phone somehow knows that the character telling it was lifting up his gnarled hands when he said "these." the apartment referenced as new in chapter 1 is dingy and stained in chapter 8.
this is not so much about a woman drifting in a pool to escape the exhausting weight of midcentury patriarchal expectations (as the synopsis indicates) as it is the inconsistent story of two people who have cheated on each other, without any rhyme or reason in terms of how lengthy, emotional, significant, or even recent those affairs were.
for a while, i gave this story the benefit of the doubt, but there were too many small errors in this for me to be able to believe the bigger issues were intentional.
bottom line: trying to write a really short book about nothing in the hopes it seems profound is such a vibe.
(1.5 / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
August 19, 2024
1.5 stars ✨
this is a barnes & noble monthly pick for august and, quite frankly, i don’t know why.
thank goodness this novella was only 133 pages.
this felt like someone wrote a long essay for a creative writing course and strayed off topic too much just so they could meet the word requirement.
slight spoilers ahead:
the characters sucked. i’m aware it was intentional, but still. they are both selfish and they are both cheaters. the entire story revolves around infidelity on both ends of a married couple’s relationship. 🙂↔️ hard pass.
that’s all. this wasn’t what i expected after reading the synopsis. wouldn’t recommend. ✌🏻
this is a barnes & noble monthly pick for august and, quite frankly, i don’t know why.
thank goodness this novella was only 133 pages.
this felt like someone wrote a long essay for a creative writing course and strayed off topic too much just so they could meet the word requirement.
slight spoilers ahead:
the characters sucked. i’m aware it was intentional, but still. they are both selfish and they are both cheaters. the entire story revolves around infidelity on both ends of a married couple’s relationship. 🙂↔️ hard pass.
that’s all. this wasn’t what i expected after reading the synopsis. wouldn’t recommend. ✌🏻
September 17, 2024
Longlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for fiction, “The Most” is a tightly constructed story about the implosion of a 1950’s marriage. Author Jessica Anthony writes a novella that encompasses 10 hours on an unusually warm November day.
Kathleen Beckett has reached her limit of her troubled and stuck marriage. She has mothered 2 boys, and is married to Virgil Beckett, a very lazy insurance man who hasn’t sold a thing and is living on borrowed money. Kathleen was a tennis champion at the University of Delaware. She was used to winning. Playing tennis at that level taught Kathleen endurance, and Kathleen has that in spades.
From the start, Virgil knows something is awry. Kathleen chooses to stay home and not attend church because she was feeling poorly. Virgil takes the boys. Kathleen decides to get into the pool while the boys are gone at church. While she floats along, the reader learns the backstory to her marriage and her abilities in tennis.
When she was a teen, her parents got her a tennis coach. He taught her a move called “the most” which means “the bridge” in his native Czechoslovakia. Basically, it involves getting the opponent close to you and then slamming an unreachable bomb. He was instrumental in her formative years. She learned about books, politics, and world affairs from her Czech coach.
Meanwhile, Virgil ponders his wife’s strange behavior while at Church. He also reviews his life, and the reader learns more about his background. But mostly, he’s dreaming of his golf game which he intends to do after dropping the boys off.
I finished this in one setting. I felt like I was there, in a stifling marriage in 1957. Anthony includes real events, one being the Russian Sputnik 2 launching. This time there is a dog, Laika AKA “Muttnik”. The cultural environment, mostly repression. Men determined almost every element in family life.
When Kathleen refuses to obey Virgil and come out of the pool, the story gets interesting. What is Kathleen’s game? What is her endgame? How did this champion end up in such a stifling marriage? At a mere 144-page count, Anthony writes a mesmerizing tale of a dysfunctional marriage.
Kathleen Beckett has reached her limit of her troubled and stuck marriage. She has mothered 2 boys, and is married to Virgil Beckett, a very lazy insurance man who hasn’t sold a thing and is living on borrowed money. Kathleen was a tennis champion at the University of Delaware. She was used to winning. Playing tennis at that level taught Kathleen endurance, and Kathleen has that in spades.
From the start, Virgil knows something is awry. Kathleen chooses to stay home and not attend church because she was feeling poorly. Virgil takes the boys. Kathleen decides to get into the pool while the boys are gone at church. While she floats along, the reader learns the backstory to her marriage and her abilities in tennis.
When she was a teen, her parents got her a tennis coach. He taught her a move called “the most” which means “the bridge” in his native Czechoslovakia. Basically, it involves getting the opponent close to you and then slamming an unreachable bomb. He was instrumental in her formative years. She learned about books, politics, and world affairs from her Czech coach.
Meanwhile, Virgil ponders his wife’s strange behavior while at Church. He also reviews his life, and the reader learns more about his background. But mostly, he’s dreaming of his golf game which he intends to do after dropping the boys off.
I finished this in one setting. I felt like I was there, in a stifling marriage in 1957. Anthony includes real events, one being the Russian Sputnik 2 launching. This time there is a dog, Laika AKA “Muttnik”. The cultural environment, mostly repression. Men determined almost every element in family life.
When Kathleen refuses to obey Virgil and come out of the pool, the story gets interesting. What is Kathleen’s game? What is her endgame? How did this champion end up in such a stifling marriage? At a mere 144-page count, Anthony writes a mesmerizing tale of a dysfunctional marriage.
July 30, 2024
Pristine mid-century Americana vibes! 1950s housewife Kathleen stays home from church one day, saying she feels unwell. When her husband, Virgil, returns home, she is in their apartment complex’s pool and refuses to get out. The story takes place over the course of a single day, but as we unravel what led Kathleen to the pool, we’re treated to a rich backstory that reveals the secrets Kathleen and Virgil are each hiding.
I absolutely loved this book and the way it explored the yearning beneath the surface of a middle class, mid-century marriage. Both main characters are flawed and complex. The author’s attention to detail made me feel like I had travelled back in a time machine. Overall, this whole story was achingly beautiful, and I loved spending time in this story.
(Bonus: It’s a super quick read, so I highly recommend it for those rushing to meet their reading goal 😂)
I absolutely loved this book and the way it explored the yearning beneath the surface of a middle class, mid-century marriage. Both main characters are flawed and complex. The author’s attention to detail made me feel like I had travelled back in a time machine. Overall, this whole story was achingly beautiful, and I loved spending time in this story.
(Bonus: It’s a super quick read, so I highly recommend it for those rushing to meet their reading goal 😂)
September 20, 2024
3.5 All I knew, before reading, was that a woman gets into her apartments pool, and refuses to get out. I assumed that it was a housewives way of striking, with which I could well relate. But I assumed wrong, this is much more, much deeper. A marriage, two children, a husband that is very good looking, and a wife that doesn’t know how this day will end. If her marriage will survive.
In turn we hear Kathleen’s story, her unfilled tennis career, her first love, and her husband Virgil tells his take on things. By books end I didn’t like either of them, or should I say didn’t like the actions they took.
The book is well written, a slower, quieter story. It does a good job relating the problems that can arise in a marriage. The ending is open, leaving it to the reader to decide what happens after all the facts are given.
ARC from edelweiss.
In turn we hear Kathleen’s story, her unfilled tennis career, her first love, and her husband Virgil tells his take on things. By books end I didn’t like either of them, or should I say didn’t like the actions they took.
The book is well written, a slower, quieter story. It does a good job relating the problems that can arise in a marriage. The ending is open, leaving it to the reader to decide what happens after all the facts are given.
ARC from edelweiss.
September 22, 2024
Don't pretend you're writing a novel and then end it like a short story, because it doesn't work that way.I imagine there are many failed novels out there exactly like this one. They start off well, but the author doesn't have the endurance, so they are either finished quickly or abandoned. The surprise is that this one got published and even received some awards consideration. Why? That's another discussion.
May 3, 2025
the synopsis lied to me
August 7, 2024
the premise of this entire book is that this girl reminisces about being a tennis player and her husband grows a conscience
December 9, 2024
The story unfolds on an unseasonably warm Sunday in November and it is an account of a crucial point in the married life of a young couple in 1950’s Delaware.
Kathleen and Virgil both have made many mistakes in their relationship.. on this day, Kathleen puts on a bathing suit and stays in their apartment pool ALL DAY and into evening.. pondering over the mistakes she has made and maybe how to divulge them to Virgil.
Virgil, has been a heavy drinker and womanizer and as he spends this day golfing, comes home to his wife still in the pool and there is the question of what/if he should expose to Kathleen.
These two were definitely not likable people but I enjoyed the story.
Kathleen and Virgil both have made many mistakes in their relationship.. on this day, Kathleen puts on a bathing suit and stays in their apartment pool ALL DAY and into evening.. pondering over the mistakes she has made and maybe how to divulge them to Virgil.
Virgil, has been a heavy drinker and womanizer and as he spends this day golfing, comes home to his wife still in the pool and there is the question of what/if he should expose to Kathleen.
These two were definitely not likable people but I enjoyed the story.
March 2, 2024
I received an ARC of The Most via Netgalley prior to its publication!
And I’m so glad that I did.
This novella follows Kathleen and Virgil, a married couple living with their two boys in a Delaware apartment complex when one day, inexplicably, Kathleen doesn’t want to get out of the pool.
My first thought was that this would be an outrageous unhinged woman thing (like REALLY would not get out of the pool), but instead it was a domestic drama set in the 1950s, alternating perspectives from husband and wife, expertly crafting a story about the narratives we tell ourselves about the choices we make.
I loved the way that Jessica Anthony told the same stories from both Virgil’s and Kathleen’s perspectives. The way they explained some of the same people with acute precision, but from such different lenses. Each character felt entirely different.
The way Jessica Anthony explored power dynamics and the male/female roles and expectations was— chefs kiss— 👩🍳💋
I loved this so much!
And I’m so glad that I did.
This novella follows Kathleen and Virgil, a married couple living with their two boys in a Delaware apartment complex when one day, inexplicably, Kathleen doesn’t want to get out of the pool.
My first thought was that this would be an outrageous unhinged woman thing (like REALLY would not get out of the pool), but instead it was a domestic drama set in the 1950s, alternating perspectives from husband and wife, expertly crafting a story about the narratives we tell ourselves about the choices we make.
I loved the way that Jessica Anthony told the same stories from both Virgil’s and Kathleen’s perspectives. The way they explained some of the same people with acute precision, but from such different lenses. Each character felt entirely different.
The way Jessica Anthony explored power dynamics and the male/female roles and expectations was— chefs kiss— 👩🍳💋
I loved this so much!
August 18, 2024
So I’m walking around Barnes and Noble and one of the employees sees that I have a book in my hand that has one of their “Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off” stickers on it. He says, “I see you have one of our “on special” books, can I recommend this book to you as your “Get 50% off” purchase”? We started talking about the book and he’s like “oh, it’s so good”! So I started reading the blurb on the back of the book and the premise was intriguing, women sitting in a pool for hours, so I figured why not? (I’ll even go on to say that the sales clerk was “oh this book is great, you’re really going to enjoy it”!)……
The periods at the end of my paragraph were a few beats for you to continue.
All I can say is, what a colossal piece of garbage! I can recap the whole story for you pretty quickly. Married couple in the 50’s that both had extramarital affairs. That’s the long and short of it. If that interests you then by all means read the book but if not, just walk by this clunker.
Oh, and there’s really no rhyme or reason why the woman was in the pool for hours except that she was doing her best thinking there…🙄
The periods at the end of my paragraph were a few beats for you to continue.
All I can say is, what a colossal piece of garbage! I can recap the whole story for you pretty quickly. Married couple in the 50’s that both had extramarital affairs. That’s the long and short of it. If that interests you then by all means read the book but if not, just walk by this clunker.
Oh, and there’s really no rhyme or reason why the woman was in the pool for hours except that she was doing her best thinking there…🙄
December 4, 2024
I love a book that plays with structure and builds tension; this did that so well and delivered a slam dunk of an ending for such a short book. However, I found the characters to be a bit cartoonish at times, feeling more representative of a concept than a real person. Anthony's writing is sharp, though, and I did like how each alternating chapter revealed more and more about their backstories and secrets. It leans a bit toward soap opera, but then the nuanced ending causes you to reconsider how you feel about these characters and their choices. Deceptively smart, though maybe not the most impactful or memorable story ever.
More like a 3.5 stars.
More like a 3.5 stars.
May 19, 2024
A novella that tells the whole story of a marriage up to the moment it will either be destroyed or saved. Told in alternating chapters of husband Virgil and wife Kathleen, we slowly learn the whole story of their lives together. Anthony takes her time with all kinds of reveals, small and large, to see just how little these two people know and understand each other. Surprisingly optimistic for a book about the way marriage traps people.
November 11, 2024
On a warm November day in 1957, Kathleen Beckett refuses to get out of the pool. She’s been swimming all day. Her sons are occupied, her husband Virgil golfs, and when they’re ready for dinner later, she’s still in the pool.
The Most alternates POVs between Kathleen and Virgil. Neither an angelic spouse, both reflecting on their own actions and internal thoughts.
Given its short length, I don’t regret reading The Most, but I didn’t love it. The story does a good job building tension and while I can’t say I was a huge fan of Kathleen or Virgil, I was curious to see how things would play out.
The Most alternates POVs between Kathleen and Virgil. Neither an angelic spouse, both reflecting on their own actions and internal thoughts.
Given its short length, I don’t regret reading The Most, but I didn’t love it. The story does a good job building tension and while I can’t say I was a huge fan of Kathleen or Virgil, I was curious to see how things would play out.
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November 15, 2024This rocked
August 1, 2024
I had never heard of Jessica Anthony before. But let me warn you before it's too late. This is hands down the worst novel I have read in 2024. It is a banal and unremarkable novel written by a banal and unremarkable writer about banal and unremarkable people. You could call this a slightly more up-market Jami Attenberg or Emily Henry. But of course that assessment is a complete damnation. Because those two writers are awful as well. I could not give even a whimper of a fuck about Kathleen or Virgil. They are one-dimensional and uninteresting. There is simply no zest or love for life in this book. If there was anything interesting in an earlier draft, well, it seems to have been sanded down by some editor who spent a lot of time killing anything remotely vivacious. Consider how painfully generic this description is:
"Later that night on the couch, after they'd slept together, Virgil did something spontaneous. It was stupid, really, and clearly not serious, but he asked her to promise him that she would come back with him to California. It might be a while, he said, but he would think about her every day until they could. In jest, lying together, naked limbs entwined, he took one of Little Mo's tiny hands and, in a sloppy British accent that came out of nowhere, said: 'Will you marry me, Miss Imogen Monson?'"
The first two sentences here are overstuffed with extremely prosaic and often redundant phrasing. Why not just have Virgil DO something spontaneous? Why all the "stupid, really, and clearly not serious" throat clearing? And then the preposterously unconvincing third sentence, with the godawful and belabored "In jest, lying together" and the forced British accent. This paragraph is simply a complete failure by every aesthetic standard.
The entire novel is laden with such misfires.
Call me a meanie if you must. But I despise bad writing with all my heart. And this book, despite being very short, was interminable because Jessica Anthony writes with the tin ear of someone who has been drafting joyless press releases all of her life. And given the inexplicable rave by Heller McAlpin, I am forced to conclude that McAlpin has gone senile. There is literally nothing in this novel to recommend. Nothing. It is complete and total garbage. I want my two hours of reading time back.
"Later that night on the couch, after they'd slept together, Virgil did something spontaneous. It was stupid, really, and clearly not serious, but he asked her to promise him that she would come back with him to California. It might be a while, he said, but he would think about her every day until they could. In jest, lying together, naked limbs entwined, he took one of Little Mo's tiny hands and, in a sloppy British accent that came out of nowhere, said: 'Will you marry me, Miss Imogen Monson?'"
The first two sentences here are overstuffed with extremely prosaic and often redundant phrasing. Why not just have Virgil DO something spontaneous? Why all the "stupid, really, and clearly not serious" throat clearing? And then the preposterously unconvincing third sentence, with the godawful and belabored "In jest, lying together" and the forced British accent. This paragraph is simply a complete failure by every aesthetic standard.
The entire novel is laden with such misfires.
Call me a meanie if you must. But I despise bad writing with all my heart. And this book, despite being very short, was interminable because Jessica Anthony writes with the tin ear of someone who has been drafting joyless press releases all of her life. And given the inexplicable rave by Heller McAlpin, I am forced to conclude that McAlpin has gone senile. There is literally nothing in this novel to recommend. Nothing. It is complete and total garbage. I want my two hours of reading time back.
July 29, 2024
This short story takes place in 1957 and is about a housewife who is fed up with her life and decides she isn’t going to get out of the pool. She spends probably 12 hours maybe more in it. During her time she reflects on her life and events in her past. Also during this time we hear from her husband as well as he thinks about the past. They come to a head at the end when they both have explosive secrets to divulge.
This one was just ok. Nothing dramatic, maybe a couple small twists. It spans over a day, but includes memories of their younger years. It isn’t memorable, I will probably forget it by tomorrow.
This one was just ok. Nothing dramatic, maybe a couple small twists. It spans over a day, but includes memories of their younger years. It isn’t memorable, I will probably forget it by tomorrow.
June 29, 2025
Short quick propulsive read. Interesting marriage on the rocks literary fiction. Almost like the column that use to be in Good Housekeeping Mag of old
"Can this marriage be saved?" or maybe who is the worse spouse. Strong analogy of tennis that sometimes I could see and other times I felt the shots fell outside the line.
Wife tennis champ in college. Husband drifter/pretty boy enchanted with girl but tends to wander even in marriage. Neither good partner.
The story volleys back and forth in point of view of the two. Both characters engaging as we learn their backstories but neither is very likable. Quick read in the can't stop reading category.
"Can this marriage be saved?" or maybe who is the worse spouse. Strong analogy of tennis that sometimes I could see and other times I felt the shots fell outside the line.
Wife tennis champ in college. Husband drifter/pretty boy enchanted with girl but tends to wander even in marriage. Neither good partner.
The story volleys back and forth in point of view of the two. Both characters engaging as we learn their backstories but neither is very likable. Quick read in the can't stop reading category.
August 22, 2024
This was going to get three stars but the last 20ish pages knocked it down one. I was really excited about this book because I will read anything that has to do with pools/water, but I hated every single character by the end of it. At first Kathleen, the housewife who holds herself hostage in the pool, is a sympathetic character, as we learn about her former tennis career and her unhappiness in her marriage. Virgil, Kathleen's husband, is a serial adulterer who suddenly decides to grow a conscience and transplant his family to Delaware and start attending church. 0/5 stars for him. Midway through the book we learn that Kathleen had an affair with her high school boyfriend, resulting in the birth of her son (which Virgil thinks is his), but I was even prepared to still be on her side because she clearly should have married the man she had the affair with, and her husband is basically cheating on her every night at this point. HOWEVER, it is then later revealed that this woman has yet another affair with her landlord, of all people, and she is now pregnant with his child. How does this happen twice?! Suffice to say I could not stand either Virgil or Kathleen at the end and simply did not care what happened to their marriage.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2024
Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss
I guess?
I guess?
October 15, 2024
I struggle to identify what I liked in this book. It felt banal, formulaic, and derivative of so many other novels. Woman is disenchanted with her domestic life, reflects on her past, and engages in some grandiose act of rebellion which acts as a catalyst for change. Maybe I’m jaded, but this general set-up has been explored to death in literary fiction lately that it requires some degree of nuance or creativity to really make shine - this offers neither.
Despite the short page count, the book feels bloated with unnecessary repetition from two POVs that do nothing to develop the characters further. Their unhappy marriage and their infidelities are the major focus of the novel, yet individually the characters lack depth and we seldom get a rationale for their choices.
The constant references to the Space Race and Sputnik feel so out-of-place and like heavy handed attempts to create some sort of 1950s ambience. Without the historical references, I didn’t feel like this evoked any sort of distinctive time period or setting. I don’t see the Mad Men vibes, sorry!
The ending is exactly what you’d expect, and this honestly feels like a book I’ll forget anything about in a few weeks. I can see the appeal if you haven’t read similar books in the past, but objectively I found the execution weak.
Despite the short page count, the book feels bloated with unnecessary repetition from two POVs that do nothing to develop the characters further. Their unhappy marriage and their infidelities are the major focus of the novel, yet individually the characters lack depth and we seldom get a rationale for their choices.
The constant references to the Space Race and Sputnik feel so out-of-place and like heavy handed attempts to create some sort of 1950s ambience. Without the historical references, I didn’t feel like this evoked any sort of distinctive time period or setting. I don’t see the Mad Men vibes, sorry!
The ending is exactly what you’d expect, and this honestly feels like a book I’ll forget anything about in a few weeks. I can see the appeal if you haven’t read similar books in the past, but objectively I found the execution weak.
September 29, 2024
Not what I was expecting, but much more. A domestic drama switching back and forth between the couple; rewinding, replaying, and untangling events and memories that we’ve already seen before. Using swimming pools and tennis as metaphors for the ups and downs of this marriage. Who’s to blame? Does it matter?
Effective in its gorgeous simplicity. LOVED.
Effective in its gorgeous simplicity. LOVED.
February 15, 2025
„Sobald sie draußen war, würde alles wieder so sein wie immer, normal, und normal war nicht länger hinnehmbar. (…) Kathleen Beckett würde im Pool bleiben, schwerelos, so lange es sein musste.“
Kathleen beschließt eines Vormittags in den Pool ihrer Wohnanlage zu steigen und findet in ihm den perfekten Zufluchtsort vor ihrem Leben. Eigentlich gehen sie Sonntags in die Kirche, doch Kathleen geht (zum ersten Mal) ihren eigenen Interessen nach. Die Jungs und Virgil kommen zurück vom Gottesdienst, haben Hunger, doch Kathleen verweist sie auf den gut gefüllten Kühlschrank, entzieht sich ihrer (scheinbaren) Zuständigkeit und bleibt im Pool. Die Nachbarn werden auf das Geschehen aufmerksam und ihr Ehemann Virgil bittet sie, aus dem Pool zu kommen, doch Kathleen fühlt sich wohl in der Schwerelosigkeit des Wassers. Sie merkt, dass die Welt sich weiterdreht, auch wenn sie im Pool bleibt. Es wird dunkel und wieder erkundigt sich Virgil, ob ihr nicht langsam kalt wird, ihre Haut sei schon aufgedunsen, weiß und verschrumpelt, doch Kathleen lässt sich nicht beirren und bleibt im Pool.
Kathleen lebt als angepasste Hausfrau (heute würden wir sagen: Stay-at-Home-Mum) in den 1960er Jahren in den USA zusammen mit ihrem Mann Virgil und den beiden Kindern. Augenscheinlich eine harmlose happy Family - doch der Schein trügt, denn unter der Oberfläche brodelt es gewaltig. Wir bekommen einen Einblick in ihre 9-jährige Ehe (inklusive vieler Geheimnisse, die die beiden voreinander verbergen) und Jessica Anthony erzählt uns ihre Story durch eine Selbstreflektion ihrer Figuren, indem sie Kathleen und Virgil jeweils voneinander unabhängig ihre Kindheit, wie sie aufwuchsen und schließlich den Zeitpunkt ihres Kennenlernens reflektieren lässt.
Kathleen hätte eine Profikarriere als Tennisspielerin vor sich gehabt, hätte sie sich nicht dagegen und stattdessen für das Leben, was von ihr erwartet wird, entschieden. Sie erfüllt das klassische Rollenbild einer Ehefrau und später auch Mutter.
Virgil strebte Zeit seines Lebens nach beruflichem Erfolg, vergeblich. Also sucht er sich die Bestätigung woanders und zwar in zahlreichen Affären - sein gutes Aussehen kam ihm dabei sehr zugute (seiner Ehe mit Kathleen war es hingegen weniger zuträglich).
„Ein Mann musste nicht hübsch sein, um eine hübsche Frau zu verdienen, aber bei Virgil galten andere Regeln: Ein Mann konnte tatsächlich zu hübsch sein. Welche bedauernswerte Frau sich auch einverstanden erklärte, ihn zu heiraten, sie würde ihr Leben lang unter dem Gefühl leiden, ihm nicht gerecht zu werden. Virgil merkte das immer deutlicher an Kathleen. Es war ihm nicht entgangen, dass sie ihren Körper verbarg, wenn sie sich im Schlafzimmer anzogen. Sie war dem Altern in die Fänge geraten, wie sie beide wussten. Ihre Hüften, ihre Taille, ihr Gesicht, alles wurde breiter. Aber das interessierte Virgil kein bisschen. Übel nahm er ihr dagegen, dass sie seinen Körper mit Neid und Verachtung betrachtete.“
Diese Passage sagt so viel aus über die Beziehung von Kathleen und Virgil, dass ich sie Euch nicht vorenthalten wollte. Was hat dieser Mann nur für ein Frauenbild?! Eindeutig haben wir es hier nicht mit einem Feministen zu tun! Grausig, was für Ehen zu dieser Zeit geführt wurden, die ja gar nicht mal so weit zurückliegt.
Immer wieder gibt es Rückblenden in die Vergangenheit und so denkt Kathleen an ihre Zeit in Newark zurück, mit dem Ergebnis, dass es ihr heute in Pawtucket besser geht. Sie schmiedet den Plan, mal etwas Schwung in ihre Ehe zu bringen und setzt ihn prompt in die Tat um:
„Eines Nachmittags zog Kathleen aus Spaß ihren Regenmantel über das Nachthemd und betrachtete sich im Spiegel. Sie musste lachen und dachte, dass sie tatsächlich wie eine dieser Verrückten aussah. Emma Bovary in Pawtucket. Bertha Mason. Gab es in der Literatur überhaupt eine Frau, überlegte sie, die nicht krank oder wahnsinnig war, zerzauste ihre Haare, verschmierte ihren Lippenstift, und begeistert über ihre Maskerade verließ sie das Haus, überquerte die Exchange Street Bridge und ging zum Büro der Manifest Insurance Company.“
Letztendlich stieß das ganze Unterfangen auf wenig Begeisterung seitens Virgils:
„Liebe mich“, rief sie und brach in Lachen aus. Virgil sprang wie von der Tarantel gestochen von seinem Stuhl auf.
„Kathy, was zum Teufel!“ sagte er. „Du bist doch nicht etwa in diesem Aufzug hierhergekommen?“
Herrlich, was Kathleen mit ihrem „Auftritt“ für einen Mut bewies! Trotz der ganzen Stringenz und Härte der Eheführung im Amerika der Sechziger, liebe ich einfach, wie die Autorin ihre Figur immer wieder ausbrechen lässt, sie lässt sie auf ihre Bedürfnisse achten, sei es sexuell, als Frau, oder einfach als Mensch. Der Pool ist für mich das Sinnbild der Selbstermächtigung. Brauchen wir nicht alle manchmal einen Pool, der uns einen Moment Ruhe und Schwerelosigkeit von den Strapazen unseres Lebens beschert?! Ich auf jeden Fall - für mich sind „Mein Pool“ die Bücher, das Lesen, die Literatur, aber auch Sport (Laufen) und hoffentlich auch bald wieder das Klavierspielen. Wohin entflieht Ihr Euch, wenn Euch das Leben gerade zu viel wird?! Auch eher eskapistisch per Gedankenflucht in die Literatur oder ganz anders?!
Zwar hätte ich mir allgemein mehr psychologische Tiefe gewünscht für „Es geht mir gut“ und ein Psychogramm der Figuren Kathleen und Virgil, aber ich mochte den thematischen Ansatz, den Jessica Anthony hier verfolgt. Mit Eskapismus erweckt man als Autor*in stets mein Interesse, dafür habe ich es gerne gelesen - was Sprache und die Umsetzung angeht, gibt es definitiv Luft nach oben. Ich würde wieder ein Buch von der Autorin lesen, sofern es mich thematisch anspricht. Macht Euch bitte Euer eigenes Bild von „Es geht mir gut“ - ich würde mich über einen Austausch mit Euch darüber freuen, denn eins ist sicher: Es bietet auf jeden Fall reichlich Diskussionsstoff! Daher wäre es auch ein gutes Buch für Buchclubs!
Kathleen beschließt eines Vormittags in den Pool ihrer Wohnanlage zu steigen und findet in ihm den perfekten Zufluchtsort vor ihrem Leben. Eigentlich gehen sie Sonntags in die Kirche, doch Kathleen geht (zum ersten Mal) ihren eigenen Interessen nach. Die Jungs und Virgil kommen zurück vom Gottesdienst, haben Hunger, doch Kathleen verweist sie auf den gut gefüllten Kühlschrank, entzieht sich ihrer (scheinbaren) Zuständigkeit und bleibt im Pool. Die Nachbarn werden auf das Geschehen aufmerksam und ihr Ehemann Virgil bittet sie, aus dem Pool zu kommen, doch Kathleen fühlt sich wohl in der Schwerelosigkeit des Wassers. Sie merkt, dass die Welt sich weiterdreht, auch wenn sie im Pool bleibt. Es wird dunkel und wieder erkundigt sich Virgil, ob ihr nicht langsam kalt wird, ihre Haut sei schon aufgedunsen, weiß und verschrumpelt, doch Kathleen lässt sich nicht beirren und bleibt im Pool.
Kathleen lebt als angepasste Hausfrau (heute würden wir sagen: Stay-at-Home-Mum) in den 1960er Jahren in den USA zusammen mit ihrem Mann Virgil und den beiden Kindern. Augenscheinlich eine harmlose happy Family - doch der Schein trügt, denn unter der Oberfläche brodelt es gewaltig. Wir bekommen einen Einblick in ihre 9-jährige Ehe (inklusive vieler Geheimnisse, die die beiden voreinander verbergen) und Jessica Anthony erzählt uns ihre Story durch eine Selbstreflektion ihrer Figuren, indem sie Kathleen und Virgil jeweils voneinander unabhängig ihre Kindheit, wie sie aufwuchsen und schließlich den Zeitpunkt ihres Kennenlernens reflektieren lässt.
Kathleen hätte eine Profikarriere als Tennisspielerin vor sich gehabt, hätte sie sich nicht dagegen und stattdessen für das Leben, was von ihr erwartet wird, entschieden. Sie erfüllt das klassische Rollenbild einer Ehefrau und später auch Mutter.
Virgil strebte Zeit seines Lebens nach beruflichem Erfolg, vergeblich. Also sucht er sich die Bestätigung woanders und zwar in zahlreichen Affären - sein gutes Aussehen kam ihm dabei sehr zugute (seiner Ehe mit Kathleen war es hingegen weniger zuträglich).
„Ein Mann musste nicht hübsch sein, um eine hübsche Frau zu verdienen, aber bei Virgil galten andere Regeln: Ein Mann konnte tatsächlich zu hübsch sein. Welche bedauernswerte Frau sich auch einverstanden erklärte, ihn zu heiraten, sie würde ihr Leben lang unter dem Gefühl leiden, ihm nicht gerecht zu werden. Virgil merkte das immer deutlicher an Kathleen. Es war ihm nicht entgangen, dass sie ihren Körper verbarg, wenn sie sich im Schlafzimmer anzogen. Sie war dem Altern in die Fänge geraten, wie sie beide wussten. Ihre Hüften, ihre Taille, ihr Gesicht, alles wurde breiter. Aber das interessierte Virgil kein bisschen. Übel nahm er ihr dagegen, dass sie seinen Körper mit Neid und Verachtung betrachtete.“
Diese Passage sagt so viel aus über die Beziehung von Kathleen und Virgil, dass ich sie Euch nicht vorenthalten wollte. Was hat dieser Mann nur für ein Frauenbild?! Eindeutig haben wir es hier nicht mit einem Feministen zu tun! Grausig, was für Ehen zu dieser Zeit geführt wurden, die ja gar nicht mal so weit zurückliegt.
Immer wieder gibt es Rückblenden in die Vergangenheit und so denkt Kathleen an ihre Zeit in Newark zurück, mit dem Ergebnis, dass es ihr heute in Pawtucket besser geht. Sie schmiedet den Plan, mal etwas Schwung in ihre Ehe zu bringen und setzt ihn prompt in die Tat um:
„Eines Nachmittags zog Kathleen aus Spaß ihren Regenmantel über das Nachthemd und betrachtete sich im Spiegel. Sie musste lachen und dachte, dass sie tatsächlich wie eine dieser Verrückten aussah. Emma Bovary in Pawtucket. Bertha Mason. Gab es in der Literatur überhaupt eine Frau, überlegte sie, die nicht krank oder wahnsinnig war, zerzauste ihre Haare, verschmierte ihren Lippenstift, und begeistert über ihre Maskerade verließ sie das Haus, überquerte die Exchange Street Bridge und ging zum Büro der Manifest Insurance Company.“
Letztendlich stieß das ganze Unterfangen auf wenig Begeisterung seitens Virgils:
„Liebe mich“, rief sie und brach in Lachen aus. Virgil sprang wie von der Tarantel gestochen von seinem Stuhl auf.
„Kathy, was zum Teufel!“ sagte er. „Du bist doch nicht etwa in diesem Aufzug hierhergekommen?“
Herrlich, was Kathleen mit ihrem „Auftritt“ für einen Mut bewies! Trotz der ganzen Stringenz und Härte der Eheführung im Amerika der Sechziger, liebe ich einfach, wie die Autorin ihre Figur immer wieder ausbrechen lässt, sie lässt sie auf ihre Bedürfnisse achten, sei es sexuell, als Frau, oder einfach als Mensch. Der Pool ist für mich das Sinnbild der Selbstermächtigung. Brauchen wir nicht alle manchmal einen Pool, der uns einen Moment Ruhe und Schwerelosigkeit von den Strapazen unseres Lebens beschert?! Ich auf jeden Fall - für mich sind „Mein Pool“ die Bücher, das Lesen, die Literatur, aber auch Sport (Laufen) und hoffentlich auch bald wieder das Klavierspielen. Wohin entflieht Ihr Euch, wenn Euch das Leben gerade zu viel wird?! Auch eher eskapistisch per Gedankenflucht in die Literatur oder ganz anders?!
Zwar hätte ich mir allgemein mehr psychologische Tiefe gewünscht für „Es geht mir gut“ und ein Psychogramm der Figuren Kathleen und Virgil, aber ich mochte den thematischen Ansatz, den Jessica Anthony hier verfolgt. Mit Eskapismus erweckt man als Autor*in stets mein Interesse, dafür habe ich es gerne gelesen - was Sprache und die Umsetzung angeht, gibt es definitiv Luft nach oben. Ich würde wieder ein Buch von der Autorin lesen, sofern es mich thematisch anspricht. Macht Euch bitte Euer eigenes Bild von „Es geht mir gut“ - ich würde mich über einen Austausch mit Euch darüber freuen, denn eins ist sicher: Es bietet auf jeden Fall reichlich Diskussionsstoff! Daher wäre es auch ein gutes Buch für Buchclubs!
July 27, 2025
1950s America must have been a fantastic place...for some... So much so, that some want to recreate it today.
Jessica Anthony captures the era beautifully, portraying a white middle class family. Stay-at-home mom, father doesn't have to work too hard.
The novella takes place during one Sunday and that's all it takes for the family to unravel because Katherine, the mother, decides to skip church and take a dip in the pool instead. Virgil, the husband, is worried by this highly uncommon behaviour and as he goes about his day starts wondering what it is Katherine could have discovered about him.
I loved the atmosphere. I also appreciated that, as in all good novellas, everything has a meaning and there is not a word too many.
Reminded me a little bit of Katie Kitamura.
4,5
Jessica Anthony captures the era beautifully, portraying a white middle class family. Stay-at-home mom, father doesn't have to work too hard.
The novella takes place during one Sunday and that's all it takes for the family to unravel because Katherine, the mother, decides to skip church and take a dip in the pool instead. Virgil, the husband, is worried by this highly uncommon behaviour and as he goes about his day starts wondering what it is Katherine could have discovered about him.
I loved the atmosphere. I also appreciated that, as in all good novellas, everything has a meaning and there is not a word too many.
Reminded me a little bit of Katie Kitamura.
4,5
April 16, 2024
This novella captures the stifling atmosphere of mid-century life that is often a staple in novels about this period and which I love to read about. It is sparse and beautifully written, and the structure of alternating perspectives in each chapter lends itself well to the narrative. It reminded me a lot of Revolutionary Road. Bonus points for keeping it short — the length is perfect and more effective than it would have been if it was a full-length novel.
I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchangew for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchangew for an honest review.
December 3, 2024
I really liked this! It was a quick read, set in mid-century eastern USA, and character driven. But, I read some one- and two-star reviews and I was almost convinced that it wasn't a very good book. In the end, I thought it was a concise story about two kinda crappy people and the lives and dreams they lost or hadn't yet realized.
March 17, 2025
⁀➷ 1.5 ★ ´ˎ˗
kinda love the irony of a book titled "the most" doing absolutely nothing. 👍
kinda love the irony of a book titled "the most" doing absolutely nothing. 👍
December 7, 2024
A 50’s domestic drama
September 27, 2024
One of my favorite books of the year.
August 4, 2024
The Most is a portrait of a mid-century marriage, in which a Delaware housewife gets into the pool one unseasonably warm November morning and then refuses to come out. Unfolding in chapters from the alternating points-of-view of husband Virgil and wife Kathleen, this novella takes readers into the heart of their relationship and reveals the secrets and betrayals simmering beneath the surface of their seemingly ideal marriage.
Technically, The Most is nearly flawless in its execution. Jessica Anthony's writing is vivid and atmospheric, and the book feels firmly set in the 1950s, exploring the societal and domestic expectations of that time. Unfolding in the background of the story is the launch of Sputnik 2, and the paranoia and tension of the country during that time serves as an effective parallel to Virgil and Kathleen's personal struggles. Husband and wife are both complex characters, with richly-detailed histories and inner lives.
But what The Most was missing, for me, was the emotional resonance of a strong character study. The story is told almost clinically, from a remove, so that I struggled to connect with the characters. Because of this, a novella of less than 150 pages that I should've read in one sitting instead took me three days to finish. It's incredibly well-written, but unfortunately didn't pack much of an emotional punch. Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the complimentary reading opportunity.
Technically, The Most is nearly flawless in its execution. Jessica Anthony's writing is vivid and atmospheric, and the book feels firmly set in the 1950s, exploring the societal and domestic expectations of that time. Unfolding in the background of the story is the launch of Sputnik 2, and the paranoia and tension of the country during that time serves as an effective parallel to Virgil and Kathleen's personal struggles. Husband and wife are both complex characters, with richly-detailed histories and inner lives.
But what The Most was missing, for me, was the emotional resonance of a strong character study. The story is told almost clinically, from a remove, so that I struggled to connect with the characters. Because of this, a novella of less than 150 pages that I should've read in one sitting instead took me three days to finish. It's incredibly well-written, but unfortunately didn't pack much of an emotional punch. Thank you to Little, Brown and Company for the complimentary reading opportunity.
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