My Nemesis
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- Create Date：2023-03-04 11:21:32
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Charmaine Craig
- ISBN：B08Z5TLFZ6
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Summary
From the acclaimed author of Miss Burma， longlisted for the National Book Award and the Women’s Prize， comes a tense and thought-provoking exploration of an intellectual affair and its reverberations across the lives of two couples
Tessa is a successful white woman writer who develops a friendship， first by correspondence and then in person， with Charlie， a ruggedly handsome philosopher and scholar based in Los Angeles。 Sparks fly as they exchange ideas about Camus and masculine desire， and their intellectual connection promises more—but there are obstacles to this burgeoning relationship。
While Tessa’s husband Milton enjoys Charlie’s company on his visits to the East Coast， Charlie’s mixed-race Asian wife Wah is a different case， and she proves to be both adversary and conundrum to Tessa。 Wah’s traditional femininity and subservience to her husband strike Tessa as weaknesses， and she scoffs at the sacrifices Wah makes as adoptive mother to a Burmese girl， Htet， once homeless on the streets of Kuala Lumpur。 But Wah has a kind of power too， especially over Charlie， and the conflict between the two women leads to Tessa’s martini-fueled declaration that Wah is “an insult to womankind。” As Tessa is forced to deal with the consequences of her outburst and considers how much she is limited by her own perceptions， she wonders if Wah is really as weak as she has seemed， or if she might have a different kind of strength altogether。
An exercise in empathy， an exploration of betrayal， and a charged story of the thrill of a shared connection—and the perils of feminine rivalry—My Nemesis is a brilliantly dramatic and captivating story from a hugely talented writer whose portrayals are always gracefully phrased and keenly observed。
Tessa is a successful white woman writer who develops a friendship， first by correspondence and then in person， with Charlie， a ruggedly handsome philosopher and scholar based in Los Angeles。 Sparks fly as they exchange ideas about Camus and masculine desire， and their intellectual connection promises more—but there are obstacles to this burgeoning relationship。
While Tessa’s husband Milton enjoys Charlie’s company on his visits to the East Coast， Charlie’s mixed-race Asian wife Wah is a different case， and she proves to be both adversary and conundrum to Tessa。 Wah’s traditional femininity and subservience to her husband strike Tessa as weaknesses， and she scoffs at the sacrifices Wah makes as adoptive mother to a Burmese girl， Htet， once homeless on the streets of Kuala Lumpur。 But Wah has a kind of power too， especially over Charlie， and the conflict between the two women leads to Tessa’s martini-fueled declaration that Wah is “an insult to womankind。” As Tessa is forced to deal with the consequences of her outburst and considers how much she is limited by her own perceptions， she wonders if Wah is really as weak as she has seemed， or if she might have a different kind of strength altogether。
An exercise in empathy， an exploration of betrayal， and a charged story of the thrill of a shared connection—and the perils of feminine rivalry—My Nemesis is a brilliantly dramatic and captivating story from a hugely talented writer whose portrayals are always gracefully phrased and keenly observed。
Reviews
Martha
，
The prose is not so much complex as complicated。 Appears small but takes longer to read than expected。 Would have been longer is ideas were fleshed out。
Zulekha Saqib
，
Just not for me。
Shon
，
I found this book on #bookstagram and stumbled upon it at my local library and decided to give it a try。 It took a while for me to get into the book due to the philosophical conversations around Camus and Nietzsche。 I'm not familiar with these philosophers， so I had to do a little bit of research to understand the context of some dialogues throughout the book。 Tessa， the main character， was extremely unlikeable and thought of herself as a feminist while putting other women （Wah） down based upon I found this book on #bookstagram and stumbled upon it at my local library and decided to give it a try。 It took a while for me to get into the book due to the philosophical conversations around Camus and Nietzsche。 I'm not familiar with these philosophers， so I had to do a little bit of research to understand the context of some dialogues throughout the book。 Tessa， the main character， was extremely unlikeable and thought of herself as a feminist while putting other women （Wah） down based upon their level of femininity。 I think she secretly wanted to embody those feminine qualities to feel more desirable and likable。 She would continuously put her own needs before her family and chose to scorn women who she thought were delicate and easy-going。There are a lot of jaw-dropping conversations in this book。 It's pretty addictive despite the protagonist being a bit too much for her own good。 。。。more
Gail M
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Good writing， characters and story。
Casey
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is an absolute banger。 This book， which at first reminded me of “Vladimir” by Julia May Jonas， also one of my favorite books of 2023 so far， soon reveals itself as something so much more fascinating （much like “Vladimir” does）。 I loved inhabiting the mind of our cold， unfeeling main character Tessa， trying to imagine the true natures of everyone around her， who she views with her selfish， disordered， distorted lens — that’s part of the fun of this book。 And then the point made about womanho This is an absolute banger。 This book， which at first reminded me of “Vladimir” by Julia May Jonas， also one of my favorite books of 2023 so far， soon reveals itself as something so much more fascinating （much like “Vladimir” does）。 I loved inhabiting the mind of our cold， unfeeling main character Tessa， trying to imagine the true natures of everyone around her， who she views with her selfish， disordered， distorted lens — that’s part of the fun of this book。 And then the point made about womanhood sort of being being the Sisyphean boulder all of us must bear… hits you all at once in those final pages。 A little philosophical， a little psychological thriller-y， a little “inside a woman’s brain”-ish。 And absolutely STICKS the landing with a little third act twist。 Seriously so good。 。。。more
inez
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Thank you for the e-ARC， NetGalley and dear publisher。The book is hard to follow， the whole stuff feels like a random conversation being thrown altogether and makes it look like someone is babbling throughout the book。
Nawal
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I read this for Fatima Farheen Mirza's book club！ My initial thought is that， am I dumb or is this book just geared towards academic folks？ The number of times I had to look up Camus， Nietzsche， and Sisyphus was more than I've ever needed to my entire life。 I definitely thought it was an interesting premise and obviously was annoyed with Tessa even though some of her feelings towards Wah and others were in some ways relatable （which is probably what made it more frustrating）。 This book definitel I read this for Fatima Farheen Mirza's book club！ My initial thought is that， am I dumb or is this book just geared towards academic folks？ The number of times I had to look up Camus， Nietzsche， and Sisyphus was more than I've ever needed to my entire life。 I definitely thought it was an interesting premise and obviously was annoyed with Tessa even though some of her feelings towards Wah and others were in some ways relatable （which is probably what made it more frustrating）。 This book definitely makes you feel like you can relate to the weird animosity between Wah and Tessa， even besides Charlie being in the equation。 Like I felt like I could relate to having people in my life who were always putting up this farce of being morally upright and self-sacrificing that it was exhausting being around them。 That being said， it's also very likely that this was all a projection of Tessa's own moral failings and feeling threatened by someone who seems genuinely selfless while she herself has only made selfish decisions。 I definitely thought that this fraught relationship was probably the highlight of the book， as it was probably meant to be。 Everything else just felt unnecessarily complicated and hard to understand。。。 。。。more
Emma Geary
，
There were sections of truly beautiful prose throughout this book， and the thoughtfulness of some of the passages was enough to re-read entire pages a few times。 The end definitely had a great payoff and helped to really tie everything together。 While it was an enjoyable read， I thought some parts of the plot were underdeveloped and it wasn't necessarily a page-turner for me until the last two chapters。 It reminds me a lot of the book Vladimir by Juila May Jonas， but I think I enjoyed the inner There were sections of truly beautiful prose throughout this book， and the thoughtfulness of some of the passages was enough to re-read entire pages a few times。 The end definitely had a great payoff and helped to really tie everything together。 While it was an enjoyable read， I thought some parts of the plot were underdeveloped and it wasn't necessarily a page-turner for me until the last two chapters。 It reminds me a lot of the book Vladimir by Juila May Jonas， but I think I enjoyed the inner monologue of that main character better - it felt more connected to the character。 。。。more
Elyse Walters
，
If there was ever a book， much less about ‘content’ than about ‘context’， this is it！！！！But the ‘content’ is what makes us book so deliciously intoxicating to devour it in one or two sittings。 The unlikable characters are fascinating！！！ They are filled with fury， indignation， anger， covert and overt hostility， guilt tripping， shaming， aggressiveness， entitlement， and condescending behaviors。 The main characters are either intellectually elitist or unassuming passive。They may be: Silenced…。Repres If there was ever a book， much less about ‘content’ than about ‘context’， this is it！！！！But the ‘content’ is what makes us book so deliciously intoxicating to devour it in one or two sittings。 The unlikable characters are fascinating！！！ They are filled with fury， indignation， anger， covert and overt hostility， guilt tripping， shaming， aggressiveness， entitlement， and condescending behaviors。 The main characters are either intellectually elitist or unassuming passive。They may be: Silenced…。Repressed…。or Closeted individuals…。Tessa， Milton， Charlie， and Wah…。take us on a ride I wouldn’t have wanted to miss I can EAT BOOKS LIKE THIS！！The philosophical and psychological quandaries run deep…。diving deep into our own psyche…。。leaving us （readers） with much to contemplate…。and question。We get to examine our own opinions， prejudices， fury， along with our delusional selves…。 Yippy！ right？/！ Or…。 at the very least， if one does not want to take this book seriously…。it’s at least entertaining as hell！ I found it — both: entertaining…。yet seriously important。 Charmaine Craig is a writer after my own heart …。 I couldn’t respect her more for writing this book。 She explores womanhood， parenthood， marriage， gender roles， feminine and masculine hypotheticals， intellectual needs， physical desires/ lust， with masterful skill。 …。 The tension builds throughout。 There is a LOT of THINGS to think about！！！！I appreciated ‘somebody’ （thank you Charmaine） examining peer relationships between women！！！ Women friendships can be the most cherished of all relationships in the world …。。and/or can be extreme and complex。 The origins of female rivalry can be quite manipulative…。 undermining each others success。 Female rivalry may not look as direct as with male/male competitiveness， but they are less likely to fizzle away easily。 Why women hold grudges longer than most men — is a puzzle I still wonder。 I’ll admit being an ugly culprit myself at times， too。 It seems to me that women are less prepared than men to resolve conflicts with same-sex peers…。than men with men。 Charmaine does a brilliant job exploring sabotage， boasting， mimicking and discrediting others in front of others。 Ouch！ At only 147 pages …。this slim-jim is actually a hearty-husky-hunky……substantially satisfying and stimulating: powerfully written！Tons of excerpts on every page intrigued me。I’m going to include a lot of long excerpts …。…。 not necessarily for others to read — but I’m selfishly including these excerpts because I want to come back and read them again — in a few weeks from now — or at the end of the year …。（have them here easily at my disposal）。 “His first letter to me， routed by email through my publisher about nine months prior to all this， was a response to my essay on the question of Camus’s relevance。 It’s not often that I allow myself to feel flattered by appreciative words from readers; I think， if you are honest with yourself， you will agree that flattery should be allowed to mean something primarily to the flatterer。 But with the first lines of Charlie’s admiring letter， I understood that our minds could keep a certain， rare company。 I soon broke my policy of not googling people whose work intrigues me， and after some searching， I saw that he was a decently， published philosophy， professor at a research， university near L。 A。 and， by any contemporary， metric， practically invisible online。 There was just one photo of him， on his department website: a candid-looking shot of an approachable， disheveled， frankly， sexy man of middle-age”。 “Understand me: my swift response to his letter， wasn’t a matter of loneliness， sexual or otherwise; my husband， of seven years， Milton， and I still enjoyed various forms of camaraderie， but when a darkly， attractive man from a similar desert of intellectual， isolation comes bearing a cup of consolation， one drinks！” “We were three， to be sure， but none of us would have deny that I was the glue that made us three stick”。 —Tessa When Tessa’s daughter， Eleonore， was ten years old， in the fifth grade — she had an urgent need for her mother to volunteer at her school regularly。The role of parent volunteer wasn’t something that was natural for Tessa。 “That day， I’d spent several hours manning a snack table on a hot patch of pavement， swinging between feelings of resentment and judgment and envy。 None of the other mothers present seemed to be conflicted about having given up hours of their day; in suits or jeans or summer dresses， they dashed around refilling platters， and organizing children into lines， as if to proclaim， ‘We got this！’ Or， no: ‘We love this！’ But that wasn’t quite yet， either。‘We are this！’ Yes。 ‘We are this！’ ‘This’ being the amalgamation of types， roles and ideal they appeared almost effortlessly to embody: graceful， homemaker， ass-kicking professional， tireless child advocate。 In other words， the contemporary， feminine icon of success， poised down to her manicured fingers， never a gray hair showing， plucked， fit， content to manage logistics in the kitchen or boardroom—or the bedroom， presumably。 One has to wonder if the extent to which women willingly play various roles （such that the roles themselves appear to to find them） is not itself a powerful example of perspective， bending。 How else do so many of them succeed at over looking the fundamental injustice of having to do and be just about everything？ Men get to act; women， to play at our risk ruin”。 “There aren’t so many people anymore， whose lives are about real connection， a real exchanging of ideas and revelations， even difficult ones。 We are family， we have our computers and our phones and the things we do with them。 But to be drawn into Charlie’s world， which one to become part of a very deep and ongoing conversation， to be pulled along the currents of his innermost， thoughts and conflicts， had to be attended to intimately in ways of the heart and mind—and soul， if I’m honest。 I had only to say three or four words to him for the facet of his intimacy to turn on。 He was right there， his rushing closeness， right there。 And then suddenly it was not”。 “Lately， I’ve been meditating again on the question of femininity and motherhood， and I’ve found myself thinking of the way Camus described his mother， who was deaf and nearly mute。 In his writing， she is always impossibly beautiful， in-assessable， passive， compliant， a sort of Cinderella， doomed by poverty and disability， to scrub others’ houses and watch in helpless grief when her children are subjected to the blows of injustice。 In other words， she is the epitome of the feminine ideal， but not the ‘maternal’ ideal， for in a sense her solipsism betrayed him as a child。 She was everything， and she was utterly unattainable; and it is tempting to blame her for Camus’s subsequent ravenousness for women: It is tempting to say something like: the condition of motherhood is a tragic one， or to be self-interested， or self-contained， is to doom one’s child。 But I reject that out of hand。 Look what became of Wah”。 “I had a sense of arriving at a vantage point from everything between us （including my irritation with his Don Juanian fixation on femininity） appeared to be justified。 Our friendship wasn’t an ill-fated exercise in mutual vanity， two egos’Sisyphean rehearsal of arrogant， and blasphemous lines; rather， we were ‘getting’ somewhere— if nowhere， other than closer to publishable articulation of his experience as a man”。 “If I still held you in a certain trust until a moment ago， now the precious membrane of our togetherness has been irretrievably torn”。 ***Nemesi***…。 “A goddess usually betrayed as the agent of divine punishment for wrongdoing or presumption”。Perhaps I’m a masochist？ Ha。。 ha！ ……but I admire this book …。。and sure enjoyed it。 。。。more
Aumaine Rose
，
Five stars no contest。 Stunning， sometimes scathing。 Heady but razor sharp， and in the end， full of truth and grace about horror and yet possibility in/for humans。 Also， that in the end the book is about motherhood was a surprise and meaningful to me。 Such strong and subtle intelligence in form and voice
Rhonda Lomazow
，
A book I was immediately drawn into a novella short but powerful。Tess with her jealousy nastiness kept me turning the pages。Looking forward to more by this author。#netgalley #groveatlantic
Cynthia Lippstreu
，
An interesting account of intellectual/emotional infidelity。 It causes just as many heartaches as the actual physical act。 I grew to like and respect the main character less and less as time went on。 She is acutely aware of the damage she is causing， yet continues in her selfish way。 An interesting portrayal of the intricacy and complications of human relationships， illustrating how self-regarding modern people have become。
Katherine miao
，
3。5
fatma
，
"When I accused Wah of being an insult to women--'an insult to womankind' was my unfortunate phrase--we were sitting with out husbands at a fashionable rooftop restaurant in downtown Los Angeles。" My Nemesis is a perfect cocktail of a novel， an impressive and skilful mix of cerebral and soapy， of intimate character study and juicy drama， of intellectual discussions and petty personal grudges。 For better or worse， the linchpin of My Nemesis is Tessa， a white， middle-aged writer who has made a care "When I accused Wah of being an insult to women--'an insult to womankind' was my unfortunate phrase--we were sitting with out husbands at a fashionable rooftop restaurant in downtown Los Angeles。" My Nemesis is a perfect cocktail of a novel， an impressive and skilful mix of cerebral and soapy， of intimate character study and juicy drama， of intellectual discussions and petty personal grudges。 For better or worse， the linchpin of My Nemesis is Tessa， a white， middle-aged writer who has made a career of engaging with and examining her life， particularly her marriages， from a feminist viewpoint。 And frankly， nothing is more fitting than Tessa being the main character of this book because she already believes she is the main character of everyone else's lives。 Highly educated， opinionated， and forthright， Tessa has shaped her beliefs and principles around feminist--and， to a lesser extent， existential--inquiry， alive to the ways in which she， as a woman， has been marginalized within the various spheres of her life （her relationships， her family， her work）。 This is all well and good， except that all of these characteristics that define Tessa are precisely the ones that make her such a flawed and parochial character （more on that later）。The other central female character of My Nemesis is Wah， the wife of Charlie， Tessa's scholar friend （and the object of her growing preoccupation/infatuation）。 And if Tessa is a fascinating character because we get to directly witness the lengths she'll go to to excuse and justify her behaviour， then Wah is a fascinating character precisely because we don't directly witness much of her at all。 That is， because My Nemesis is Tessa's narrative， the version of Wah that we get is one who exists solely in relation to Tessa--and Tessa is an unreliable narrator when it comes to Wah， to put it lightly。 She sees Wah as the antithesis of modern， enlightened womanhood， repelled by what she perceives as Wah's "traditional" and backwards femininity: her modesty， her emotional openness， her accommodating nature。 Of course， for all her supposed intellectual rigour， Tessa continually elides the fact that her reading of Wah， a mixed-race Asian woman， very much feeds into， and cannot be divorced from， the ways in which Asian women have been historically stereotyped （as subservient， weak， docile）。 Tessa makes Wah out to be everything that she is not: if Wah is demure， Tessa is outspoken; if Wah is self-abnegating， Tessa is individualistic。 In other words， Wah becomes a kind of prop for Tessa， someone she can use to bring herself--the Good Feminist Woman--into relief， someone she can treat as Exhibit A to make a point about womanhood or feminism， someone she can denigrate in order to aggrandize her own self--and someone upon whom she can pile all these supposedly feminist critiques when， in reality， she is extremely threatened by her。"I'm aware of having something of a problem with laying blame。 When you spend your life in consideration of human relations and your thoughts unavoidably chase down networks of behavioural causality， it's difficult to hold your tongue when your own blunders originate in others'。" What makes My Nemesis such an effective novel for me is how it is able to render a character who is at once a specific individual in their own right and yet also emblematic of a particular kind of individual--in this case， the privileged， self-absorbed thinker。 Throughout the novel， we see how Tessa's narrative speaks to a certain brand of white feminism that is not concerned with feminism as any kind of moral or ethical framework attuned to women's marginalization and inequity， but rather sees it as a blunt tool that can be weaponized to protect the individual woman--that is， Tessa herself。 In a very practical sense， Tessa's feminism is useful to her because she can leverage it not only to dismiss any number of perceived critiques of her person， but to validate her own petty critiques of other women。 Yet even with all of this in mind， the novel works not despite Tessa's flaws， but because of them。 She is a character you can （and do） dislike， but she is never one you can discount--and therein lies the skill of Charmaine Craig's writing: she is able to write a character who is engaging even as she is selfish， petty， and abrasive。 The narrative， we are told， is Tessa's attempt to come to terms with what happened when she and her husband became embroiled with Wah， her husband Charlie， and their adopted daughter Htet。 We don't precisely know what happened， but Tessa tells us that she knows that she behaved poorly， and that she was not as self-aware as she had believed herself to be。 My Nemesis， then， is Tessa's attempt not just to explain her behaviour， but also to critically interrogate it and recognize the ways in which it was biased， self-serving， unwarranted， unfair。 Of course， self-awareness can only go so far--to be aware of having done something is exactly that: awareness。 In fact， in many ways， Tessa's self-awareness only serves to make her complacent: if she can call out her own hypocrisies， then no one else can; she can claim to have done her due diligence by acknowledging awareness of her bad behaviour without actually acting to change it， or question its underlying motives。 But even as Tessa is complacent， even as she makes excuses and circumvents issues， you still get the sense that she is genuinely trying: trying to evaluate herself， to reexamine her behaviour in a new light。 Her attempts may be insufficient or elementary or long overdue， but they are attempts to be sure， and ultimately that's what kept me so invested in Tessa and her story。 （You know that TikTok sound that's like "Is it me？ Am I the drama？"？ That's basically Tessa's character arc in a nutshell。） If you've made it all the way to the end of this very long review， then you can probably tell that My Nemesis is a novel that gave me so much to think about。 It's such an incisive， biting book， complete with an unreliable narrator who， for all her many flaws， still manages to be so compelling。 A novel like this is always a tricky balancing act: the narrator has to be flawed enough to be unlikable， but also not so flawed that they become a caricature; they have to feel like they're genuinely grappling--or trying to grapple--with their flaws， but also not so much that the story becomes an afterschool special about them Learning Their Lesson。 More than anything， that narrator needs to have a strong sense of interiority; I don't need to condone or agree with their actions， but I need to understand them。 It's such a feat， then， that Charmaine Craig manages to pull it all off， and in 200 pages no less。 For all its nuanced ideas and conceptual explorations， My Nemesis is also about what happens when all that intellectual veneer is stripped away to reveal your garden-variety pettiness， selfishness， contempt， and insecurity。 And reader， I。 ate。 it。 all。 up。 。。。more
Janet
，
This short book was truly electrifying--intellectually， philosophically， psychologically， personally。 The fates of two middle aged couples， Tessa and Milton， an intellectually confrontational feminist theorist and memoirist and an investment banker， and Charlie and Wah， a philosophy professor and a non-fiction writer， become tied through the intellectual and personal attraction between Tessa and Charlie。 The book is couched as Tessa's memoir of the couples' implosion--and what a piece of work。 W This short book was truly electrifying--intellectually， philosophically， psychologically， personally。 The fates of two middle aged couples， Tessa and Milton， an intellectually confrontational feminist theorist and memoirist and an investment banker， and Charlie and Wah， a philosophy professor and a non-fiction writer， become tied through the intellectual and personal attraction between Tessa and Charlie。 The book is couched as Tessa's memoir of the couples' implosion--and what a piece of work。 When an intellectual's belief or theory is recast as manifesto， as an assertion of a way of life and then adhered to--the book illustrates how dangerous it is to set up an abstraction and try to live up to it， and the unconscious emotional deficits swimming around in the dark in Tessa's background find their justifications in her philosophy， rather than the philosophy turning a light on what is unconscious。 Tessa is so sure of herself and her view of the world so impervious， so without compassion to the earthy realities of human goodness and frailty， that she cannot help but undermine all of her relationships--with her husband， with her daughter， and explosively， with Charlie and Wah。 She is shockingly meanspirited and uses her theories of feminism and the work of Camus to justify a heartlessness that might have been a source of shame had she not decided to wave it so blatantly as a motto， a mantra， a level of rigorousness to be aspired to。 This lack of self-knowledge， while flaunting a kind of intellectual rigor， is a tremendous engine for the drama of the book。 the intentional， world class unlikability of this narrator is Nabokovian， though neither seductive or humorous as Nabokov's characters tend to be， but cluelessly earnest。 The stage on which the drama is played out is intimate as a Bergman film。 I won't report on the ending， but the idea that one should only write about oneself， because we cannot possibly understand another person， lies in ruins here， because without empathy， we can be just as blind to our own condition as to that of others。 。。。more
Madeline Elsinga
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Absolutely obsessed！ I devoured this book in two days。 I need to gather more of my thoughts and will update my review in the coming days but for now I’ll say:-loved the complex characters， Tessa was both fascinating and infuriating -The philosophical conversations at first made me feel disconnected and things went above my head a little。 But by 20% I was considering the questions posed and made many notes （which I don’t normally do with ebooks）！
Sarah Ahmad
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so incredibly well-written。 a rich and complex book that deals with shades of morality and the pursuit of the narrator to reject "femininity" as a modern woman which reinforces misogyny and hatred towards "other" women who a modern woman deems as not trying hard enough to reject her reality。 class and race analysis lurk in the shadows， maintaining the individual perspective of the narrator while allowing the reader to walk away with a better understanding of the narrator's reality than she ever so incredibly well-written。 a rich and complex book that deals with shades of morality and the pursuit of the narrator to reject "femininity" as a modern woman which reinforces misogyny and hatred towards "other" women who a modern woman deems as not trying hard enough to reject her reality。 class and race analysis lurk in the shadows， maintaining the individual perspective of the narrator while allowing the reader to walk away with a better understanding of the narrator's reality than she ever will—a great and refined composition。 。。。more
Michelle McGrane
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Charmaine Craig’s “My Nemesis” is a thought-provoking， innovative novel including wonderfully complex characters。 The opening paragraph is a zinger and more provocative than any I’ve recently read。I love the book cover by @aforner1。 The woman’s unblemished skin and perfectly neat hair together with the colours and textures painted over her eyes and mouth are evocative。 To me they symbolize aspects of culture， history， social mores， attitudes， and relationships。Tessa， the narrator， is a successfu Charmaine Craig’s “My Nemesis” is a thought-provoking， innovative novel including wonderfully complex characters。 The opening paragraph is a zinger and more provocative than any I’ve recently read。I love the book cover by @aforner1。 The woman’s unblemished skin and perfectly neat hair together with the colours and textures painted over her eyes and mouth are evocative。 To me they symbolize aspects of culture， history， social mores， attitudes， and relationships。Tessa， the narrator， is a successful white writer， memoirist and feminist， who has been engaged in a long distance correspondence with a philosopher named Charlie。 He is based in Los Angeles and she is based on the East Coast。 They live with their respective spouses。When Charlie visits Tessa and Milton， her husband， at their Upstate New York farm， Tessa and Charlie begin to talk face to face。 There are a series of conversations between them throughout the book where they discuss relevant issues: What do we mean by masculinity and femininity？ What about the issue of privilege？ What about cultural appropriation？ The discussions between them， however， are not just intellectual， they’re erotically charged， and Tessa finds herself drawn to Charlie。Despite believing she is a massive champion for women， when Tessa meets Charlie’s mixed-race Asian wife， Wah， she cannot help but feel envious and judgmental。 Their meetings trigger feelings of rivalry in her， and she proceeds to tear Wah down in her head and， at times， out loud。Tessa is articulate and， perhaps， in some ways， self aware。 She is also an unpleasant narrator: cold; cynical; unfeeling， and inflexible。 Her certitude about everything prevents her from allowing herself to imagine ideas from any other perspectives。 “There are those who can’t keep sight of themselves and those who can’t keep themselves out of their own sight。”“My Nemesis” is a book I shall remember for a long time。 。。。more
Aimee Truchan
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Utterly engaging and timely in its themes。 Perhaps a bit overly philosophical at times - given the main characters are academics and writers - hard to avoid。 I don’t know that the story closed the loop completely， but the writing is eloquent and fully immersive。 Uniquely written as a confessional， at times in the second person。
Lolly K Dandeneau
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via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝑵𝒐𝒘， 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒖𝒑 𝒐𝒏𝒆’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆。Tessa and Charlie begin a correspondence when he sends a response to her essay about the relevance of Camus。 She feels， through his intelligence and flattery， that their ‘minds could keep a certain， rare company’。 She discovers he is a published philosophy professor at a research university near L。A。， and it doesn’t hurt that he is a sexy middle-aged via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog。wordpress。com/𝑵𝒐𝒘， 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒖𝒑 𝒐𝒏𝒆’𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆。Tessa and Charlie begin a correspondence when he sends a response to her essay about the relevance of Camus。 She feels， through his intelligence and flattery， that their ‘minds could keep a certain， rare company’。 She discovers he is a published philosophy professor at a research university near L。A。， and it doesn’t hurt that he is a sexy middle-aged man。 She includes her own husband， Milton， in the letters and they become a trio。 Then there is the wife， the ‘fourth person’ Tessa would rather didn’t exist at all。 The flippant attitude Tessa has about Charlie and his wife Wah’s twenty-year marriage reveals a lot about her character from the start。 She points out herself that she is aware of having a problem with where to lay blame， while also exonerating herself for her outbursts or failing interactions with others。 In fact， her own daughter rejects her。 Tessa’s perceptions betray her， and she falls deep into Charlie’s reality。 She holds Wah’s ethnicity against her， as if some cultural clash is the cause of her failure to be the wife Charlie needs。 Tessa is a feminist， yet with distaste mocks Wah’s intelligence， accomplishments and worse， her familial arrangement with their adopted Burmese daughter， Htet。 Htet is a victim of child trafficking， and Tessa has opinions on that as well。 Tessa and Charlie’s correspondence crosses a boundary when he first shares his marital problems， naturally she thinks Wah isn’t worthy of him。 When Tessa and Milton visit Charlie， she sees Wah as subservient， assigning some sort of motives on her to appear like a suffering wife， when in fact Tessa is the interloper。 I love it， there is something diabolical in Tessa’s pompous thinking， and Charmaine Craig has created this perfect disaster。Tessa has a narrative in her head about Wah and never imagines for a moment that there are bigger things in her world than Tessa’s presence。 We already know there is something illicit between Tessa and Charlie， a sort of blurring of the lines of innocent friendship。 Of course， she has blame to shoulder， regardless of what she wishes to convince herself and the reader。 Why is Wah her nemesis anyway？ Why does she call her ‘an insult to womankind’ and what makes her the authority on ‘womankind’？ Tessa even takes offense at her economic struggles， as if it’s some sort of scheme to appear noble。 Wah seems to be raising Htet without much help from her husband Charlie， it’s a strange situation。 Why is Tessa so obsessed with their domestic dramas？ There are a few lines that expose Tessa， “She could never simply agree with me， Wah。 She always had to push back with some idea that threw a moral shadow onto mine- and then retreat…” What a strange thought for a woman who claims another is weak。 There is something superficial about her， for someone who comes off as such an intellectual snob， she misses a lot。 She almost seems to hate women herself。Tessa insinuates herself deeply in Charlie， Wah and Htet’s lives that nothing， but chaos can descend。 This is quite a tale， one full of provocative questions about feminine virtues， loyalty， marriage， friendship， envy， and motherhood。 It is about cruelty; how cruel women can be to each other。 This novel went places I didn’t expect， it is combative and painful with tragic twists。 It exposes the arrogance those on their moral， intellectual high ground embody。 Intense。 Yes， read it！ There is so much more I’d love to unravel but I don’t want to give the story away。Publication Date: February 7， 2023 Available NowGrove AtlanticGrove Press 。。。more
Matt
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a stunningly taut psychological thriller novella from Craig。 such a short book packs a hell of a punch， we really get to dive into the jealous psyche of our narrator。 will be reading more from Craig in the future！
Ica
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DNFRead too much like Vladimir。 Might pick it up again somewhere in the future。 Maybe it would've been better if it was from Wah's POV。 DNFRead too much like Vladimir。 Might pick it up again somewhere in the future。 Maybe it would've been better if it was from Wah's POV。 。。。more
Sarah Eliza
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My Nemesis by Charmaine Craig is a tale about envy。 It follows Tessa， a writer， and her “nemesis” Wah as they navigate romantic relationships， motherhood， and their purposes in each other’s lives。Tessa is the most selfish character I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting。 She is arrogant， fiery， and often just plain rude。 She uses feminism as a performance， and clearly does not understand that feminism means that women should be anything that they want to be without fear of judgement。 Throughou My Nemesis by Charmaine Craig is a tale about envy。 It follows Tessa， a writer， and her “nemesis” Wah as they navigate romantic relationships， motherhood， and their purposes in each other’s lives。Tessa is the most selfish character I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting。 She is arrogant， fiery， and often just plain rude。 She uses feminism as a performance， and clearly does not understand that feminism means that women should be anything that they want to be without fear of judgement。 Throughout the majority of the novel， I found myself angry at Tessa and sympathetic towards Wah。However， writing a character that is this unlikeable and makes me this angry takes talent。 Charmaine Craig is undoubtedly talented。 Her writing is lovely and her characterization is powerful。Despite this， I found myself hoping for more。 I felt that the plot was weak at points， but the characterization and writing were strong。A massive thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this advance reader copy。 。。。more
pauline
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What first seems to be a recounting of a woman’s slightly obsessive relationship with a professor （Charlie - another woman’s husband） soon becomes an intensely thought-provoking piece of （at times） complex prose。 While our protagonist Tessa， hates Wah （the other woman） seemingly inexplicably it becomes apparent the hatred stems from the way Wah makes her confront her own firm， rigid ideas about femininity， motherhood and marriage。This is a highly philosophical read with an unreliable and untrust What first seems to be a recounting of a woman’s slightly obsessive relationship with a professor （Charlie - another woman’s husband） soon becomes an intensely thought-provoking piece of （at times） complex prose。 While our protagonist Tessa， hates Wah （the other woman） seemingly inexplicably it becomes apparent the hatred stems from the way Wah makes her confront her own firm， rigid ideas about femininity， motherhood and marriage。This is a highly philosophical read with an unreliable and untrustworthy main character which is right up my alley！ I will say that because it is such a short book， Tessa’s thoughts sometimes came off as rushed but honestly that only aided my interest in her even though she was highly unlikeable。 It was one of the aspects of Craig’s writing that I thoroughly enjoyed。Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alexis
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I loved this。 An absolutely stunning depiction of the casual yet tragic everyday evils of self obsession， intellectual superiority and white feminism。 Charmaine Craig is an exceptionally intelligent writer。 This book， which places the reader inside the psyche of （in my honest opinion） a nasty bitch of a protagonist was so searing yet somehow empathetic。 I kept having the thought that this must be how people feel when they read Lolita， those who say it’s the best book they’ve ever read at least。 I loved this。 An absolutely stunning depiction of the casual yet tragic everyday evils of self obsession， intellectual superiority and white feminism。 Charmaine Craig is an exceptionally intelligent writer。 This book， which places the reader inside the psyche of （in my honest opinion） a nasty bitch of a protagonist was so searing yet somehow empathetic。 I kept having the thought that this must be how people feel when they read Lolita， those who say it’s the best book they’ve ever read at least。 So perhaps this is my version of that。 Tessa， has many despicable qualities but the most terrifying is how easily her train of thought could turn to exactly the kind of thing I may find myself thinking in the moment。 Haven’t I too， judged another woman for too easily conforming herself to “feminine ideals”， while simultaneously conforming to them in my own ways？My only wish is that we got to see more of Wah’s perspective， though I have a feeling that’s exactly the point。 。。。more
Cassie
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It is perilous to feel for those whose loyalty and insecurity so seamlessly coexist; it is perilous because they never stop being and not being what they appear to be。 They defy categorization like escape artists。 But aren't we all some mix of truth teller and phony， devil and saint？ There is no safe love。 Only safer love。 My Nemesis is a deeply philosophical， fascinating， perceptive novel that places the reader firmly inside the head of a thoroughly insufferable protagonist。 Tessa is a white It is perilous to feel for those whose loyalty and insecurity so seamlessly coexist; it is perilous because they never stop being and not being what they appear to be。 They defy categorization like escape artists。 But aren't we all some mix of truth teller and phony， devil and saint？ There is no safe love。 Only safer love。 My Nemesis is a deeply philosophical， fascinating， perceptive novel that places the reader firmly inside the head of a thoroughly insufferable protagonist。 Tessa is a white female writer who begins a friendship with a philosopher and scholar named Charlie。 They are both married -- Tessa to Milton， and Charlie to his mixed-race Asian wife Wah -- so their affair never goes beyond the intellectual。 On the surface， Tessa and Wah seem to have a lot in common。 They are both successful memoirists and mothers of complicated daughters: Tessa has a fraught relationship with her college-age daughter from her first marriage， Nora， and Wah's adopted daughter Htet was rescued from a Malaysian sex trafficking ring。 But in Tessa's mind， she and Wah couldn't be more different。 Tessa thinks Wah is "an insult to womankind" -- and during one martini-fueled debate， she tells her so。The narrative is intentionally one-sided， written in Tessa's voice to an individual who is at first unnamed， and Tessa's sense of perception is skewed to say the least。 She is entitled and hypocritical and condescending， demeaning Wah for being servile， for displaying emotion and fragility， while applauding her own self-perceived woke feminist approach to womanhood， motherhood， and art。 But as Tessa and Wah's relationship becomes more complex， we begin to see that Tessa is not at all who she thinks she is。 Often， her outer and inner lives coexist in blatant contradiction。 And Wah isn't who Tessa thinks she is， either。Is there one "right way" to be a woman？ A right way to love， to suffer， to exist， as a woman？ These are just a few of the questions Charmaine Craig poses in My Nemesis， as she explores traditional gender roles， feminine and masculine ideals， parenthood， marriage， race， cultural identity， and feminine rivalry in its pages。 The writing is cerebral and dense and intentionally intellectual as Craig fully inhabits Tessa's voice。 I'm sure there is a lot that I missed， because I couldn't help but devour this book。 There is so much tension in the narrative as Craig brings both women to their individual breaking points。On the surface， this is a book about an insufferable white woman constantly justifying how insufferable she is， but there is so much more simmering beneath。 Recommended for readers who enjoyed Vladimir and other literary novels with unlikeable protagonists。 Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for the digital ARC。 。。。more
Faith Nguyen
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Picked this one off the shelves for its pretty cover！ A clever， successful white feminist with a hatred for the submissive， mixed-race Asian wife of the coveted handsome white man… It was almost thrilling to read the confessions of a judgmental， self righteous intellectual， who comes to finds that her keen perception is merely another form of ignorance。 Tessa is haughty but vulnerable， and it was just as pleasurable to see her expose her own flaws as it was to see her grow and learn to love her Picked this one off the shelves for its pretty cover！ A clever， successful white feminist with a hatred for the submissive， mixed-race Asian wife of the coveted handsome white man… It was almost thrilling to read the confessions of a judgmental， self righteous intellectual， who comes to finds that her keen perception is merely another form of ignorance。 Tessa is haughty but vulnerable， and it was just as pleasurable to see her expose her own flaws as it was to see her grow and learn to love her nemesis。 This is a philosophical and almost metaphysical book， as the two women come to an understanding in death through the disembodied scribblings in the margins of each other’s books。 。。。more
Kasa Cotugno
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Sometimes the shortest books have the meatiest content， and this is certainly the case in My Nemesis。 If anything， I was reminded of Zoe Heller's remarking that a reader shouldn't look for friends between pages of novels， in that none of these characters would make good friends but are damn fun to spend time reading about。 Sometimes the shortest books have the meatiest content， and this is certainly the case in My Nemesis。 If anything， I was reminded of Zoe Heller's remarking that a reader shouldn't look for friends between pages of novels， in that none of these characters would make good friends but are damn fun to spend time reading about。 。。。more
Kate
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4。5 stars rounded up to 5This was totally gripping and I liked it so much more than I expected to！ When I started it I must admit I felt a bit alienated by all the conversations about philosophical theory and the air of intellectual elitism coming from Tessa （the narrator）， however a couple of chapters in I no longer felt like I was too dumb to be reading this book and had realised that this air of elitism is totally intentional。 Tessa is an unlikeable and unreliable narrator and I loved it， but 4。5 stars rounded up to 5This was totally gripping and I liked it so much more than I expected to！ When I started it I must admit I felt a bit alienated by all the conversations about philosophical theory and the air of intellectual elitism coming from Tessa （the narrator）， however a couple of chapters in I no longer felt like I was too dumb to be reading this book and had realised that this air of elitism is totally intentional。 Tessa is an unlikeable and unreliable narrator and I loved it， but if you dislike books where the main character is hard to empathise with then I wouldn’t recommend this one！ This book explores themes of perception， truth， connection （or lack thereof）， motherhood and privilege so eloquently and I found it to be completely absorbing。 When I had to stop reading to go and do something else I just couldn’t stop thinking about the characters in this book and so it’s lucky it’s not very long haha。 Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jeatherhane Reads
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My Nemesis is told from Tessa’s perspective。 She is addressing an unknown reader， narrating the events during the time she and her husband， Milton， start spending time with another couple， Charlie and Wah。There is tension throughout the book， even though none of the characters is particularly likeable。 Tessa is infatuated with Charlie， and they spend their time apart from their spouses， having intellectual debates about moral philosophy。 Tessa pushes back against the norms of gender roles， mothe My Nemesis is told from Tessa’s perspective。 She is addressing an unknown reader， narrating the events during the time she and her husband， Milton， start spending time with another couple， Charlie and Wah。There is tension throughout the book， even though none of the characters is particularly likeable。 Tessa is infatuated with Charlie， and they spend their time apart from their spouses， having intellectual debates about moral philosophy。 Tessa pushes back against the norms of gender roles， motherhood， and femininity。 She is hostile towards Wah， believing her to be too self-sacrificing。 I really wouldn’t want to spend time with any of these characters。 The tension comes from the characters putting themselves in the same space （staying in each others’ homes） and blaming each other for their own insecurities。 This novel reminded me， in a way， of Second Place by Rachel Cusk。 I received a digital review copy via NetGalley。 。。。more
Tag
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Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=My Nemesis
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=My Nemesis&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,My Nemesis&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0