Book of the Week: Hating Olivia
Looking for a quick
read to end off this summer?
I read Hating Olivia all in one go, on a sweltering summer night just a few weeks ago. The book matched the weather: hot, a little uncomfortable at times, and very, very visceral.
SaFrank introduces us to Max, an aspiring young writer with a series of dead-end jobs, and little ambition. While working in a smoky bar one night, he meets Olivia Aphrodite, a dark-haired goddess, aptly accompanied by a mean-looking Adonis of her own. No problem, Max thinks. She’s gorgeous, and he’s persistent, and soon the boyfriend is a lesser detail.
Max and Olivia fall head-first into a complicated affair. Olivia is both child-like and then suddenly very mature; she takes on every expense between the two of them, but then just as rashly blows her credit cards on extravagant shopping sprees she can’t afford. Max is completely smitten, but Olivia’s intensity can almost be a little frightening. They’re both struggling artists without much drive, but when Max catches glimpses of success while Olivia remains on the sidelines, their already turbulent relationship further declines.
Hating Olivia is a book about falling in love – or maybe really strong lust – and falling out. It traces that often delicate line between needing someone so desperately, and despising her all in one breath. SaFrank writes with a gritty hand and the language is from another era (at one point, Olivia screams at Max because he’s such a ‘louse’) but the feelings and situations are classic and universal. Tamer readers beware: Max and Olivia are really, really into each other and SaFrank doesn’t really mind getting down and dirty.
For a short, sultry summer read, with a noir or hardboiled feel, Hating Olivia won’t disappoint.
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