Kseniya Melnik's Reviews > Lost for Words

I gobbled this up in a day. As a writer, from time to time I find myself craving one of three types of writing-related books: a book of author interviews or profiles (latest discovery was John Reed's "How to Read a Novelist); a writing companion book that is comforting but honest, and full of wise advice on craft and the writing life (latest favorite was "Still Writing" by Dani Shapiro), or a novel about writers and/or the literary world. The latter--the funnier, the better.
LOST FOR WORDS certainly delivered. It is a satire and yes, some characters are a bit caricaturish, but it is a very smart and funny book, a joy to read, and it has moments of transcendence.
Here are some quotes I loved:

On what books can do: "And then she found herself wondering why any book should win this fucking prize she had become involved with unless it had a chance of doing what had just happened: coming back to a person when she wanted to cry but couldn't, or wanted to think but couldn't think clearly, or wanted to laugh but saw no reason to."

And: "She kept trying to argue that the other novels lacked the qualities that characterized a work of literature: 'depth, beauty, structural integrity, and an ability to revive our tired imaginations with the precision of its language.'"

Looking forward to diving into the Patrick Melrose novels.