What Does It Feel Like?

By: Sophie Kinsella

Narrated by: Sally Phillips, Sophie Kinsella

Length: 1 hr and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

From #1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an unforgettable story—by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming—of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.

“The bravest book you’ll read all year.”—Jodi Picoult

“Only Sophie Kinsella can make you laugh like this while she’s got you crying.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid

“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella

Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella

©2024 Random House Group (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Soul-stirring, funny, and beautiful. A must-read.”—Zibby Owens, Katie Couric Media

“I laughed. And I cried. And then I thought about the meaning of life. It’s a little jewel of a book.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jojo Moyes

“Kinsella is a skillful storyteller. She doesn’t front-load the narrative with exposition, instead parceling out information organically. . . . Most resonant is this book’s bravery—and its emotional honesty.”—The Wall Street Journal

Cancer is Hard

I appreciated the story and the truth of the author's feelings ... even when she could not speak them out loud... she shared them with us in her writing.

Love Sophie Kinsella…

I can only imagine how many people she’s helped by writing such a near-to-real-life novel. She beautifully shares the perspective of how a devastating illness impacts everyone from herself to her spouse and kids to the caregiver! Done with a heaping scoop of humor. Sophie Kinsella is one of a kind.

Shock

I love Sophie and all of her books. For her to share this was beautiful and terrifying. Praying for her.

brave, quick read

Sophie did a great job with this short but brave book. This book is really relatable, sad, and made me think hard about what matters most.

Thank you...for Everything!

I honestly can think of anything to say...just thank you your you..and every book you have written!

I pray for the very best for you and your family!!

Much love! ❤️

Incredibly Heartfelt

This book popped up on my Audible and I looked it up and immediately got it. All my best to Sophie Kinsella on your healing journey and defying the odds.

The genuineness of the story hit me with such a profound connection to someone else who really gets it. By sheer luck, meaning we were looking at other health issues, they found a 5 cm aneurysm on my heart I never knew I had. 3 weeks later I was being wheeled in for major heart surgery. The hardest thing was the thought of never seeing my kids again as the anesthesia took hold and it all went black. Those were the hardest 3 weeks wondering every minute if my heart would rupture then seeing my husband and hugging my kids fiercely I had to let go.

Eve/Sophie’s story is a true testament of how debilitating the recovery can be. I can’t imagine getting that prognosis. Thank you for the incredible insight to your journey and again thoughts & prayers for continued healing.

Narration was brilliant!

So honest and relatable

I've helped my parents battle cancer 3 times. One survived and one didn't. This book is the most real depiction of what it feels like to go through that situation that I've read. I commend Ms. Kinsella for her strength and bravery in sharing her story and wish her many years of Normal Plus happiness.

So brave!

I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella since reading Confessions of a Shopaholic in 2000. I think I have read every single book she has written and loved them all. I was so sad to hear she was ill and it was so brave of her to share her journey with us in this book. Which is it fiction, she called it "my most autobiographical work to date". I will admit to getting choked up quite a few times while listening to the audiobook, in particular the afterword that she herself narrates. I loved the "normal plus" concept the character Eve describes, as well as how important "small pleasures" are. Indeed!

Beautifully written, I feel both heartbroken and uplifted

I’ve always been a fan of Sophie Kinsella’s lighthearted, witty style, but What Does It Feel Like? hit me in a completely unexpected way. As I read, I could feel the weight of each word, every moment of vulnerability. The moment I learned what inspired the story, I was shocked, but that only deepened the impact of the novella.

this hit home

I purchased this book because I love the author. it was an unexpected read that was connective in an unexpected way.