Chrysalis

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An unnerving, compelling and utterly contemporary debut novel about one woman's metamorphosis into an online phenomenon, from a Sunday Times Short Story Award-shortlisted writer. Chrysalis is the debut novel by Anna Metcalfe, and it is an unflinching, scrupulous study of one woman’s transformation into an omnipresent figure, as she transcends the physical boundaries of her life after surviving a traumatic relationship. She remains a nameless figure throughout the entire novel, rendering her a cult-like figure, and thus critiquing the status of an influencer in contemporary society as she amasses millions of ardent followers in her pursuit to reclaim her autonomy by shedding the skin of her past. This story is a bit of an odd one - the central plot follows an unnamed woman who becomes an online wellness cult leader and is told through the perspectives of three outsiders, which is an interesting conceit as, by nature, all three of the narrators paint incomplete and unreliable pictures of the protagonist. My main gripe is with the writing style - the protagonist being unnamed is so unnecessary and makes it annoying to read as the narrators constantly refer to "she" and "her" - it comes across as a lazy way to make the character seem more mysterious. I also could have done without a lot of the superfluous details (especially from the first narrator) - I skimmed over a lot of mundane text. By far the strongest was the second narrator, the protagonist's mother, as the third narrator hardly appeared to have any point of view at all. The novel is inspired by Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, which is reflected in the structure of Chrysalis; the story of the protagonist is told through the perspective of three people as they witness her metamorphosis. Like Kang, Metcalfe succeeds in creating a tone that is both detached and all-consuming as she probes into the motives of the protagonist and explores the effects of her actions on those around her throughout her journey to achieve a self-sufficient lifestyle. Here, we have the overarching paradox that underpins the novel - the desire to live a life of solitude as an influencer, benefiting from a capitalist, consumptive society, while rejecting it under the pretence of self-care.

Chrysalis might qualify as the most creative debut novel written in the past several years. The reason is simple: unlike novels like Sara Pascoe's Weirdo or Sheena Patel's I'm a Fan, Anna Metcalfe doesn't employ the usual format of having her thirty-something female protagonist tell her own story; instead, the young British author uses a trio of people in her protagonist's life to do the telling, a technique that's refreshing and very effective. Deliciously timely... [ Chrysalis] raises questions about all sorts of themes including solitude, influence and agency. The big one is of course: how well do we really know anyone? [Anna] Metcalfe is a properly clever writer—she moves deftly between the voices of her narrators with ease, while her prose is assured, unforced and almost graceful.” — AnOther MagazineAlthough Anna Metcalfe cites Han Kang’s The Vegetarian, a 2007 novel similar in structure and theme, as a source of inspiration, this doesn't detract one iota from Ms. Metcalfe's creativity. Chrysalis makes for a compelling and highly distinctive read. AM: I quite respect her artfulness in being able to put together these beautiful scenes. When I imagine the kind of content she’s producing, I imagine something that’s very artfully done, enjoyable to look at, considers things painters consider like where the light’s coming from, what the composition is. I think there’s a huge amount of skill in putting together a beautiful video. The book allows you to get this sense of there being troubled psychological reasons for her only wanting people to access a specific part of her life and a complete rejection of anything that is messy or difficult. It’s understandable, but problematic. The internal dialogue she has with herself of what is public and what is private and how she’s constructing her new self is reflective of the way in which people often use social media to become a different person. An unnerving, compelling and utterly contemporary debut novel about one woman's metamorphosis into an online phenomenon, from a Sunday Times Short Story Award-shortlisted writer JA: The treatment of trauma is interesting in this narrative: the main character at one point shares her traumatic experience with a guy she’s kind of seeing, and he listens “dutifully” and thinks, “I wanted her to need me, but not like this.” Were there cultural moments of recent that have prompted you to think about the ways trauma is treated? A lot of it resonated with me in terms of women finally sharing their stories and then being undermined or not actually heard when they share. Or, maybe that we don’t collectively have the tools to talk about trauma in a way that feels helpful; people are often at a loss for how to respond.

An] eerily cool debut... in its acute examination of voyeurism, image and the deceptive nature of connection, [it] feels tailor-made for the age of the internet * Daily Mail * Elliot is a freelancer and his “big jobs” define him, but the passages describing his work habits make no direct reference to what he does. Susie’s hinterland is also only glimpsed, and through the book we uncover much about why the protagonist becomes an influencer, but little sense of how. In a novel concerned with curated displays of experience, this wonky, haphazard cleansing of context works. It heightens the forcefield around its subject, giving her that ultrafiltered, hyperreal plausibility that is influencer capital. I felt that I could see her large stilled form, the tree stirring behind her in her overgrown garden, and could understand why a person might follow her – the “cool and pleasant feeling” that she can induce. The absence of context also feeds the feeling that something is seriously amiss. “Cut yourself off,” she urges her followers. “Do you really need the people in your life, or do they need you?” In the end, our main character decides to cut out all relationships and focuses on not just slow living but slow moving; she is able to hold a yoga pose for hours on end. Through her dedication and YouTube videos, she amasses a small cult following who follows her lead and rejects society--perhaps, in a way, the only way a woman can be truly safe in this world? The gym setting is particularly apt, not only because the woman is intent on changing her body but also because, as Metcalfe observes: “[Gyms] are really strange places where people spend much longer than usual watching themselves, because there are mirrors everywhere, but also anxiously watching other people… it’s an interesting social environment.”When I first read the blurb, it reminded me of The Vegetarian: the outside POVs and a woman who doesn’t conform to society. After reading it, I’d say that’s where the similarities end. This is a wholly unique story. Internet is performative. Have to be seen to say the right thing. Difficult to show solidarity with someone different.