Published September 1st, 2026 by Renard Press Ltd
Literary Fiction, Metafiction, Autoficiton
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
Author Harry is divorced, depressed, out of contract and unsure what she wants to do with the rest of her life. She invents a character Natalie – a braver, bolder version of herself – whom she begins channelling in small ways in her own life.
A metafictional tour de force, Maybe the World Will End So We Won’t Have To is a finely crafted literary autofiction about identity, sexuality and the work that goes into writing a novel. Brilliantly queer and feminist, and by turns funny and dark, it leaves us questioning the practice and ethics of being a writer.
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MY REVIEW:
Author Harry is flailing. She’s depressed, her divorce is about to be finalised, she’s out of contract, doesn’t know what to write next and doesn’t know what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Then she gets an idea: what if she wrote about her life but made it fictional. So, she invents Natalie – a braver and bolder version of herself – and begins to write her story.
This book was like nothing I’ve ever read before. Original, moving, thought-provoking and compelling, Natasa Bell has crafted a truly memorable story. A story about identity, sexuality, relationships, mental health and what it takes to write a novel, Natasha explores some dark and difficult topics such as domestic abuse, grooming murder and homophobia that she writes with honesty, wit and compassion.
Like most bibliophiles, I’m a sucker for a book about books, and writing, books, fiction and publishing are a big part of this story. Like the author, her characters Harry and Natalie are writers, and there is a lot of discussion about how hard it is to write a book. We see Harry struggle with writer’s block, pour out her heart onto the page, wrestle with self-doubt and celebrate wonderful things. Lots of female authors are name-dropped and talked about, which made my TBR even longer than it already is. So be prepared!
The characters are compelling and I particularly bonded with Harry. I didn’t always like her or agree with her actions, but I was rooting for her and invested in her life. Because of the unusual metafiction style, it was a little confusing at first and took me a bit of time to get into. But once I did I was glued to the pages and eager to know what lay in store for Harry and Natalie. And what lay in store was quite the emotional rollercoaster that I was not prepared for. And that ending! How could you leave it there! I was not ready for that and don’t think I’ll get over it for quite some time.
Rating: ✮✮✮.5
Thank you to Renard Press for the invitation to take part in the blog tour and my copy of the book.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Natasha (she/her) grew up in Somerset and studied English Literature, Theatre and the Humanities at the University of York, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Chicago. Over-educated and entirely unemployable she spent her twenties living in York, writing TV listings and working as a barista and a projectionist.
She moved to London for her thirties and completed an MA and PhD in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths. She currently lives in Southwark with her wife and son.
She offers editing and mentoring services privately as well as via The Riff Raff and Jericho Writers, and teaches for Faber Academy, City Lit and on Jericho’s Ultimate Novel Writing Course.
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Thanks for reading, Bibliophiles xxxxx
Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.
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