WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.879 Hey, everyone. Welcome to the show. Great to 00:00:01.879 --> 00:00:04.419 be here. Have you ever felt, you know, utterly 00:00:04.419 --> 00:00:07.120 adrift, like the life you're living is maybe 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:09.539 a costume that doesn't quite fit right? That 00:00:09.539 --> 00:00:11.759 feeling of searching for something else. Exactly. 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:15.240 Emily Everett's All That Life Can Afford just 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:18.140 plunges right into that really unsettling feeling, 00:00:18.239 --> 00:00:20.879 that yearning for a different reality. That's 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:23.980 a great way to frame it. And for listeners who 00:00:23.980 --> 00:00:26.120 like those kinds of stories, it's very much a... 00:00:26.410 --> 00:00:28.949 Bill Dung's Roman. Right. A novel about growing 00:00:28.949 --> 00:00:31.390 up, self -discovery. Yeah. Following the main 00:00:31.390 --> 00:00:34.409 character's journey into, well, adulthood and 00:00:34.409 --> 00:00:37.070 finding themselves. So we follow Anna Byrne. 00:00:37.130 --> 00:00:39.390 She's a working class American and she finds 00:00:39.390 --> 00:00:41.670 herself dropped into London. Big shift for her. 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:46.920 Huge. And it's this vibrant but also pretty bewildering 00:00:46.920 --> 00:00:49.259 world for her. She starts tutoring kids from 00:00:49.259 --> 00:00:51.740 really wealthy families. Ah, OK. So straight 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:54.500 into that class dynamic. Absolutely. She's basically 00:00:54.500 --> 00:00:56.700 navigating these incredibly different social 00:00:56.700 --> 00:00:59.979 worlds while trying to, you know, carve out a 00:00:59.979 --> 00:01:02.320 new existence for herself. It sounds like a deep 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:05.840 dive into class identity. And just that fundamental 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:10.650 human need to belong somewhere. Yeah. And Everett 00:01:10.650 --> 00:01:12.989 uses London itself almost like a character doesn't 00:01:12.989 --> 00:01:15.209 she or at least a very active stage. Oh completely. 00:01:15.269 --> 00:01:16.870 That was one of the things I really loved about 00:01:16.870 --> 00:01:19.599 this book. The way London is depicted. How so? 00:01:19.780 --> 00:01:21.939 You just get this like visceral sense of the 00:01:21.939 --> 00:01:25.519 place from the really opulent grand mansions 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:30.319 in, say, Belgravia to the more cramped flats 00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:32.840 and bustling energy in other parts of the city. 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:35.920 It's not just wallpaper. Right. It actively shapes 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.180 what she goes through. It really does. It highlights 00:01:38.180 --> 00:01:41.359 the stark contrast she's living with every single 00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:43.599 day. You can almost feel the atmosphere shift 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:46.180 as she moves between these areas. That makes 00:01:46.180 --> 00:01:48.650 sense. Sensory details, they really ground you 00:01:48.650 --> 00:01:52.269 in the setting and underline those social divides 00:01:52.269 --> 00:01:54.349 Anna's trying to cross. And we see it all through 00:01:54.349 --> 00:01:56.909 her eyes. Her commentary on people and customs 00:01:56.909 --> 00:01:59.810 is just incredibly sharp. Witty, too, I heard. 00:01:59.950 --> 00:02:01.930 Oh, definitely witty. Her internal monologue 00:02:01.930 --> 00:02:04.150 is brilliant. She's constantly analyzing her 00:02:04.150 --> 00:02:06.430 surroundings, her own attempts to fit in. Which 00:02:06.430 --> 00:02:09.050 must be kind of awkward sometimes. Totally. But 00:02:09.050 --> 00:02:11.669 her observations are funny and also, like, really 00:02:11.669 --> 00:02:14.360 insightful. Because she is an outsider. Right. 00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:16.560 That gives her a unique lens on British society, 00:02:16.819 --> 00:02:19.699 those subtle class markers. Exactly. And maybe 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:21.960 the not so subtle ones, too. It allows Everett 00:02:21.960 --> 00:02:25.919 to poke at societal norms in a fresh way. Yeah, 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:27.879 that outsider perspective is often key for that 00:02:27.879 --> 00:02:30.319 kind of social commentary. What else really stood 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:32.740 out for you? I was really drawn to the whole 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:35.259 theme of trying to reinvent yourself. The fresh 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:38.500 start. Yeah. Anna comes to London wanting to 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:40.560 create this new identity, you know, leave her 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:43.979 past behind. A classic motivation. It is. But 00:02:43.979 --> 00:02:47.520 the novel really digs into how complex that actually 00:02:47.520 --> 00:02:49.740 is. It makes you think, like, how much does our 00:02:49.740 --> 00:02:52.759 past define us? Can we ever really escape it, 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:54.580 even if we change everything on the outside? 00:02:54.900 --> 00:02:56.979 That's a core tension, isn't it? That pull between 00:02:56.979 --> 00:03:01.240 the past and the... the allure of a totally new 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:03.539 future. Definitely. And her journey shows how 00:03:03.539 --> 00:03:05.300 our identities aren't just about our hopes, but 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:08.000 also our roots, our experiences. Can you really 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.979 just discard the old? Or is it more about integrating 00:03:10.979 --> 00:03:14.379 it? Good question. It definitely made me think, 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:17.919 which I guess brings me to a couple things that 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.240 were maybe slight bumps for me. Okay, what were 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:23.400 they? No spoilers, though. No, no spoilers. First, 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:27.419 sometimes, especially early on, The sheer number 00:03:27.419 --> 00:03:30.599 of characters and how they were all interconnected 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:34.879 felt a little busy. It took a bit of concentration 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.060 to keep everyone straight. I could see that, 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:40.139 though. Maybe that reflects the, you know, intricate 00:03:40.139 --> 00:03:42.919 social webs she's navigating. That's a fair point. 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:45.379 It probably does. But yeah, just needed a bit 00:03:45.379 --> 00:03:47.900 of focus there. OK. And the other thing. And 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:53.340 also sometimes Anna's choices. Hmm. Frustrating. 00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:55.849 A little bit. Yeah. I mean, I could understand 00:03:55.849 --> 00:03:58.330 why she did things, mostly. But you wanted to 00:03:58.330 --> 00:04:00.530 yell at the book. Kind of. I just wanted to nudge 00:04:00.530 --> 00:04:02.409 her sometimes. Like, no, don't do that. Huh. 00:04:02.750 --> 00:04:04.870 But isn't that part of it? If characters always 00:04:04.870 --> 00:04:06.969 made the right choices. That'd be pretty boring. 00:04:07.050 --> 00:04:09.229 Yeah, you're right. Those frustrations make them 00:04:09.229 --> 00:04:11.750 feel more human, more real. Even if we don't 00:04:11.750 --> 00:04:16.449 agree, it pulls you in. True. Very true. So look, 00:04:16.529 --> 00:04:19.230 all in all, I really, really enjoyed all that 00:04:19.230 --> 00:04:21.759 life can afford. Despite those minor points, 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:25.139 it was genuinely captivating, thought -provoking. 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:29.139 So the final verdict, the rating. I'm giving 00:04:29.139 --> 00:04:32.220 it a solid four out of five stars. It's just 00:04:32.220 --> 00:04:35.279 a really nuanced look at identity, belonging, 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:39.879 the past, all set against this incredible London 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:42.040 backdrop. It sounds like it offers a really rich 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.319 reading experience. Lots to think about regarding 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:47.079 identity and navigating different social worlds. 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:49.839 Definitely does. okay so if this deep dive into 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:52.120 anna's story has got you interested which hopefully 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:54.560 it has you can find all that life can afford 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:56.939 check the amazon link in the description right 00:04:56.939 --> 00:04:59.259 below yep links down there we really do recommend 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:01.980 diving into the full story get the whole picture 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:04.959 experience all the nuances of her journey and 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:07.060 make up your own mind about your choices exactly 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:09.420 you'll find a lot to unpack themes that'll probably 00:05:09.420 --> 00:05:11.660 stick with you for a while for sure all right 00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:13.139 well thank you so much for joining us today for 00:05:13.139 --> 00:05:15.730 this exploration yeah thanks everyone We would 00:05:15.730 --> 00:05:17.709 genuinely love to hear what resonated most with 00:05:17.709 --> 00:05:19.970 you. Was there a specific moment or maybe an 00:05:19.970 --> 00:05:22.509 observation from Anna's story that really stood 00:05:22.509 --> 00:05:25.810 out? Mm -hmm. Let us know. What struck a chord? 00:05:25.990 --> 00:05:28.569 Was it the setting, the themes, Anna herself? 00:05:28.930 --> 00:05:30.750 Share your thoughts down in the comments below. 00:05:31.089 --> 00:05:33.829 And please do like and subscribe. That way you 00:05:33.829 --> 00:05:36.230 won't miss our next deep dive into another fascinating 00:05:36.230 --> 00:05:37.930 story. Yep. Catch you on the next one.