The Burnout: A Novel
Sparks fly in this delightful novel about two burned out professionals who meet at a ramshackle resort on the British seaside—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Party Crasher.
“I devoured The Burnout in one greedy gulp. It’s funny, sad, relatable, and brilliantly done. Sophie Kinsella is the queen of romantic comedy.”—Jojo Moyes
She can do anything . . . just not everything.
Sasha has had it. She cannot bring herself to respond to another inane, “urgent” (but obviously not at all urgent) email or participate in the corporate employee joyfulness program. She hasn’t seen her friends in months. Sex? Seems like a lot of effort. Even cooking dinner takes far too much planning. Sasha has hit a wall.
Armed with good intentions to drink kale smoothies, try yoga, and find peace, she heads to the seaside resort she loved as a child. But it’s the off season, the hotel is in a dilapidated shambles, and she has to share the beach with the only other occupant: a grumpy guy named Finn, who seems as stressed as Sasha. How can she commune with nature when he’s sitting on her favorite rock, watching her? Nor can they agree on how best to alleviate their burnout (Sasha: manifesting, wild swimming; Finn: drinking whisky, getting pizza delivered to the beach).
When curious messages, seemingly addressed to Sasha and Finn, begin to appear on the beach, the two are forced to talk—about everything. How did they get so burned out? Can either of them remember something they used to love? (Answer: surfing!) And the question they try and fail to ignore: what does the energy between them—flaring even in the face of their bone-deep exhaustion—signify?
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Community Reviews
I loved this fun book and quirky book. Kinsella never fails to disappoint me.
Sasha goes on a vacation after flipping out at work. She tries to drop out of life and join a convent, and ends up walking into a wall. Her mother convinces her to go to The Winston, the hotel where the family had always vacationed in the summer. She remembers a luxury hotel, the surf lessons, and finds the Winston has changed quite a bit over the past twenty years. The hotel staff tries to bend over backward trying to make her stay exceptional. Sasha's mother, posing as a PA, orders exotic foods and recommends yoga for her daughter.
SInce it is winter, there are few guests at this hotel, but one of them is the same annoying man she met on the train coming over. He made a toddler cry because she was touching his surf board. How Sasha recovers and begins to find herself and forms close bonds with the hotel staff. She also goes to look up her old surfing teacher and learns sadly that he is no longer himself and is often confused.
The writing is good and humorous at times. I loved all the quirky characters that populate this hotel in the off-season. This is also a bit of a mystery since Sasha struggles to remember details about a tragic kayak accident. Who is writing the mysterious messages in the sand that includes the date of the accident, and why are they addressed to "the couple on the beach?" Is this a reference to the art of a famous artist who once painted a young couple in love, a picture which becomes iconic, and has attracted fans all over the world.
Sasha goes on a vacation after flipping out at work. She tries to drop out of life and join a convent, and ends up walking into a wall. Her mother convinces her to go to The Winston, the hotel where the family had always vacationed in the summer. She remembers a luxury hotel, the surf lessons, and finds the Winston has changed quite a bit over the past twenty years. The hotel staff tries to bend over backward trying to make her stay exceptional. Sasha's mother, posing as a PA, orders exotic foods and recommends yoga for her daughter.
SInce it is winter, there are few guests at this hotel, but one of them is the same annoying man she met on the train coming over. He made a toddler cry because she was touching his surf board. How Sasha recovers and begins to find herself and forms close bonds with the hotel staff. She also goes to look up her old surfing teacher and learns sadly that he is no longer himself and is often confused.
The writing is good and humorous at times. I loved all the quirky characters that populate this hotel in the off-season. This is also a bit of a mystery since Sasha struggles to remember details about a tragic kayak accident. Who is writing the mysterious messages in the sand that includes the date of the accident, and why are they addressed to "the couple on the beach?" Is this a reference to the art of a famous artist who once painted a young couple in love, a picture which becomes iconic, and has attracted fans all over the world.