Book Review: Donna Has Left the Building by Susan Jane Gilman

Title: Donna Has Left the Building

Author: Susan Jane Gilman

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jun. 23, 2020

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 432

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 7.5/10

From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress comes a hilarious, timely, and big-hearted novel about rebuilding life in the face of disaster.

Forty-five-year-old Donna Koczynski is an ex-punk rocker, a recovering alcoholic, and the mother of two teenagers whose suburban existence detonates when she comes home early from a sales conference in Las Vegas to the surprise of a lifetime. As her world implodes, she sets off on an epic road trip to reclaim everything she believes she’s sacrificed since her wild youth: Great friendship, passionate love, and her art. But as she careens across the U.S. from Detroit to New York to Memphis to Nashville, nothing turns out as she imagines. Ultimately, she finds herself resurrected on the other side of the globe, on a remote island embroiled in a crisis far bigger than her own.

Irresistibly funny, whip-smart, and surprisingly moving, Donna Has Left the Building spins an unforgettable tale about what it means to be brave — and to truly love — in a tumultuous world.

Review:

Direct, humorous, and edgy!

Donna Has Left the Building is a gritty, honest, bawdy novel that takes us into the life of Donna Koczynski, a middle-aged, married, recovering alcoholic, mother of two who embarks on a spontaneous, somewhat destructive road trip after returning home early from a conference to find her husband in a compromising position with a dominatrix.

The prose is witty and perceptive. The characters are unhappy, confused, and disappointed. And the plot is a reflective, brash, reality check about marriage, friendship, family, first loves, missed opportunities, regrets, mistakes, poor choices, bad decisions, and what’s truly important.

Overall, Donna Has Left the Building is a rollicking, bold, candid tale by Gilman that delves into all the messiness of life and highlights just how quickly life can spin out of control. It’s not for everyone though, as some readers would definitely find it a little too offensive and crude.

This novel is available in paperback now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Susan Jane Gilman

Susan Jane Gilman is the bestselling author of the nonfiction books Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress, Kiss My Tiara, and Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven as well as the novels, The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street and the forthcoming Donna Has Left the Building. She has provided commentary for NPR, hosted a literary radio show, and written for the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Real Simple, and Ms., among many others. She has won several literary awards, and her books have been published in a dozen languages. She teaches writing and speaks to audiences worldwide.

Photograph by Guillaume Megevand.

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