Fantastic! Clear and quirky. The ending was an abrupt left turn.
The smorgasbord of characters move the narrative along quickly, then slowly, then super fast.
There are characters who are unlikeable and downright despicable. The setting was so rich and blue and easy to fall into. I'd read again and I'd read more from this author.

My Rating: 1/5 stars

Nathan Whitlocks latest novel is blurbed as “a darkly satirical contemporary story about marriage, motherhood, class, and cancer. Told through multiple perspectives from the people that surround her, we follow the unraveling of a woman’s life after she receives 3 lifechanging pieces of news in a single day: her husband is cheating, she’s pregnant, and that strange lump in her breast is cancerous.
Despite that bold set-up, and the fact that I’m not against a good piece of dark comedy, Lump takes the lead as my worst read of 2023 thus far. As a “casual reader” I simply found nothing to enjoy about it. As a cancer-survivor and sensitivity reader on the topic, I actually detested it.

I have many thoughts on this book, so will try to keep this as concise as possible. I think the author had an interesting idea on the story he wanted to tell. My dislike boils down to the way he chose to do so, specifically to three elements: the satire/humor, the characters, and the overarching question of “who is telling this story” that kept nagging me. Let’s break it down:


The satire/humor:
Let me preface this by saying that I’m not of the opinion that “you don’t joke about cancer”. I’ve personally joked about cancer whilst having (had) cancer, and I believe humor can be a healthy way to work through big life events, if it’s done in good faith. Lump just wasn’t funny to me.
Much of its satire relies on very tried and tired tropes of “dunking on privileged upper-middle class folks” and the stereotypes that come with that. All the men are immature pigs that think with an organ located a bit lower than their brain. All the women are shallow and seem to lack a brain all together… Good satire can shine in its ability to hold up a mirror in which we can see ourselves/our situations from a different perspective. Lump presents an angle we’ve seen time and time again, bringing nothing new to the table, and thereby losing its sting.

The characters:
going hand in hand with the previous point; almost every character is a detestable stereotype of themselves. It makes it difficult to relate to them, despite sometimes genuinely commiserative circumstances. It also often had me questioning which part of their stereotype was meant to be funny, and which part was the author actually thinking this is the way women talk to each other. Take this gem of a quote from one character, commenting on the other women in her yoga-class.

“Every woman out there looks like a fuck-bot. They all have toddlers with them, but they’re as skinny as rakes. I bet they get C-sections so they don’t get stretched out.”

I honestly cannot tell if this is meant as a joke for the reader to be in on (in which case, it’s a tasteless one), or if this is actually just a thinly veiled bad take by the author… Do their choices seem ridiculous for comedy-sake, or just because their motivations are poorly developed.
Cat is the only character equipped with at least some potential, yet she’s strangely underused, despite being the focal point of the story. Her POV makes up less than half of the novel, and we strangely cut away to side characters at vital points in her story, only to skip back to her, far after the important event has taken place off-page.
Large parts of Cat’s story feel unresolved and messy because of these jump-cuts. Most notably; her entire character arc is left unresolved in the end because of a similar time-skip.

Who is telling this story?
The odd POV-choices led me to an even bigger question however; who’s story is actually being told here, and by who? That all ties in to my ultimate dislike, and reason for rating it a 1-star.
As a cancer-survivor, I love to read stories from people to have a story to tell about cancer, and its impacts on a life. Nathan Whitlock didn’t have that. He wanted to tell a story about marriage, privilege etc., and used cancer as a plot-point- a catalyst- in it. There is something inherently disingenuous about a healthy man (with no personal experience with cancer at the time of writing this novel), writing a story about a woman with cancer. Breast-cancer, mind you…
To his credit: Whitlock actually addresses this in his foreword. He mentions being diagnosed with cancer himself after writing Lump, and feeling like it was a kind of karmic justice for writing a story that wasn’t his originally. I’m sorry for his experience, and I feel horrible he felt this way about his story looking back. It still doesn’t change the bitter aftertaste the story left in my mouth personally.

I’ve spoken about the use of cancer as a vehicle to add a layer of emotion to a different story, many times before now. It’s a topic I’m sensitive to, as it feels exploitative of something so lifechanging. In many ways, Lump reminded me of a Dutch novel Komt een Vrouw bij de Dokter, in which a man goes on a cheating-spree which he justifies because of his grief over his wife’s recent cancer-diagnosis. It’s one of my most hated books ever, and Lump gave me some of those same feelings of exploitation and emotional manipulation.

Overall, I appreciate the attempt and the risks this author took, but I cannot recommend it with a clear conscious.

Many thanks to Dundurn Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book should have been so much better than it was. I found the premise interesting but none of the characters were at all likeable and the ending felt really rushed. As if the word count had run over.

Lump is the kind of book that quietly creeps up on you. It is a dark, satirical look into the life of Cat. A mother of 2 who has recently just found out she is pregnant, has breast cancer and that her husband has done something vile. How does Cat deal with all of this? She runs away of course, leaving a stream of snowballing chaos behind her.

What worked for me:
Themes of motherhood, privilege, and marriage
Nuanced characters…
Who are quite unlikeable
Page turners
Strong yoga teachers
Multiple points of view

What didn’t work for me:
The ending. It felt a bit rushed and unsatisfying

A lot of reviews express that they would have liked to have heard more from Cat’s perspective once she got her diagnosis and I agree. However, a part of me is wondering if we didn’t hear her voice because she ran away. Did the author intentionally keep her voice absent because the other characters (during their chapters) didn’t hear from her either so that we got to feel a little bit of what they were feeling?

Sorry this book was not a great read for me. I didn't connect with the characters, and I felt I should have been more invested in it.

This started off pretty interesting and I enjoyed all the different perspectives that this story took us through. However it stalled about halfway through and there did not seem to be a lot of forward progress to move the story along. The ending also seemed extremely rushed with no satisfying conclusion. Not sure I'd read again but I can appreciate the effort that went into writing this!

I saw this book on the header of NetGalley and it sounded intriguing (and I sadly know a few people who’ve had a dual pregnancy and cancer diagnosis) so I requested a copy. Here’s the blurb:

“A dark, satiric novel about a woman whose attempt to escape crises in her health and marriage ends up causing more chaos.
Cat’s career has stalled, her marriage has gone flat, and being a stay-at-home mom for two young kids has become a grind. When she finds out, all within a few days, that she is pregnant, that a lump in her breast is the worst thing it could be, and that her husband has done something unforgivably repulsive, she responds by running away from her marriage and her life ― a life that, on the outside, looks like middle-class success. Her actions send waves of chaos through the lives of multiple characters, including a struggling house cleaner, a rich and charismatic yoga guru, and even an ailing dog. What follows is a dark comedy about marriage, motherhood, privilege, and power.”

I have to say – this isn’t what I expected at all. The pregnancy, breast cancer and husband’s actions don’t come to light until about 40% through the book – I’d figured they’d be near the beginning and the book would be the aftermath – but there is a lot of scene setting. And even once it’s all revealed, the stories are still very much told as separate threads.

The chapters are told from different points of view – be that Cat herself, her husband Donovan, the cleaner and even an ill, old dog. The setting – in Canada – is also explained in quite some detail, which is not somewhere I’ve ever been (although is definitely on the ‘to visit’ list).

To be honest I really am not sure what I thought of it. It was ok? Ish? Different? Possibly my least favourite book of the year so far…….

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC. It’s out electronically in July 2023 if you fancy trying it even without a glowing review from me!

This book had me in the first quarter/half. The concept was interesting and the way that it was written was super compelling. I thought the writing held up throughout. But the second half really dragged. Things slowed down quite a bit, only to pick up in the final act and rush to the finish. Overall not a bad read, just not the right read for me.

I get what the intention was... but the execution was just kind of weird. It started out normal, focusing on the female lead and switching perspectives to the people around her, which I did like because it strengthened our understanding of her relationships. Later on, the plot went off in a really weird direction that I didn’t appreciate, enjoy, or understand. As Whitlock explains in his foreword, this is a book about a character with cancer, but once our main character receives her diagnosis, we stop hearing from her. We didn’t get a perspective directly from the main character when I most felt like I would have benefited from it to understand her decisions (we get the POV of a dog…which was surprisingly heartfelt…but was ultimately beating around the bush content-wise for me). She makes decisions that I did not understand at all, and I think the strengths of this book (the varying POVs) were also its downfall (not fully understanding any character). I don’t want to be too negative because this was an interesting book and the writing was good and I didn’t hate it by any means, but this won't be a book that I recommend to all.

I loved the concept of several POVs adding to one big picture - even the dog was a nice piece of novelty that I haven't really had from other novels. Each POV felt unique and I didn't have to remind myself about whose narrative I was currently reading.

I struggled with this book which is why I took so long to review it. It just wasn;t for me. However, I can recognise that it was well written.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ !!!!

Wow. Okay, so it’s currently 1am while writing this review, I finished this book about two minutes ago and I just… I feel so many emotions right now. This book will make you want to throw it across the room, while at the same time curling up by a fireplace and wine and dine it. I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did! I laughed and cried and felt all the emotions. I do think that the dark satirical vibes in this one definitely is not for everyone however it very much is for me!! This one hit home 🥲.

Lump is a drama filled novel, revolving around Cat, who finds out she has cancer, is pregnant, and her husband is waving the biggest and brightest red flag. Containing multiple perspectives on intervening lives, a couple side characters that really give the story depth, and as quoted from the blurb, “a very old dog”.

Thank you to Dundurn Press (@dundurnpress) and Netgalley UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This review is crossposted on Netgalley UK, my Instagram & Goodreads 🪷

please make sure to check tw’s before reading! 💓

This was very well written and very heartfelt. I enjoyed this short but insightful read. Looking forward to more.

An okay read. One of my big issues with Lump was the pacing. It was quite good at the beginning, it hit a slump about three quarters of the way through, and then the ending felt rushed. Another chapter or two from Cat's POV would have been great. Her story ended a bit unfinished in my opinion. The writing style was quite nice, though. A little less comical than I was expecting

2.5/5

I tried with this one, but despite am opening that grabbed me, I really struggled to connect with the story... While I found Cat to be initially compelling in the first handful of pages, the shift in perspective was distracting and ultimately led me to lose interest - and unfortunately the pacing thereafter meant I never fell into the story far enough to persevere... This one wasn't a good fit for me.

This was very well written and very interesting and I enjoyed every moment of it. I hope to see more from this author.

An emotional rollercoaster of a book, definitely fasten your seatbelt and brace yourself before you begin. There are also plenty of bittersweet and poignant moments and tongue in cheek humour plus glimpses of light against the dark backdrop. It focuses on Cat, who pretty much finds she is pregnant and has cancer at the same time, pretty much by accident and rather awkwardly. Her life is already pretty chaotic and she partner is far less than perfect so when she is rugby tackled by this overwhelming news her world tips on its axis and whatever balance it has before completely collapses.
I love the straightforward and honest approach to life and the ups and downs and imperfections. The descriptions of parenthood and relationships definitely strike many chords and are relatable and the main character is also easy to relate to in a way you imagine how you’d deal with what is being thrown at her by life.
A great read, made me laugh and made me cry pretty much in equal proportions.

I very much enjoyed this book it is unlike anything that I have read in a long time. I thought the writing style was beautiful. The story was very good but I wish that we got better pacing throughout the book. Overall a good read.

This is a dark comody about marriage, motherhood, class, and cancer.
Catherine (39) career has stalled as she is a stay- at mum with two young children, and finds out she's pregnant, finds a lump on her breast and finds out her husband has done something unforgivable creepy.

Donovan is her husband and something has changed in their relationship. He was pretending to have a job, but really was sacked from his job for behaving unprofessionally toward Bianca. He claims she was 'prone to melodrama and exaggeration', and claims she wants to get back together with him. But in severance letter Donovan is told not to contact Bianca.

Cat dreams of going back to work as she was a freelance Web site designer. But needs something better to buy a good house for herself and the children.
She takes a job designing website for a pre natal mother group.

Lena works for a cleaning agency.
She cleans Kat's house.
Feels like an object in the house rather than a person that's the way there agency like it, they are told to 'tipto around all day and not speak'.
She takes little moment ions from every house she cleans.
But Kat wants to know why she left her cleaning job, but does not revile her husband's inappropriate behaviour.

Kat collapses on the floor,and finds out she later finds out she is pregnant.
Tells sister Cludia about pregnancy but feels she is to old to be a mother.
Husband tells her to to contact Lina to ask why she quit her job, and they arrange to meet up.

Cat goes to see the doctor 'is your husband with you?' No, but do I really need him and it turns out she really does need someone with her.

Lina goes back to Kat's house, but takes her cousin for support,
but Kat forgets as she has bad news. I don't know why your here- Kat says, but Pauline guesses that she pregnant. But she let's her know what her husband did.

Dunovon goes to his parents to let them know he he wants to be 'compensated, and to secure an official apology for wrongful dismissal' pand claims they were just friendly..
'There was nothing. No actual complains made. You didn't get s warning of any kind, formal or informal' ' nobody could accuse Donovan of focusing on Bianca, though the whole time' .
The lawer goes on to say 'there a gender dimension to the whole thing. And a racial dimension too'
Then there are calls from school and the day care when Kat has not picked the children up.
He take over the child care, when Kat leaves.

Will things improve, with the children settled and all the relationships back on track or at least being sival towards one another?

I liked the novels multiplex POV, as you bond with each character quickly and even the pet dog Louis joins in! It makes you laughter out loud but will also bring a tear to your eye.
I didn't like the long chapter lengths as it makes the story dragged.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a complementary digital copy of this ebook in exchange for a full, frank and honest review.
All opinions expressed are completely my own.

this book had a lot of potential, it really did. while it was a quick read, i think it would have benefitted from being a little longer. it was good pacing until the end where everything happened at once. i am willing to give it another go as i am fairly certain it is me and not the book, but the satirical parts of this novel weren't coming across as that for me.

because there were so many POVs to this story, i got confused a lot. i think it would have been better to cut this down and focus on a couple of characters rather than a bunch. it was such a great plot and premise, but sadly the execution fell flat for me. maybe it would have been better if it wasn't a dark satire and focused on being a really heart-wrenching novel?

thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me the chance to read this prior to publication. i am willing to try and read this again in the future.