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Sydney Morning Herald
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Here are 10 new books to add to your must-read list
From a comic satire on the world of professional AFL to queer romances; from a study of the creative chemistry between John Lennon and Paul McCartney to a memoir of life as an elite policeman, this week's books cover wide ground. Pissants Brandon Jack Summit Books, $34.99 Former Sydney Swans player Brandon Jack penned an acclaimed memoir, 28, which exposed life in the AFL machine. Some truths can't be fully imagined in non-fiction, a defect colourfully remedied in his debut novel. Pissants is a super-sweary inside job on the world of professional football, a pitch-black comic satire that takes in rivalry and camaraderie and misdeeds. There's locker room goss, sports psychology and the creeping derangements of being steeped in a culture of toxic pressures – from ultra-competitiveness to the psychotic hypermasculinity of bonding and hazing rituals. There are plenty of jaw-dropping shenanigans tinged with narcissism, and the sense of impunity that attends fame on the field, but there's also a fair whack of misery and unacknowledged woundedness. Jack incorporates bingo cards and WhatsApp chats into more conventional narrative modes, as all the dirty laundry gets an airing. AFL fans should enjoy the fly-on-the-wall-of-the-locker-room vibe, and Jack draws out the attractions of elite team sport – and much that's repugnant about how it operates behind the scenes – with brutality and hilarity. Taylor Jenkins Reid became a global publishing phenomenon with the rise of BookTok during the pandemic. Her previous bestsellers have included Daisy Jones & The Six (loosely inspired by the story behind Fleetwood Mac) and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (a romantic mystery following a glamorous Hollywood star of yesteryear). Her ninth novel combines romance with adventure and disaster in space. Astrophysicist Joan Goodwin joins the NASA space program in the early 1980s. Training as an astronaut with a team of brilliant, big personalities, she must navigate institutional sexism, a growing bond with colleagues on a dangerous mission, and budding romance. Catastrophe looms, and the action and suspense of the emergency frames a love story that delves deeply into the rigours and routines of life as an astronaut, and how trailblazing women resisted the male-dominated atmosphere of NASA in the 1980s. It's a page-turner with high emotional stakes; Reid's fans are probably producing tear-streaked TikTok vids already. Author of Ghost Wall, Summerwater and The Fell, Sarah Moss is, among other things, an expert excavator of the effects of post-Brexit politics on the British psyche. In Ripeness, the politics turn to reproductive rights, migrant identities and the rights of refugees. Edith is the daughter of a French Jewish Holocaust survivor who escaped being murdered by the Nazis when she was granted asylum in the UK in 1941. Now over 70, comfortable, living in western Ireland, Edith is troubled by her friend Méabh's attitude to African refugees (and notes it doesn't apply to displaced Ukrainians), though she's drawn into her friend's family mystery. Méabh discovers she has an unknown brother, adopted by an American family, who wants to connect with his biological relatives and find out more about his roots. The novel's action flits between this contemporary strand and a trip to Italy in the 1960s, when Edith was a nerdy 17-year-old accompanying her older sister, who is enduring an unwanted pregnancy. Moss crafts a fine balance of sympathy in her portrayal of Edith, contrasting first-person and third-person narration to interrogate how social identities are forged, how rights must be fought for, and the growing cost of complacency. Ordinary Love Marie Rutkoski Virago, $34.99 Queer romance reignites in Marie Rutkoski's Ordinary Love when teenage sweethearts Emily and Gen reunite as 30-somethings. Their lives have taken different paths since their schooldays. Emily suffers through an abusive marriage to the wealthy Jack and leaves him after a frightening episode of domestic violence at the book's outset. Gen meanwhile becomes an Olympic athlete, aggressively embracing her sexuality through a string of affairs and hook-ups with other women. The story of their adolescent courtship and the homophobia it ran up against is told in flashback, revealing Emily and Gen to be old flames with old wounds that have shaped the courses of their adult lives. Rutkovski is sharp on just how difficult it can be to leave an abusive relationship, especially when the abuser seeks to isolate the victim from support networks. A subplot involving friends of Emily fighting to help her overcome Jack's influence is so full-blooded it almost becomes the main event. Yet the intimacy and vividness Rutkoski brings to her characters' sexual life is unusual – sex writing so often goes awry – and this is a romance novel that feels refreshingly grounded, written for adults. Big Feelings Amy Lovat Macmillan, $34.99 Another queer romance from Newcastle-based Amy Lovat, returning with a second novel following her debut, Mistakes and Other Lovers. This one's billed as an 'anti-romantic comedy', and it takes place in the shadow of an idealised relationship. Sadie's obsession with finding the perfect partner comes from witnessing the passion and devotion of her parents' marriage – complete with Insta-love tropes and mad romantic pursuits and the happily-ever-after that spawned her. When she meets Chase, Sadie falls wildly in love and thinks she's found the ideal woman, but it isn't long before cynicism, neurosis and self-sabotage rear their heads, and Sadie comes to question what she really desires. Big Feelings captures the relaxed flavour of its setting on the NSW North Coast, while the somewhat unreliable narrator ties herself in comic knots over a relationship we know will break up from the beginning. The mystery is how and why, and Lovat's chaotic ride into the messiness of romance should attract lovebirds of a more sardonic and streetwise disposition, fans of Fleabag or High Fidelity among them. The key contention in this absorbing study of the creative chemistry that existed between Lennon and McCartney, is that we get them 'so wrong', largely because 'we have trouble thinking about intimate male friendships.' But, do we get them so wrong? Much of what Ian Leslie documents – the intensity of the relationship, the shared early deaths of their mothers, the immediate recognition of being soulmates when they first met at the Woolton Church fete (with Paul's flawless rendition of Eddie Cochrane's Twenty Flight Rock), the competitiveness, the bitterness and the love that bound them – is common knowledge to many. Indeed, there were few times when he told me anything I didn't already know. All the same, in its comprehensiveness, the authority with which he details the collaboration (especially contested territory of who did what, Lennon claiming much of Eleanor Rigby, McCartney likewise with In My Life), and the poise and compassion with which he brings his two magicians to life, it's a compelling dissection of the repercussions of that day in 1957 when two 'damaged romantics' met and the culture of the western world shifted. This guide to how to live a more satisfying life is, at least, more informed than most. Fabian, an Associate Professor at Warwick University, begins by distinguishing between the pursuit of happiness and the more complex and fulfilling notion of wellbeing – which embraces life, existential warts and all and a more nuanced sense of self: the good, the bad and the ugly. It's divided into three parts. A Pleasant Life, in which he delves into the wisdom of the Stoics (who seem to be roaring back into public popularity), the Fulfilling Life, about self-realisation and the idea of authenticity, and the Valuable Life, about overcoming modern nihilism. Woven into this are aspects of his own story (early depression and release through rock-climbing) and, more broadly, the positives of living in a pluralistic society as apart from religious orthodoxy. Deliberately 'popular' and, like all of these guides, reads like a talk. Few sportspeople enter the playing field facing the possibility of death like Formula One drivers. In fact, in the 1958 season four drivers died. But it's not the death-defying stunts of the drivers that Reid and Sylt are concerned with here, it's the astonishing money that goes into this international business – these days generating revenue of $3.4 billion and valued at $20 billion, the top drivers receiving around $60 million in wages. The driver's seats are individually designed and the steering wheels cost $75,000. And that's just scratching the surface. In order to trace how this came about, the authors take us back to the leisurely hobbyhorse days of the 1950s when princes and barons drove their Maseratis in competitions. That didn't last long, thanks in large part to a colourful Englishman, Bernie Ecclestone, whose name is now synonymous with Formula One. The drivers and their vehicles might capture the limelight, but this takes us into the billion-dollar industry under the bonnet. When writer/journalist Daniela Torsh's father died in 1958, she was 11 years old and believed she was Christian. What she discovered in the days following his death– she writes warmly about her father, but honestly as well in detailing the fraught nature of the relationship – was the depth of her Jewish ancestry. Her parents had met in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp just north of Prague, in the 1940s. They survived, had Daniela, and eventually immigrated to Sydney in the early 1950s. Her parents were determined that the horrors they had experienced during the war would not be passed on to their child, so they kept her Jewish ancestry a secret. Torsh's tale, told simply but effectively and frequently jumping time frames, is, among other things, a record of intergenerational trauma, of how growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust played out in her life in ways she didn't understand until she put together the pieces of her family's history. A calm retrospective voice, but one that inevitably contains tragedy, anger and deep sadness. Through Fear and Fire John Taylor (with Heath O'Loughlin) Pan Macmillan, $36.99 When John Taylor was growing up in the south-east suburbs of Melbourne he was frequently in schoolyard fights, always outraged by the injustice of the actions of school bullies. It led to joining the Victoria Police Force in 1987, then the Special Operations Group (SOG) two years later, and in 2003, the Bomb Response Unit (BRU). In many ways this is a portrait of a driven individual – his description of the physical training required to get into the SOG is exhausting just to read. And while he might be matter-of-fact in his description of defusing, say, a bomb left in a bus shelter (at the same time dismissing Hollywood myths about the process), you are always in no doubt that it is a highly dangerous occupation. Likewise, his account of his first operation with SOG. At the same time, he also goes into the effect of the job on his family: Taylor, at times, while walking with his wife, imagining threats that aren't there. If you've ever wondered what kind of person is drawn to join an elite force, this will give you a good idea.
The Age
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Here are 10 new books to add to your must-read list
From a comic satire on the world of professional AFL to queer romances; from a study of the creative chemistry between John Lennon and Paul McCartney to a memoir of life as an elite policeman, this week's books cover wide ground. Pissants Brandon Jack Summit Books, $34.99 Former Sydney Swans player Brandon Jack penned an acclaimed memoir, 28, which exposed life in the AFL machine. Some truths can't be fully imagined in non-fiction, a defect colourfully remedied in his debut novel. Pissants is a super-sweary inside job on the world of professional football, a pitch-black comic satire that takes in rivalry and camaraderie and misdeeds. There's locker room goss, sports psychology and the creeping derangements of being steeped in a culture of toxic pressures – from ultra-competitiveness to the psychotic hypermasculinity of bonding and hazing rituals. There are plenty of jaw-dropping shenanigans tinged with narcissism, and the sense of impunity that attends fame on the field, but there's also a fair whack of misery and unacknowledged woundedness. Jack incorporates bingo cards and WhatsApp chats into more conventional narrative modes, as all the dirty laundry gets an airing. AFL fans should enjoy the fly-on-the-wall-of-the-locker-room vibe, and Jack draws out the attractions of elite team sport – and much that's repugnant about how it operates behind the scenes – with brutality and hilarity. Taylor Jenkins Reid became a global publishing phenomenon with the rise of BookTok during the pandemic. Her previous bestsellers have included Daisy Jones & The Six (loosely inspired by the story behind Fleetwood Mac) and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (a romantic mystery following a glamorous Hollywood star of yesteryear). Her ninth novel combines romance with adventure and disaster in space. Astrophysicist Joan Goodwin joins the NASA space program in the early 1980s. Training as an astronaut with a team of brilliant, big personalities, she must navigate institutional sexism, a growing bond with colleagues on a dangerous mission, and budding romance. Catastrophe looms, and the action and suspense of the emergency frames a love story that delves deeply into the rigours and routines of life as an astronaut, and how trailblazing women resisted the male-dominated atmosphere of NASA in the 1980s. It's a page-turner with high emotional stakes; Reid's fans are probably producing tear-streaked TikTok vids already. Author of Ghost Wall, Summerwater and The Fell, Sarah Moss is, among other things, an expert excavator of the effects of post-Brexit politics on the British psyche. In Ripeness, the politics turn to reproductive rights, migrant identities and the rights of refugees. Edith is the daughter of a French Jewish Holocaust survivor who escaped being murdered by the Nazis when she was granted asylum in the UK in 1941. Now over 70, comfortable, living in western Ireland, Edith is troubled by her friend Méabh's attitude to African refugees (and notes it doesn't apply to displaced Ukrainians), though she's drawn into her friend's family mystery. Méabh discovers she has an unknown brother, adopted by an American family, who wants to connect with his biological relatives and find out more about his roots. The novel's action flits between this contemporary strand and a trip to Italy in the 1960s, when Edith was a nerdy 17-year-old accompanying her older sister, who is enduring an unwanted pregnancy. Moss crafts a fine balance of sympathy in her portrayal of Edith, contrasting first-person and third-person narration to interrogate how social identities are forged, how rights must be fought for, and the growing cost of complacency. Ordinary Love Marie Rutkoski Virago, $34.99 Queer romance reignites in Marie Rutkoski's Ordinary Love when teenage sweethearts Emily and Gen reunite as 30-somethings. Their lives have taken different paths since their schooldays. Emily suffers through an abusive marriage to the wealthy Jack and leaves him after a frightening episode of domestic violence at the book's outset. Gen meanwhile becomes an Olympic athlete, aggressively embracing her sexuality through a string of affairs and hook-ups with other women. The story of their adolescent courtship and the homophobia it ran up against is told in flashback, revealing Emily and Gen to be old flames with old wounds that have shaped the courses of their adult lives. Rutkovski is sharp on just how difficult it can be to leave an abusive relationship, especially when the abuser seeks to isolate the victim from support networks. A subplot involving friends of Emily fighting to help her overcome Jack's influence is so full-blooded it almost becomes the main event. Yet the intimacy and vividness Rutkoski brings to her characters' sexual life is unusual – sex writing so often goes awry – and this is a romance novel that feels refreshingly grounded, written for adults. Big Feelings Amy Lovat Macmillan, $34.99 Another queer romance from Newcastle-based Amy Lovat, returning with a second novel following her debut, Mistakes and Other Lovers. This one's billed as an 'anti-romantic comedy', and it takes place in the shadow of an idealised relationship. Sadie's obsession with finding the perfect partner comes from witnessing the passion and devotion of her parents' marriage – complete with Insta-love tropes and mad romantic pursuits and the happily-ever-after that spawned her. When she meets Chase, Sadie falls wildly in love and thinks she's found the ideal woman, but it isn't long before cynicism, neurosis and self-sabotage rear their heads, and Sadie comes to question what she really desires. Big Feelings captures the relaxed flavour of its setting on the NSW North Coast, while the somewhat unreliable narrator ties herself in comic knots over a relationship we know will break up from the beginning. The mystery is how and why, and Lovat's chaotic ride into the messiness of romance should attract lovebirds of a more sardonic and streetwise disposition, fans of Fleabag or High Fidelity among them. The key contention in this absorbing study of the creative chemistry that existed between Lennon and McCartney, is that we get them 'so wrong', largely because 'we have trouble thinking about intimate male friendships.' But, do we get them so wrong? Much of what Ian Leslie documents – the intensity of the relationship, the shared early deaths of their mothers, the immediate recognition of being soulmates when they first met at the Woolton Church fete (with Paul's flawless rendition of Eddie Cochrane's Twenty Flight Rock), the competitiveness, the bitterness and the love that bound them – is common knowledge to many. Indeed, there were few times when he told me anything I didn't already know. All the same, in its comprehensiveness, the authority with which he details the collaboration (especially contested territory of who did what, Lennon claiming much of Eleanor Rigby, McCartney likewise with In My Life), and the poise and compassion with which he brings his two magicians to life, it's a compelling dissection of the repercussions of that day in 1957 when two 'damaged romantics' met and the culture of the western world shifted. This guide to how to live a more satisfying life is, at least, more informed than most. Fabian, an Associate Professor at Warwick University, begins by distinguishing between the pursuit of happiness and the more complex and fulfilling notion of wellbeing – which embraces life, existential warts and all and a more nuanced sense of self: the good, the bad and the ugly. It's divided into three parts. A Pleasant Life, in which he delves into the wisdom of the Stoics (who seem to be roaring back into public popularity), the Fulfilling Life, about self-realisation and the idea of authenticity, and the Valuable Life, about overcoming modern nihilism. Woven into this are aspects of his own story (early depression and release through rock-climbing) and, more broadly, the positives of living in a pluralistic society as apart from religious orthodoxy. Deliberately 'popular' and, like all of these guides, reads like a talk. Few sportspeople enter the playing field facing the possibility of death like Formula One drivers. In fact, in the 1958 season four drivers died. But it's not the death-defying stunts of the drivers that Reid and Sylt are concerned with here, it's the astonishing money that goes into this international business – these days generating revenue of $3.4 billion and valued at $20 billion, the top drivers receiving around $60 million in wages. The driver's seats are individually designed and the steering wheels cost $75,000. And that's just scratching the surface. In order to trace how this came about, the authors take us back to the leisurely hobbyhorse days of the 1950s when princes and barons drove their Maseratis in competitions. That didn't last long, thanks in large part to a colourful Englishman, Bernie Ecclestone, whose name is now synonymous with Formula One. The drivers and their vehicles might capture the limelight, but this takes us into the billion-dollar industry under the bonnet. When writer/journalist Daniela Torsh's father died in 1958, she was 11 years old and believed she was Christian. What she discovered in the days following his death– she writes warmly about her father, but honestly as well in detailing the fraught nature of the relationship – was the depth of her Jewish ancestry. Her parents had met in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp just north of Prague, in the 1940s. They survived, had Daniela, and eventually immigrated to Sydney in the early 1950s. Her parents were determined that the horrors they had experienced during the war would not be passed on to their child, so they kept her Jewish ancestry a secret. Torsh's tale, told simply but effectively and frequently jumping time frames, is, among other things, a record of intergenerational trauma, of how growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust played out in her life in ways she didn't understand until she put together the pieces of her family's history. A calm retrospective voice, but one that inevitably contains tragedy, anger and deep sadness. Through Fear and Fire John Taylor (with Heath O'Loughlin) Pan Macmillan, $36.99 When John Taylor was growing up in the south-east suburbs of Melbourne he was frequently in schoolyard fights, always outraged by the injustice of the actions of school bullies. It led to joining the Victoria Police Force in 1987, then the Special Operations Group (SOG) two years later, and in 2003, the Bomb Response Unit (BRU). In many ways this is a portrait of a driven individual – his description of the physical training required to get into the SOG is exhausting just to read. And while he might be matter-of-fact in his description of defusing, say, a bomb left in a bus shelter (at the same time dismissing Hollywood myths about the process), you are always in no doubt that it is a highly dangerous occupation. Likewise, his account of his first operation with SOG. At the same time, he also goes into the effect of the job on his family: Taylor, at times, while walking with his wife, imagining threats that aren't there. If you've ever wondered what kind of person is drawn to join an elite force, this will give you a good idea.
India Today
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Hailey Bieber dismisses divorce rumours with Justin, shares pic in wedding ring
Canadian pop star Justin Bieber and his wife, model-entrepreneur Hailey Bieber, have once again sparked divorce rumours. Hailey was recently spotted in New York City without her wedding ring. However, she shut down the speculation by posting a photo of herself wearing the picture, Hailey can be seen wearing a white tank top, blue jeans, a black-patterned shrug, and black sunglasses. She's holding a wine glass and has subtly placed her left hand in her pocket, showcasing her engagement ring. (Photo Credit: Instagram/haileybieber) advertisementAccording to The Sun, Hailey was seen with 'Daisy Jones & The Six' actor Camila Morrone and 'Good Looking' singer Suki Waterhouse during a girls' night at Chez Fifi in NYC, without her ring. She was also reportedly spotted ringless at The Commerce Inn in West Village, NYC. Meanwhile, her husband Justin has been posting black-and-white close-up selfies on Instagram. In one, he can be seen wearing a nose pin and simply captioned the picture with a heart emoji, using R. Kelly's 'I Believe I Can Fly' as background music. (Photo Credit: Instagram/Justinbieber) Justin also reposted several messages that touched on themes of hate and jealousy. One of them was originally shared by Isaac HP, featuring a person saying, "I want to remind you that not everybody hates you—just a lot of people do. A lot of people despise you. A lot of people really hate you. But not everybody hates you. People in Tasmania don't hate you. But that's just because they don't know you. If they met you, they would hate you. But not everybody hates you (sic)."advertisementJustin has faced intense media scrutiny over the past few months. Recently, he had a heated argument with paparazzi outside Malibu's Soho House. He later shared a screenshot of a conversation with an unidentified friend, in which he cut ties after the friend raised concerns about his also posted a lengthy note on Instagram, stating that he is "exhausted" from thinking about himself and admitted to struggling with anger Reel
USA Today
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Taylor Jenkins Reid is back: After hiatus, author surprised herself with ‘Atmosphere'
Taylor Jenkins Reid is back: After hiatus, author surprised herself with 'Atmosphere' It's been three years since the book world saw a new Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, a long time considering the 'Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' author published eight books in nine years. Now Reid is back, refreshed and fundamentally changed by the research and writing of her space love story 'Atmosphere" (out now from Penguin Random House). For starters, she has a pretty good idea of what it's like to be in a catastrophic space accident. She has a deeper appreciation for the world and the people in it, she tells USA TODAY. She's got a healthier relationship with her creative spirit. And earlier this month, she came out publicly as bisexual in a profile in TIME Magazine. 'Atmosphere,' in the vein of other well-loved Reid novels like 'Daisy Jones & The Six,' is full of characters you miss after you turn the last page. Joan Goodwin, the novel's protagonist, is quietly ambitious, devoted to her niece and wading through a complicated relationship with her sister. Her dreams come within reach when she gets accepted into a competitive trainee class at NASA, alongside peers who become her new home. The closely guarded astronaut also has a shot at once-in-a-lifetime love. After hiatus, 'Atmosphere' was a 'coming of age' for Taylor Jenkins Reid 'Atmosphere' is Reid's first departure from her famous-women quartet of books – 'Daisy Jones,' 'Evelyn Hugo,' 'Malibu Rising' and 'Carrie Soto is Back' – in years. It's also the first extended break she's taken since her debut novel 'Forever, Interrupted' came out in 2013. When she wrote 'Carrie Soto,' Reid says she saw much of herself in the character, who reckons with her legacy, expectations and when to step back. All her characters teach her something about herself – Evelyn Hugo about ambition, Nina Riva about healthy boundaries. Carrie Soto was her catalyst to take a break. 'I needed to get more in touch with the thoughts in my own head and get some quiet and rest, and that's not something that I had ever been good at recognizing about myself prior to maybe 2022,' Reid says. 'I finally started to listen to all the people in my life who told me to slow down and to make sure there's time in the day for joy and rest.' Now, after some much-needed time away, writing 'Atmosphere' felt like 'coming of age,' Reid says. She challenged herself. She started to find new things she never realized she loved. Since 'Atmosphere,' you can often find her in her backyard staring at the moon or searching for the Scorpius constellation. 'Joan is driven by the awe she has, not only for the universe itself and our particular solar system, but also the fact that our study of those things is our pursuit of understanding ourselves. That by trying to understand the universe, we're trying to understand our place in it and where we come from and where we may be going,' Reid says. 'Once you start asking those questions, it becomes more difficult to take any of it for granted.' It shows in her writing. Reid's work is third-person and character-driven, plucking the reader from their reality and into something far more star-studded. And though there are blood-pressure-raising missions in 'Atmosphere,' the most touching parts are when she breaks that fourth wall to call out the reader directly, her gratitude practically leaping off the page. 'Look what we humans had done,' she writes in one chapter. 'We had looked at the world around us – the dirt under our feet, the stars in the sky, the speed of a feather falling from the top of a building – and we had taught ourselves to fly.' How 'Atmosphere' took Taylor Jenkins Reid to the moon and back Though 'Atmosphere' is not in the same universe as "Evelyn Hugo" or "Carrie Soto," writing about women in male-dominated spaces still drove Reid to the story. 'I don't think anyone was thinking 'Oh, when's Taylor Jenkins Reid going to write her space novel?' I don't think that is an obvious place for me to go,' Reid says, laughing. She knew a space odyssey like 'Atmosphere' would be a significant undertaking, but she still underestimated how big it would be. There was a healthy amount of self-doubt she had to overcome, Reid says, to stop telling herself she wasn't capable of writing the mechanics of a space shuttle or how to engineer your way out of potentially fatal, zero-gravity danger. So she got help. She started by reading 'Shuttle, Houston,' the memoir from NASA's longest-serving flight director. And then she called its author, Paul Dye, who wound up being so instrumental in her research process that she dedicated the book to him. 'Atmosphere' is a team effort – the words may be all Reid's, but, as she says, 'nobody is going to make it to space alone.' 'This book really represents how, if I'm open, there are so many things out there that I could fall in love with, and so many things I can try and find joy in,' Reid says. 'I think it cracked open something for me. I'm not the person I would expect to have written this book until I wrote this book.' Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
NBC News
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
'Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' author Taylor Jenkins Reid comes out as bisexual
Taylor Jenkins Reid, the author of several bestselling novels including "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," "Daisy Jones & The Six" and "Malibu Rising," came out as bisexual in an interview with Time magazine. 'It has been hard at times to see people dismiss me as a straight woman, but I also didn't tell them the whole story,' the author told the outlet in an interview published May 15. Reid, whose new novel, "Atmosphere," comes out June 3, said assumptions about her sexuality are nothing new for her. In fact, she said, they began when she was a teenager and dressed differently than the social norm. 'I got hit pretty quickly with, 'Why can't you dress more like a girl? Why don't you do your nails? Why do you talk that way? Can't you be a little bit quieter?'' she told Time. 'I started to get people who would say, 'Oh, I get why you dress like a boy—you're gay.'' But, Reid said, she didn't feel like she identified with being labeled as gay, as she was attracted to both sexes — her first love was a man and then, in her early 20s, she fell in love with a woman. With both loves, however, people doubted if it was the right course for her. 'This was the late '90s, so nobody was talking about bisexuality. And if they were, it was to make fun of people,' she said. 'The messages about bisexuality were you just want attention, or it was a stop on the way to gayville." In her writing, Reid hasn't been shy when it comes to depicting characters who fall along different points of the sexuality spectrum. In 'Daisy Jones & The Six,' the main romance centers around a heterosexual love triangle, while 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' details a love story between two women. Meanwhile, ' Malibu Rising" showcases mainly heterosexual relationships, but one character experiences a queer awakening. Her new book, 'Atmosphere,' allowed Reid to explore more of her attraction to women. The novel features a love story between one woman in outer space and one on earth. 'It just felt like time for me to write a very high-stakes, dramatic love story,' she told Time. While she may not have always been open with the public about the specifics of her sexuality, she told Time that she was always honest with those closest to her. Her husband, screenwriter Alex Jenkins Reid, even introduced her to an idea that describes someone's sexuality as a house with many rooms. 'My attraction to women is a room in the house that is my identity — Alex understood ["Atmosphere"] was about me spending time in that room,' Reid said. 'He was so excited for me, like, 'What a great way for you to express this side of you.' And he helped me get the book to be as romantic and beautiful as it could be.' Reid also said she understands being married to a man gives her 'straight-passing' privileges that other queer women don't receive. 'How do I talk about who I really am with full deference to the life experiences of other people?' she told Time. 'Basically, where I came down is I can talk about who I am, and then people can think about that whatever they want.'
