The Most takes place on a single, unseasonably hot day in 1957, when Kathleen Beckett gets into an apartment complex pool and refuses to get out.

Over the course of the following 8 hours, Anthony offers a startling portrait of two interesting and complex characters, and the crumbling of their mid-century marriage, peering back into the past via little vignettes. A very quick read, ideal for devouring in one sitting, Jessica Anthony perfectly captures a very specific moment in time, with rich underlying themes of marriage, death, love and the choices we make in life.

I really enjoyed this — a lovely fast summer read — but there was something about that open ending that did leave me wanting a bit more, some resolution past the crescendo. That aside, this was a great little novel and I’m excited to dig into more of Anthony’s work!

It blew my mind as to how well-written this book was. Now, how to summarise?
Well, you can read the plot outline from the blurb I guess so all I can say is that the characters are fascinating and this was so tense and gripping. With so many saccharine romance books on the market, this was a perfect antidote. I loved it.

Kathleen, a 1950’s American housewife, gets into her pool on a November Sunday and decides she doesn’t want to come out of it. The story and lives of Kathleen and her husband Virgil begin to come to light.

I liked this story - it was something a bit different and showed that there are secrets and things people close to us chose to hide! I like the way the story flowed and how we were shown bit by bit about their lives. I also liked the setting and how it feels like we were transported back in time. I also liked the themes of relationships and aging aswell as feeling like we have a purpose.

I did feel like it repeated a lot of the same phrases such as the house “selling for what they paid almost a decade ago”. I also felt like it went back and forwards quite a bit but in a way I struggled to follow 🙈

A super quick read!

In this story set in the 1950s, a housewife stays home from church one day, claiming to feel unwell. When her husband returns, he finds her in their apartment complex’s pool, refusing to get out. The entire story unfolds over a single day, and by the end, I didn’t particularly like either of the main characters—yet I would still recommend it as a quick read. What unravels is that both the husband and wife are hiding huge secrets without spoiling things.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK, #TransworldPublishers for my ARC copy of #TheMost.

A quick and easy read, this novella is perfect for a beach read or for the commute. It takes place over just 1 day and is really easy to follow. It's quirky, interesting, and funny. It reminded me a bit of Revolutionary Road but far easier to digest.

This short story is set in 1957 across one unusually warm November day where Kathleen, a housewife, gets into the swimming pool and refuses to come out. It's a story about missed opportunities in middle class America. Whilst it is set across one day it looks back at the circumstances that led Katheen & her husband Virgil here and it tells the story from both of their perspectives.

The Most by Jessica Anthony

Set over the course of one hot day in November 1957, the story of Virgil and Kathleen's marriage. Whilst they appear to be living the American dream - two children, home in a nice suburb, nice car, job with prospects etc - what lies beneath is really quite different. Kathleen gets into the swimming pool and refuses to leave for the whole day as she laments the loss of her promising career as a tennis star for this.

Wow, this is a brilliant novella! I could feel the stifling weather and atmosphere of Kathleen's marriage, and the setting was so vivid. I loved how it was set over one day but we got years of back-history. Also loved how nuanced it was - both Virgil and Kathleen were flawed, human characters so instead of taking sides the reader is really focussed on the story. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I liked this book but didn't quite love it.
It was a good story about regrets about the life chosen and how people attempt to remove themselves from that life, even if only for a short while. The exploration of failed relationships, alongside the desire to preserve the pretence of success in life was done well. However, I feel like something was missing from this book. There was not much plot, not an issue in itself, but there also wasn't much character exploration. I liked the vibes but wish we had explored them and felt them more. Ultimately I just wish this book had given me more overall.

A book about secrets, about lives not lived, lives that could have gone differently if other choices had been made. I expected something else from the description and therefore have to admit that I was a bit disappointed.
Thank you Little Brown and Netgalley for the ARC.

i read this on my commute to work and was gripped from start to finish - i particularly loved how the book covers one day in the marriage. i feel like the length was perfect for what the author was trying to do, and i really enjoyed this.

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

This book was intense, entertaining but at times was gut-wrenching too. It’s also funny and would keep you on the edge of your seat. I would highly be recommending it.

This novella is about Kathleen and Virgil, a couple navigating the peaceful suburban lifestyle.
This is a quick-read, and the first chapter is gripping. The premise of Kathleen not getting out of the pool and the story being told from her and Virgil’s perspective with flashbacks (reminiscences about the past) are cool.

A good read for a summer day on the beach, or during a commute. I expected a little more, especially after enjoying Anthony’s sharp writing in the first couple of chapters. I normally like non-linearly told stories, however, the story shape was not to my taste in this novella.

What I found the most potent and intriguing were the representation of the time period, marriage, mid-life realisations and the inner worlds of the characters. I wanted to get to know them more and like them or appreciate their interesting qualities.

Though, this is certainly a book many people would enjoy. It is well-written.

The Plot: 1/5 The Characters: 2/5 The Setting: 3/5 The Writing: 3/5

Thoughts:

Thank you Random House + NetGalley for this pre-release copy 😊😊

I haven’t read literary fiction in quite a while, so this short story was a palette cleanser! In less than 144 pages there is a lot to unpack.
This story shadows the life of an Americana style mid century couple, Kathleen and Virgil. The 1950’s set up gave a fun background setting for a rather monotone dialogue which in my opinion was quite a (negative?) surprise.

The story unravels the marriage as you flicker between the past and present of their relationship and how it began. The 9 year marriage between the Becketts is now struggling and seems to be surviving due to convenience and to perhaps upkeep the illusion of the ‘perfect family’ with their two children and stable lifestyle.

The story definitely gives you food for thought on how each decision you make takes you to where you end up eventually!

Tropes:

Dream Logic
Open-Ended Conclusion
Cultural Context
Infedility

Pro's + Con's:

Pro's: The entire book starts and finishes within 1 fictional day, which was an extra quirk

Con's: As this story is up for interpretation, I felt that some parts were quite confusing and there were blurred lines with what the author was trying to make the reader feel!

The Most shows us a snapshot of a seemingly ordinary day of an ordinary married couple. We discover the real struggles and complexities of Kathleen and Virgil's relationship and how they deal with these.

I enjoyed the back and forth between past and present, and reading both Kathleen and Virgil's POV. The ending let it down a bit for me. I usually enjoy open-ended stories, but this one was a little too sudden and fell a bit flat.

Although not my usual genre, I was intrigued by 'The Most'. I did find the story jumped around a little and I found the writing a bit tricky to follow. I wish it was longer, I was just being able to empathise witu and understand the characters and I would have liked to follow them a little further through a difficult time to figure out how they were going to navigate their secrets.

This novella followed a couple in the 1950s when, one November weekend, the wife Kathleen refuses to come out of their swimming pool. This can easily be devoured in one sitting, and looks at the husband and wife’s past, what they gave up for their marriage and their regrets in life. I loved how it was told from both POVs and as the reader we get to see the secrets they keep from each other. It was refreshing to read a novella like this set in the past instead of the modern day like most of the other stories of this flavour.

An interesting novella, slightly reminiscent of Revolutionary Road but more eerie. I liked that the novel was set over a day and felt the pacing was taut and maintained my interest. I enjoyed the author's writing style and the dual perspective and thought it explored an engaging variety of themes. I would have liked it to have been wrapped up more neatly but I do see how the ending suits the story.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Most by Jessica Anthony unravels the secrets and lies being kept by a married couple and the gaps between the person you are and the person you want to be.

This was a strange, yet interesting one. The writing was atmospheric and I really enjoyed the historical element, it all felt very eerie and on the edge of something disastrous. I struggled a bit with the constant time jumps, however I did like Kathleen and her inner monologue. I also found it clever how the entire plot took place over one day. Well written albeit a little confusing in parts.