I love reading (in case you didn't already know), but it’s not often that I’ll pick up a book and not want to put it down until I've completely finished it. For me Lobsters was one of those books, I even nearly missed the stops on all my transport the morning I was reading it (which says something in itself because I don’t usually read on short train journeys). If you've ever watched Friends, you’ll probably be familiar with where the title of the book comes from, and even if like me you are a cynic when it comes to love you can’t deny that there is a small part of you that wants to find someone.
The story follows and is about growing up in that last summer between high school and university, the ups and downs between friends and doing everything you can and need to do in those few months, the most important of which (at least in the book) being losing your virginity.
I’m usually a cynic when it comes to love stories and especially when the main focus is sex, because thats not essentially what is important. I hate those which are gushing and full of hyperbole and are the all too predictable one friend is in love with another but too ashamed or awkward to admit it and its entirely obvious that by the end of the book they’ll end up together. This book is not one of those, which is great. It’s more centred on the unpredictability of love and how you never know when you’re going to find ‘the one’ which is actually more true to life, because nothing ever seems to go as smoothly as it does in the movies.
What I didn’t expect to like was the narrative style. Personally I don’t enjoy books with multiple narrators, especially when penned by two authors - I love John Green but it took me a long time to get into Will Grayson, Will Grayson and the switch between two distinct writing styles, despite this book having a similar format it’s not a problem I suffered and found it incredibly easy to switch between Sam and Hannah. Lucy Ivison and Tom Ellen just get this right though, there is a perfect balance between how much of the story is told by each character and creating distinct voices, but not so distinct that the story becomes disjointed.
The book contains some genuinely laugh out loud moments, I found myself trying to hold it in on the train the morning to avoid the stairs from surrounding commuters. I can’t remember the last time I found a book that funny. If you ever read the Georgia Nicholson books (Angus, thongs and full frontal snogging) think those, but a grown-up, filthier version - in that they actually have some wisdom about sex and the snogging scale has been abandoned and now there is only one goal.
I think the main reason I loved this book so much is that it really took me back to life pre- uni, specifically that last summer. Before now, it was the most uncertain time of my life and there’s always the worry of what will happen if I don’t get in and did I really do as well in that exam as I thought and now I’m back in a period of uncertainty of what I should or want to be doing now. So that underlying feeling of dread that runs throughout the book was something I know well and can relate to.
As well as the feeling of fear and uncertainty, the events of the characters last summer mirrored my own before uni. The excitement of that first holiday abroad without your parents (or any adults), house parties, a first music festival and not wanting to waste the summer in addition to all the emotions that come along with these first times, both the good and the bad. The fact that the kind of place you’ll go on a post exam holiday will be somewhere you can simply alternate between the pool and the bars, that going to a music festival in England will inevitably end up wet and covered in mud and that it’s okay that pulling people and getting drunk doesn't appeal to you as much as it does to everyone else. Without giving too much away, but this excited me so much I had to text my friend to further my claim of ‘OMG this book is so awesome’, there are numerous references to Harry Potter throughout the book. As my all time favourite series of books that I grew up and still love and quote to this day, having references I myself would make made me feel extremely happy and excited whilst reading this book.
I think I’ve now rambled on for long enough about how great this book is and if I go on any longer you probably won’t even need to read it, so the only thing I can do now is suggest that you somehow get your hands on a copy.
If you've already read it, let me know your thoughts in the comments.
-Cloee xoxo
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