WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE
Twenty-one, friendless, without money but not without hope, Sickan's arrival at Stockholm University represents a new start. Her lonely childhood in a small southern town has left her utterly unprepared for intimacy: for friends, for sex, for love even. But Sickan is determined to build a new version of herself from the ground up, to make up for lost time. To simply be normal.
‘A beautifully plangent coming-of-age novel . . . written with an openness and a melancholy that frequently catches you off guard, and will go straight to your heart’ – Lucy Caldwell, author of These Days
‘Playful and witty . . . with her sharp prose, Mustard conveys a vivid sense of longing, and the difficulties of finding your place in the world’ – Cecile Pin, author of Wandering Souls
‘Reminiscent of the power and grace of writers like Rachel Cusk and Raven Leilani… tender and enigmatic’ – Molly Aitken, author of Bright I Burn
‘A novel about innocence, curiosity, and discovery, full of the big and small questions of stepping into oneself ’ – Ayşegül Savaş, author of The Anthropologists
‘Luminous and sharp . . . an invitation for all of us to reconsider and rediscover our notions of self’ – Yan Ge, author of Elsewhere
‘Jenny Mustard has conveyed with subtlety, precision and wonderful follow-through a worldview and sensibility that is both original and recognizable. A coming-of-age without pretensions; What a Time to Be Alive offers a freshness, curiosity and authenticity that readers will want to emulate’ – Caoilinn Hughes, author of The Alternatives
Preorder my novel WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE :
(April 24th 2025)
Amazon
Waterstones
Blackwells
OKAY DAYS
Sam is 28, Swedish and spending the summer in London, working for a top marketing agency. Over the course of the sticky summer months, she falls hard for Lucas, a man she first met as a teenager. Lucas is working at a boutique clothing store whilst trying to get a foot on the corporate ladder, and struggling to hold the pieces of his life together. Sam is a gorgeous distraction. But you can only avoid reality for so long, and both Sam and Lucas know their relationship can't last. Nobody can be this happy forever, surely?
‘A beautifully-observed portrait of self-discovery and uncertain love. Jenny's sharp and evocative prose gave me a feeling of immense nostalgia for London's long summer days’ – Natasha Brown, author of Assembly
‘Jenny Mustard’s debut, OKAY DAYS, is an intimate drama of what matters in stories: relationships. Mustard is a talented portraitist in whose hands these two characters become real, enthralling, and viscerally realized. It is one of the most entertaining novels I have read of the times we live in.’ – Chigozie Obioma, author of The Fishermen
‘Jenny Mustard's writing is fresh and sharply observant. A writer full of insights on the human condition and relationships, I loved the off-kilter tone, and clever shifts in perspective between Lucas and Sam. Mustard has her very own original rhythms; a smart eye for detail and compelling insights into love and life. One of the most intriguing books I've read in some time.’ – Elaine Feeney, author of How To Build A Boat
Buy my debut novel OKAY DAYS :
Amazon
Waterstones
Bookshop.org