BIG THANKS TO NET GALLEY - 3/5

This charming Dutch novel tells the story of Sofie - a girl who doesn’t like boys, gets it wrong with girls but who ultimately wants to be a “little bit more boy”.

The book is written in the style of memoir, with such a convincing narrative voice that I didn’t realise it was a novel at first. This is its strength and it’s main flaw.

With a combination of brashness and fragility, Sofie explores her sexuality, love, learning, travel and the death of her mother. She flip flops from one subject to the next, in a way that is both realistic and disorienting. And the humour - whilst believable in its bravado - can sometimes grate.

Would read this author again however, as there was a lovely freshness to the prose.

Really enjoyed this.

It is written in the style of a memoir written by Sofie who is "a little more boy" than girl. She's also not sure whether she keeps getting everything wrong or not. Her relationships, her work and her life all keep wandering off the "right track".

The History of My Sexuality is very funny in the main but the last section describing the loss of Sofie's mother made me cry, even while it made me laugh - picking out graves shouldn't make you smile but it did.

Sofie takes us on a journey through her jobs - eclectic to say the least, her relationships - even more so and her travels - from freezing walking around a Russian town to sleeping on the heated platform of a Swedish train station because it was stress free.

Tobi Lakmaker tells us Sofie has a book deal. With any luck Tobi has one too and will be writing more crazy novels that I can laugh at.

Definitely recommended.

Originally written in Dutch, now translated into English!!

This novel explores Sofie's life throughout her 20's in a first person narrative style. It focuses on seemingly random aspects of her love and social life. There seems to not be a particular chronological order, giving the fond feeling you are listening to a close friend recalling their memories.

To be honest, I was expecting more of a progressive narrative and a bit more character development but, after becoming used to the authors writing style, I ended up liking the witticism and casual language. It is a particularly light read, which is perfect for in-between heavy storylines (e.g. for you fantasy lovers).

The title suggests a history of Sofie's sexuality, but in reality I feel like this is only a small part of the writing. It explores her first relationships with men and women but then develops more into a look at her life as a whole, with an impactful ending. This isn't a bad thing as we actually get to know more about her than the stereotypes surrounding her lovers, it is just slightly misleading on the title front.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read. Not my usual type of writing style or genre but something that added a bit of refreshment between my current reads.

Thank you to the author and the publishers for entrusting me with the advanced reader copy!!

The History of My Sexuality is a novel about a Dutch twentysomething called Sofie who seems to be stumbling through life, and her adventures in love, friendship, and grief. Through first person narration, Sofie narrates a non-chronological history of bits of her life, including disappointing relationships with men, realising she was into women, taking a Russian course, and all sorts of other things.

This isn't a book for people who like plot or even clear character progression, as the style of the book is very much Sofie telling you things in an almost random order. The translation at least has a distinctive voice that I can only assume draws on the original's voice, and this makes it quite readable, even though nothing really happens. Having not read many Dutch books, I liked Sofie's details about Amsterdam and references to Dutch football as it made the book feel more specific and grounded, rather than something trying to be more of a hazy, general experience. I didn't always enjoy the lack of plot or sense of going anywhere, maybe because at times it felt like someone was telling you a lot of anecdotes but never finishing them.

From the blurb, I expected a more straightforward book, but I liked that it was instead a messy musing of a protagonist making mistakes and dealing with life.

3.5 stars.
I requested this book because the description and the cover gripped my attention, and I wasn’t disappointed. The narrator was intriguing and interesting, with the prose making the book feel like a conversation rather than a biography. It was an different insight into a queer identify, with different elements of her life coming into play. I found it a little tricky to keep track of the timeline, but I would be interested to reread to gain more of an idea of this.
Thank you Granta Publications and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

3.5 stars. In terms of narration style this book felt like a very similar reading experience to Elif Batuman's The Idiot & Either/Or but without the academia and more queer, engaging and Dutch. I found the writing style very witty in a dry way and overall enjoyed the reading experience, though I thought the ending was the strongest part. Not for anyone looking for plot, but a great little debut and would be interested in seeing what the author writes in the future. Also loved the football references.