The term stream of consciousness is bandied about a lot to describe books, but this is a true example of the form. Whilst reading I found myself trying think of other books to compare this to, and the only real comparisons I could come up with were Ducks, Newburyport (only ever so slightly comparable for the immersion into the protagonists train of thought) and Exquisite Cadavers (for the seldom used - in my experience - form of multiple vertical columns of text to indicate simultaneously occurring thoughts).

little scratch takes the reader into the mind of a young woman as she goes about her life; mostly at work but also when she goes on a date. The unnamed protagonist flits from thought to thought, often spiralling back to her recent rape at the hands of her boss and the self harm which has begun in response to this. Her thoughts are droll, the humour dry, and a lot of the workplace observations highly relatable (in the vein of The New Me). In spite of the heavy subject matter this makes for an accessible and propulsive novel which is hard to put down.

I found this to be a memorable, acerbic read, and one I'd recommend to others who are in search of a novel which plays with form and does not pull any punches in its depiction of sexual trauma.

little scratch is an experimental novel that follows the every thought of an unnamed woman as she goes through her day. She is an assistant in an office, getting through the mundane by clock watching and refilling her water bottle, but is also dealing with recent sexual assault by her boss, and how she might tell her boyfriend that it happened. Her thoughts and actions are followed as she gets up, goes to work, and meets her boyfriend, in a glimpse into everyday life and the impact of trauma upon it.

The book is laid out in a distinctive way, looking more like poetry than typical prose, and with sections that run concurrent, meaning that it needs to be read at pace to get the right effect. This works really well to get across the sense of thoughts, especially when listening or taking in something else at the same time, though some people, possibly people who prefer to take in books more slowly and not skim read, might find this too stressful or difficult to manage. For me, it made the book fast-paced and really captured the ways in which things don't actually happen in a linear fashion, but simultaneously, whilst also getting across the spaces and waiting in everyday life.

In terms of narrative, it is mostly unfolding previous events, particularly her assault, but also the anticipation for the end of the day and her plans for it, the kind of narrative many people have on a Friday. These two elements are well-combined to get across the complexity of this protagonist's balance to keep existing in a regular way, whilst also processing trauma. This isn't a book focused on big events happening, but on every detail that is occurring, which is another element that will probably divide people.

I found little scratch an engaging book, with a stream of consciousness style that worked well to allow me to read it very fast (something I like to be able to do anyway). The method of delivery and the kind of mundanity (including toilet trips and travelling) it covers will probably divide readers, but the style tells a lot of the story, and it would be good to see other ways in which this kind of structure and writing could facilitate telling stories that are hard to get across in more 'normal' linear prose.