Three Rooms
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- Create Date：2021-07-15 16:15:59
- Update Date：2025-09-25
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- Author：Jo Hamya
- ISBN：1787333310
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Summary
'I was bowled over by this barbed， supple book about precarity and power， both for its spiky， unsettling intelligence and the frank beauty of the writing' OLIVIA LAING
'Jo Hamya is an exceptionally gifted writer。 Her portrait of a bright young woman struggling to get a foothold in an indifferent world is acute， informed， and deeply felt。 Three Rooms slowly but surely broke my heart' CLAIRE-LOUISE BENNETT
It's autumn 2018 and a young woman moves into a rented room in university accommodation， ready to begin a job as a research assistant at Oxford。 Here， living and working in the spaces that have birthed the country's leaders， she is both outsider and insider， and she can't shake the feeling that real life is happening elsewhere。
Eight months later she finds herself in London。 She's landed a temp contract at a society magazine and is paying £80 a week to sleep on a stranger's sofa。 Summer rolls on and England roils with questions around its domestic civil rights: Brexit， Grenfell， climate change， homelessness。 Meanwhile， tensions with her flatmate escalate， she is overworked and underpaid， and the prospects of a permanent job seem increasingly unlikely， until finally she has to ask herself: what is this all for？
Incisive， original and brilliantly observed， Three Rooms is the story of a search for a home and for a self。 Driven by despair and optimism in equal measure， the novel poignantly explores politics， race and belonging， as Jo Hamya asks us to consider the true cost of living as a young person in 21st-century England。
'A stunning achievement 。 。 。 In every way possible， Three Rooms is a novel for our times' COURTTIA NEWLAND
'Jo Hamya is an exceptionally gifted writer。 Her portrait of a bright young woman struggling to get a foothold in an indifferent world is acute， informed， and deeply felt。 Three Rooms slowly but surely broke my heart' CLAIRE-LOUISE BENNETT
It's autumn 2018 and a young woman moves into a rented room in university accommodation， ready to begin a job as a research assistant at Oxford。 Here， living and working in the spaces that have birthed the country's leaders， she is both outsider and insider， and she can't shake the feeling that real life is happening elsewhere。
Eight months later she finds herself in London。 She's landed a temp contract at a society magazine and is paying £80 a week to sleep on a stranger's sofa。 Summer rolls on and England roils with questions around its domestic civil rights: Brexit， Grenfell， climate change， homelessness。 Meanwhile， tensions with her flatmate escalate， she is overworked and underpaid， and the prospects of a permanent job seem increasingly unlikely， until finally she has to ask herself: what is this all for？
Incisive， original and brilliantly observed， Three Rooms is the story of a search for a home and for a self。 Driven by despair and optimism in equal measure， the novel poignantly explores politics， race and belonging， as Jo Hamya asks us to consider the true cost of living as a young person in 21st-century England。
'A stunning achievement 。 。 。 In every way possible， Three Rooms is a novel for our times' COURTTIA NEWLAND
Reviews
Kiara
，
Actual Rating: 2。75When I read the synopsis of this book， I thought it would be right up my alley。 Lately， I've been drawn to books with narrators who are at a pivotal point in their lives， trying to make it in a world that has steadily been making it harder to do so。 The unnamed narrator of Three Rooms is struggling to find her place in the world。 She's been educated at a fine university， and she has a job as a research assistant in the English department at Oxford University。 She has dreams of Actual Rating: 2。75When I read the synopsis of this book， I thought it would be right up my alley。 Lately， I've been drawn to books with narrators who are at a pivotal point in their lives， trying to make it in a world that has steadily been making it harder to do so。 The unnamed narrator of Three Rooms is struggling to find her place in the world。 She's been educated at a fine university， and she has a job as a research assistant in the English department at Oxford University。 She has dreams of having a place and room of her own， but despite her prestigious degree， she's been unable to realize that dream。 She looks around at her peers and feels like she's behind， that she has not been afforded the same privileges as other people her age。 While this all seems highly relatable to many millennials， there was a lot left to be desired from Hamya's novel。One of the most glaring things that hindered my enjoyment of this book was the main character herself。 She is supposedly down bad and broke， but she's had so many opportunities that plenty of people would kill for。 She's an assistant researcher （albeit temporarily） at Oxford for Christ's sake！ She is able to live quite cheaply in university housing， complete with a maid。 She spends most of her time lamenting Brexit and feeling like she's not making much progress in her life， which is understandable， but she doesn't really take advantage of what's in front of her。 She's privy to the upper echelons of UK academia， but she doesn't take advantage of that fact。 At the very first event of the school year， she doesn't even try to network at the faculty and student party then complains for the rest of the semester about how she hasn't met anyone or doesn't have any connections！ She would feel offended when her housemate would tell her about how she comes off to other people， but she didn't really do anything to combat that。 She envied the things that she resented her colleagues for having easy access to， which is valid， but she also benefitted from them despite her insistence that she was down and out。I also did not enjoy the heavy use of social media in this book。 A few mentions of it to make a point about reality vs perception among other things is okay， but to include it ad nauseum was a little bit much。 It did firmly cement the story in the present day， but I feel like at times it was excessive。Overall I liked the examination of millennial success and lack thereof， but the execution was way more pretentious than it needed to be。**eARC provided by the publisher， Mariner Books， via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review** 。。。more
Sarah
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There will be many who identify with the unnamed narrator， a well-educated young woman of colour， as she seeks a place to be herself， to call her own， in a housing market designed for the financially well off。 Finding herself， over and again， misunderstood， patronised， ignored and misrepresented， she is understandably furious。 Through her central character， Jo Hamya explores important aspects of our very unequal British society and certainly prompts the reader to think about them: Brexit; the en There will be many who identify with the unnamed narrator， a well-educated young woman of colour， as she seeks a place to be herself， to call her own， in a housing market designed for the financially well off。 Finding herself， over and again， misunderstood， patronised， ignored and misrepresented， she is understandably furious。 Through her central character， Jo Hamya explores important aspects of our very unequal British society and certainly prompts the reader to think about them: Brexit; the environment; low pay; poor housing; our dependence on social media。 There are moments when her writing style segues into that of a newspaper article and feels overtly didactic。Nevertheless， Hamya writes well and her literary references are entirely in line with her character’s interests， whilst also reminding the reader of our rich cultural heritage。 In placing her central character in Walter Pater’s Oxford house， is she suggesting that we judge her own work on its innate style rather than its moral or educational value？ If this is the case， Hamya has not entirely succeeded for whilst her prose is elegant and her depictions of contemporary life vivid and recognisable， her angry， despondent heroine’s thoughts present her in lecture mode throughout。 We cannot escape her bad-tempered view of everything and this makes ‘Three Rooms’ an exhausting read。 Perhaps that is what this author is aiming to achieve – we must share the pain。My thanks to NetGalley and Random House， UK Vintage for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review。 。。。more
Hilary
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4。5 stars; Three Rooms is the story of a young Black woman living in the 21st century。 It is a beautiful and incredibly moving story of what it is to be young， what it is to be alive， and the struggle of young people to find their place in the world and to find their home。⚠️ content warnings: racism， social commentary When I first picked this one up， I was immediately sucked in by the lyrical quality of the writing。 I’m not normally drawn to character novels， but this one had me hooked。 Hamya ma 4。5 stars; Three Rooms is the story of a young Black woman living in the 21st century。 It is a beautiful and incredibly moving story of what it is to be young， what it is to be alive， and the struggle of young people to find their place in the world and to find their home。⚠️ content warnings: racism， social commentary When I first picked this one up， I was immediately sucked in by the lyrical quality of the writing。 I’m not normally drawn to character novels， but this one had me hooked。 Hamya managed to take a bunch of my feelings and put them into this book。I related immensely to the main character （although lacking in some similarities）， and this made the story extra powerful for me。 The story is full of spikes of wisdom， laugh out loud moments， and passages that made me weep。 I don’t know that this one will ever really leave me。It is truly a gem， and I can’t wait to see what Jo Hamya does next！You’ll like this if: you like insightful character-led stories about what it means to be young and female in a modern world 。。。more
Cori
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3。75 rounded up to 4 stars。For a fairly short novel， this one is quite packed with powerful and biting insight。 Although our narrator lives in London， her struggles to create a meaningful life while being both overqualified and under qualified to do anything is relatable to anyone who has been there and experienced this type of poignant disillusionment and ennui。 It highlights today’s reality of minimal employment options that deliver stability， financial security， and professional fulfillment。 3。75 rounded up to 4 stars。For a fairly short novel， this one is quite packed with powerful and biting insight。 Although our narrator lives in London， her struggles to create a meaningful life while being both overqualified and under qualified to do anything is relatable to anyone who has been there and experienced this type of poignant disillusionment and ennui。 It highlights today’s reality of minimal employment options that deliver stability， financial security， and professional fulfillment。 And while our narrator faces the narrowing of her world and choices over a course of a year， the background of its 2018 setting also delivers smart commentary on the turmoil of Brexit and a divided country reacting to an unstable financial economy and a flood of immigrants and refugees。 。。。more
Alice （most ardently alice）
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An ode to the displaced millennial， Three Rooms is a triumph in embodying the uncertainty and state of limbo faced by many young adults as they leave academia， and attempt to build a career in a frosty economy and an overall visibly split political landscape。 Set in the wake of the EU referendum and the looming promise of Brexit， Jo Hamya expertly navigates themes of identity， class， and race， with the concept of home at the helm in this nuanced， stunningly lyrical novella。 Three Rooms follows o An ode to the displaced millennial， Three Rooms is a triumph in embodying the uncertainty and state of limbo faced by many young adults as they leave academia， and attempt to build a career in a frosty economy and an overall visibly split political landscape。 Set in the wake of the EU referendum and the looming promise of Brexit， Jo Hamya expertly navigates themes of identity， class， and race， with the concept of home at the helm in this nuanced， stunningly lyrical novella。 Three Rooms follows our unnamed narrator across three locations: Oxford， London， and rural England。 She starts out in a position as a researcher assistant at Oxford。 Here we see her lost in a constant analysis of her houseshare and its other habitants， as well as the history of the building and her distant feelings as a mere temporary squatter。 This， juxtaposed as she walks through Oxford， taking in the history of the institution and the politicians in which it rears begins a cutting analysis of the social hierarchy in the UK。 She moves on to work at a luxury society magazine in London as a copy editor， paying £80 a week to sleep on a friend’s sofa。 As Boris Johnson is voted in to take over the Conservative Party and lead the UK’s EU-exit plan， our narrator is sucked into the vortex of social media discourse， and the internal battle to make an opinion not pinched from angry tweets and persuasive news articles。 Ultimately， she finds herself relenting against the ceaseless take， take， take and gives in to her mother and the prospect of two hour commutes to and from the city。There is so much in Three Rooms that feels relatable。 The struggle to form an opinion in the age of social media where one ingests thousands daily。 The lack of roots， both literally and metaphorically as it becomes ever more difficult to get on the property ladder; to find a job that doesn’t undervalue and underpay graduates and young adults。 Three Rooms is smart and hypercritical， and Jo Hamya’s writing is sharp - intimidatingly so。 。。。more
Violet
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3。5 rounded up。The first 3 to 5 pages of this book were painful， but I am glad I persevered because the rest of this novel was actually good。 Jo Hamya puts a lot of emphasis on style - not really above substance， but above a plot definitely。 I don't think everyone will love this book but I found it enjoyable。 The heroine - an unnamed woman of colour in England - describes a year in Oxford， in rented accommodation， some time in London sleeping on a stranger's sofa， and moving back home。 It is dep 3。5 rounded up。The first 3 to 5 pages of this book were painful， but I am glad I persevered because the rest of this novel was actually good。 Jo Hamya puts a lot of emphasis on style - not really above substance， but above a plot definitely。 I don't think everyone will love this book but I found it enjoyable。 The heroine - an unnamed woman of colour in England - describes a year in Oxford， in rented accommodation， some time in London sleeping on a stranger's sofa， and moving back home。 It is depressing to read， especially if you are also someone in your late twenties， early thirties， educated， who aspires to have your own place - only to realise that despite a good education， jobs are scarce and will never pay enough for you to afford a house deposit。 Money - and class - are the big topics here， the narrator describing how she "scrimp[s] and save[s]， swapped a £2。35 Americano for a 99p filter coffee"， just to afford living。 "The end goal I wanted， through any job necessary， was to be able to afford a flat， not just a room， and then to settle in and invite friends for dinner"。The author pokes fun at the recent novels， in which "the protagonist was always a woman， and always sad。 （。。。） This protagonist had oblique， troubled relationships with men and spent a lot of the book's plot doing only one thing， but doing it well: sleeping， driving， smoking， going on holiday， or having conversations at length"。 This novel is somewhat different - men only appearing as snotty neighbours， condescending bosses or taxi drivers; the heroine just spending her time trying to arrange whatever space she occupies to make it her own， and envying other people's spaces: her flatmate's parents' house， with their Jo Malone handsoap， the Molton Brown shower gel， the tasteful decoration。Brexit looms - not exactly in the background， but as a reminder that things these days are just。。。 a bit grim。 There is a sense of hopelessness， of never being able to move and being always in a precarious situation: "Where I was going， I would still have to share the bathroom， be conscious of the length of my showers; suffer interruptions of thought if I had to make breakfast in the kitchen， or explain where I had been after leaving the house。"It's a very millennial book - the kind mother of her flatmate commenting on her generation "giving up too easily" and reminding her she has had to work "very hard" to afford her beautiful home。 As I was reading， and the catastrophes piled up - no affordable housing， low wages， Brexit， Grenfell， the environment and the protests - I was nearly expecting Covid to appear， like the icing on the cake， but it thankfully didn't。 Overall I enjoyed its unapologetic gloom and the lack of resolution - without spoiling the book， I left it not feeling overly optimistic for the narrator。 It was grim。 The writing was at times a bit too opaque to my liking， not exactly lyrical but trying very hard to be deep and clever。 It mostly worked - for me。Free ARC sent by Netgalley。 。。。more
Kelly
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The premise of this novel caught my attention because I felt some sympathy with it， which is to say I had understood the main premise to be about the unaffordability of housing for the young， however this novel is at times depressing as well as angry， and although it is intriguing， I’m not sure I enjoyed it as such。 The main character rents an expensive yet plain room in a superb location， followed by a lowly sofa， but she’s landed in short succession two privileged jobs。 Badly paid in money but The premise of this novel caught my attention because I felt some sympathy with it， which is to say I had understood the main premise to be about the unaffordability of housing for the young， however this novel is at times depressing as well as angry， and although it is intriguing， I’m not sure I enjoyed it as such。 The main character rents an expensive yet plain room in a superb location， followed by a lowly sofa， but she’s landed in short succession two privileged jobs。 Badly paid in money but rich in experience。 It is not easy to walk into jobs of this kind and I know after struggling to get work after studying， so I didn’t really recognise this as particularly underprivileged。 But then， the exploitation of interns/young staff members on low salaries or impermanent contracts did hit home。 I found the writing style interesting but annoying。 There are frequent repetitions and the flow is jagged， breaking engagement with what is going on。 The prose jumps from internal musings to actual happenings to other people’s recollections of random things。 It isn’t always clear why the narration is hopping to a particular thing。 I didn’t really enjoy reading about the period of the Brexit uncertainty; as a topic it felt both too old and not old enough to rehash。 Then there’s the narrator。 It is impossible to start to feel any sympathy with her because we aren’t really introduced to her and know next to nothing about her; even one of the other characters mentions that she barely talks and that others don’t remember her。 I’m sure this is meant to be a witty reflection on how we are all living in bubbles with less meaningful interaction， but I just really didn’t engage with her plights as a result of the fact that she’s an unknown entity。 Yet I just spent an entire book in the head of this woman。 The book did nicely reflect a sort of transitional nature which modern life often has。 But I don’t think this really hit home for me in the way I was expecting。 My thanks to #NetGalley & Jonathan Cape， for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Chloe Newman
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3。75*thank you to Mollie at Jonathan Cape for my gifted copy！this short little novel absolutely blew me away in terms of how cleverly written it was， and how insightful our （23 year old ！！！） author is。we follow our unnamed protagonist as she starts her position of research assistant at Oxford University in September 2018， moves into a house share and thus our 'first room' is introduced。 she struggles with a lot of things I could relate to in this time， the /incessant/ UK politics where Brexit wa 3。75*thank you to Mollie at Jonathan Cape for my gifted copy！this short little novel absolutely blew me away in terms of how cleverly written it was， and how insightful our （23 year old ！！！） author is。we follow our unnamed protagonist as she starts her position of research assistant at Oxford University in September 2018， moves into a house share and thus our 'first room' is introduced。 she struggles with a lot of things I could relate to in this time， the /incessant/ UK politics where Brexit was never ending， the government was failing us left right and centre and we were craving any other news but Brexit （and with Covid， how we'd long for some uproar like when Rees-Mogg laid down in the House of Parliament lol）I found her interactions with the people around her fascinating especially with 'neighbour' - her observations on people were cynical， acute but all the same I found myself not fully agreeing with how she viewed the world either。we then follow her back to London， where she starts a "real job" at a society magazine and rents a sofa for £80 in Kensington off someone termed "flatmate" （I found myself loathing her so much - the power play between housemates is such a tricky thing to put into words and Hamya did it brilliantly）。 she struggles in this job， being on a casual contract with no security and not valued in any way。I'm not sure really how to describe this book， the backdrop of UK politics really put things into perspective for me - I haven't read much set between 2018-2019 and those were times I thoroughly remember being glued to my phone/Twitter and trying to form an opinion on what was going on which our protagonist regularly did as well。 also， her struggle as a twenty something woman navigating post-grad life and not fully knowing what she wants to do was done in a really refreshing way。anyway， this was a bit of a ramble！ overall this was fascinating， compelling but some things did go over my head in some ways and it felt a bit {too} intellectual for me at times。fantastic debut。 。。。more
Bob Hughes
，
This taut and short book is focused around a woman navigating working in the uncertain times of the moment- concerns around Brexit， the incompetence and malice of the government， Grenfell Tower， house price inflation and more- and how she is never quite able to shake it off。Indeed， it seems at times as if everybody around her is denying the very reality she sees for herself。 When she is working at Oxford， she is aware that her degree and role afford her luxuries that many others would not have， This taut and short book is focused around a woman navigating working in the uncertain times of the moment- concerns around Brexit， the incompetence and malice of the government， Grenfell Tower， house price inflation and more- and how she is never quite able to shake it off。Indeed， it seems at times as if everybody around her is denying the very reality she sees for herself。 When she is working at Oxford， she is aware that her degree and role afford her luxuries that many others would not have， but her work still feels stifling and precarious。 Then she moves to London and is at the mercy of terrible work conditions that she is told to just put up with if she wants to get ahead， despite sleeping on a couch for £80 a week。 During this， she is reminded regularly of her 'luck'- at having a job that keeps on forgetting to pay her despite her absurdly long hours， at being in London， at having 'beaten the system' by being a woman of colour who has 'made it' because she went to Oxford。At times， I found it quite hard to get inside the narrator's head- she can feel quite cold and stiff throughout， but I guess that is the point- she is so concerned with trying to 'make it'， whatever 'it' is， that she has no time to be at ease。 It is a really interesting look into the burnout of the current work model- and how class cuts through so much of it- and how we have still not at all reckoned with it。 I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Chris Haak
，
3，5Well written short novel about life for a young person in 21st-century England， Once finishing university， it's almost impossible to find a permanent job， and then one that pays well enough to get a place of your own so you can stop sleeping on someone else's sofa。 It's about a sense of self， home and belonging， about Brexit and politics， the Grenfell tower fire， race， class， and so much more。 I have to admit that he first part did not always hold my attention， but a very impressive debut non 3，5Well written short novel about life for a young person in 21st-century England， Once finishing university， it's almost impossible to find a permanent job， and then one that pays well enough to get a place of your own so you can stop sleeping on someone else's sofa。 It's about a sense of self， home and belonging， about Brexit and politics， the Grenfell tower fire， race， class， and so much more。 I have to admit that he first part did not always hold my attention， but a very impressive debut nonetheless。 Thank you Jonathan Cape and Netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Janilyn Kocher
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I didn’t get the gist of this book。 As I continued to plow through it it never made much sense to me。 I didn’t really care for any of the characters。 I finished the book but asked myself what did I just read。 This book was a complete miss for me。 Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the early read。
Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer
，
What had a rented room in Oxford and a sofa in London made me？ Where had there been to make me？ For all my plans， it seemed impossible I could achieve anything。 There had been no place I could have dragged a sofa into， painted the walls whatever colour I wanted， stayed in long enough to find inviting colleagues over for dinner and drinks a worthwhile task。 I had not found a job with which I could afford to put my life in one place， then nurture my relationship with family and friends。 Yet som What had a rented room in Oxford and a sofa in London made me？ Where had there been to make me？ For all my plans， it seemed impossible I could achieve anything。 There had been no place I could have dragged a sofa into， painted the walls whatever colour I wanted， stayed in long enough to find inviting colleagues over for dinner and drinks a worthwhile task。 I had not found a job with which I could afford to put my life in one place， then nurture my relationship with family and friends。 Yet somehow， I had spent the year keeping my possessions， temporarily， in what were ostensibly the highest echelons the country had to offer。 This relatively brief novel， described by the author as “about the danger of withholding capital， principally domestic and financial” is set in Oxford and London in a year starting in September 2018。 It is （like so many other novels these days it seems） narrated by an unnamed first person narrator。 In this case the narrator is a young mixed-race woman。 We follow her in three separate sections – representing the three rooms of the title。In the first she is a teaching assistant at Oxford University – staying in a （I think real life） house once occupied by the siblings Walter （an author） and Clara （a pioneer of Women’s education） Pater， but now broken into multiple rooms occupied by post docs and research assistants。 There she mixes in rather elite circles and forms an obsession with a student， famous as the daughter of a pop star who wrote a best selling song about his wife leaving him （and named his daughter after the wife and song）。 In the second， her teaching at an end， she gets an insecure position as an copy-editist at a society magazine in London， and hangs around Bloomsbury， while paying to sleep on the sofa of a dilapidated flat - her “landlord” being a bookseller and jewellery maker。In the third and briefest section， having lost that position also and unable to live in London any longer， she visits a Turner exhibition at the Tate， then takes an Uber to Euston before the train journey to the country where she is reluctantly returning to her parents offer （one they have been baffled for some time she has not taken） of her old bedroom in the family house。While all this is going on – the author， like many of her generation， feels increasingly alienated by the new country being assembled by the proceedings of another house – the House of Commons – following the， to her incomprehensible， Brexit vote two years previously。She also spend time in another room – the room of the internet – as she follows the rise and fall of various （mainly of course Oxford educated） politicians。 Quickly， I realised the absurd wealth of the places I had been in over the past year: rooms in which such discussions could be played with in theory， without urgency， at any time， and then set aside to be taken up at a later date。 The internet was one such room: a constant， useless distress in my pocket。 I had resolved to stop looking at my phone if I could help it; to turn off my notifications and live less theoretically。 The irony of her position – and the oddness of the juxtaposition of her milieu and both her circumstances and political views - is spelled out by many of those around her Don’t you think it’s weird that you spent a year giving yourself to the place that started the careers of people that openly disdain you， and now you’ve gone to work for a publication that exalts them？ But I was unclear where the reader’s sympathies are meant to lie – many if not most of the seemingly valid criticisms seem to have their own “check your privilege” issues （typically white with some form of security）。 And the narrator herself seems unbelievably tone deaf in a conversation she has with cleaner “what’s the plan after cleaning” being an opening gambit。At one stage the narrator discusses a certain type of novel written by women – in a passage which seems to refer to Moshfegh’s “A Year of Rest and Relaxation” and later to what at least made me think of Cusk’s “Transit” （“A central character in one of the books equated the dishevelment of her inner life with the renovation of her house for 260 pages”） and the Uber ride in the final chapter reads very much like a Cusk-ian tale as the driver regales the narrator with the story of a row he had with his art-industry wife when he stated that the Twitter outrage over Tate paying more for a “head of coffee” than its exhibition curaters was actually misplaced as the coffee job had “more pride and practical use 。 than is any of the posturing and simpering and affectation he saw in the art world”。Of these novels the narrator remarks “The protagonist was inevitably compared to the author。 This last thing was what made these books popular: it was revolutionary for a woman to spend 250 pages looking at herself in some way” – which is of course a challenge to us to do the same （or perhaps not do the same here）。 But what is one meant to do – when the narrator （working at the society magazine） discusses jobs with her flatmate who works at a bookshop with an owner paid in the millions and living comfortably in a town house who implies his minimum paid workers should feel honoured to work in bookselling – and then one reads that the author has worked at Tatler magazine and Waterstones。The book is explicitly influenced by （and takes an epigraph from） Virginia Woolf’s “Room of One’s Own”。 Woolf of course famously said "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" – a quote which， particularly as it was given at Cambridge University in 1928， could hardly be said to show much in the way of perspective or real understanding of poverty – and I was struggling with the same ideas in this book。 Cambridge replaced by Oxford， and some form of requirement to be able to afford to live in London – by a narrator from elsewhere in England - as a basic human right。 Or a class war theme that seems to pit the merely very privileged against the extremely privileged。 The Oxford section was by far the weakest for me – I felt like it needed both a knowledge of Oxford and its University traditions （one that did not even work for a Cambridge graduate） as well as some kind of sympathy for the characters portrayed。 For the life of me I could also not work out what I was meant to make of the choice to name the pop star’s daughter （who reappears again in the second section） Ghislaine – with such obviously odd connotations given her developments as a socialite and daughter of a famous person。 I paused the book a number of times before deciding to move ahead to the other sections。More generally I often could not work out if the book was a satire of woke， generation-rent， zero-hours， gig-economy millennials， a defense of them or something in between。 In some ways it feels like a novel about the new "working class" that represents Labour's core votes and their economic struggles and at the same time as a novel which encapsulates everything "red wall" voters fear about the party's direction。Overall though I think this ambiguity - between literature and real life is really what this book is exploring。So overall an interesting book but one with which I felt I lacked a full connection。My thanks to Jonathan Cape， Penguin Random House for an ARC via NetGalley 。。。more
Ormondebooks
，
I had high expectations for this book， which ticked a lot of boxes for me: politics， a contemporary setting and a bit of Brexit angst。。 Set in post EU referendum UK， just after the Grenfell Tower disaster， the main （unnamed） female character， an Oxford graduate， has moved to London seeking work。 After securing a zero hours contract job as a copyeditor for a high end glossy magazine， she pays £80 per month to sleep on a sofa in a shared flat。She spends a lot of her time whining about her precario I had high expectations for this book， which ticked a lot of boxes for me: politics， a contemporary setting and a bit of Brexit angst。。 Set in post EU referendum UK， just after the Grenfell Tower disaster， the main （unnamed） female character， an Oxford graduate， has moved to London seeking work。 After securing a zero hours contract job as a copyeditor for a high end glossy magazine， she pays £80 per month to sleep on a sofa in a shared flat。She spends a lot of her time whining about her precarious finances and being unable to afford to rent an apartment while at the same time is seemingly either in denial or oblivious to her own privilege。 She is middle class， went to Oxford but is still very uncomfortable with that privilege。 She feels outside a world that she does not understand， failing to comprehend the subtle signals between her （white） office colleagues。This is a deeply introspective novel and reminded me a lot of Rachel Cusks writing。 The reader lives inside the mind of the narrator。 At times it was almost too rarefied and highbrow and became more about style than substance。 Saying that there are some wonderful lines in the novel such as her description of a hipster as having a "beanie， art school， craft beer pallor" 。 I did not connect with the main character。 Ultimately she was a generic representation of the millennial generation， but I failed to invest in her or care about her。Many thanks to @netgalley and @vintagebooks for this e-book in return for my honest opinion。 。。。more
books4chess
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"Well excuse me， I exhaled， but a party is only a good one if you invite other people in， you know？"I'm genuinely torn with the book。 I've read both valid criticisms and uncritical praise， but I do believe the book is enjoyable at surface level。 It offers the reader insight into very real class issues， Brexit for the 48% and the overwhelming battles many graduates face when acclimatising into the world of employment。 Jo successfully delivered a book that managed to look at the uncomfortable sett "Well excuse me， I exhaled， but a party is only a good one if you invite other people in， you know？"I'm genuinely torn with the book。 I've read both valid criticisms and uncritical praise， but I do believe the book is enjoyable at surface level。 It offers the reader insight into very real class issues， Brexit for the 48% and the overwhelming battles many graduates face when acclimatising into the world of employment。 Jo successfully delivered a book that managed to look at the uncomfortable settings of British politics and a very bleak outlook on the country post-EU referendum。 It wasn't what I expected， nor was it something I wished to rehash - I recall vividly living through that time。 But nonetheless， the book still delivers something， even if it's simply someone critiquing their own class whilst pretending to be from a working class background。There were valid criticisms of social media and the rise of fake news， but sadly a lot of these were wasted on me， as they were dotted between literature references outside of my knowledge。 Additionally， many of these thoughts were lost between unrelated descriptions as quotation marks were missing for an unexplained reason。 I'm hoping this was merely a formatting error and will be changed but perhaps this style is in fashion for the literature elite。I found the protagonist's self obsession and lack of awareness interesting when juxtaposed against literally everyone else in the book。 She is repeatedly reminded that sadness isn't a personality and to get over herself， yet appears to reject this advice at every turn。 Her wallowing almost turns her very real and genuine criticisms of the bleak British experience into satire， as it is clear to everyone except the protagonist that she is very fortunate。 She repeatedly falls into good situations， stumbling upon individuals who seemingly take her under their wings for no reason and repeatedly rejects their efforts to include her。 I can't decide ultimately。 Perhaps the author created a truly unlikeable protagonist to highlight the rise of unhappy middle-class Brits who don't realise how lucky they are？ Perhaps the entire book is satire and just as we see the main point of view scoff at others， we are just as guilty for scoffing at her？ I really can't decide， but whilst I appreciate what I perceive to be the intended delivery， the book fell short for me。Thank you #netgalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Emily
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Let’s just get this is one over with quickly as I’m sick of letting it hang on my shelf unreviewed just because I dreaded the thought of reviewing it so much。 Definitely wouldn’t have read the whole thing if it wasn’t an ARC-copy。 I found it stupidly hard to review this （almost as difficult as it was to finish the book）。 There’s a thin line between being blunt and being offensive， but also an equally slim one between being polite and being a fucking liar。 Since I can’t and won’t let myself do ei Let’s just get this is one over with quickly as I’m sick of letting it hang on my shelf unreviewed just because I dreaded the thought of reviewing it so much。 Definitely wouldn’t have read the whole thing if it wasn’t an ARC-copy。 I found it stupidly hard to review this （almost as difficult as it was to finish the book）。 There’s a thin line between being blunt and being offensive， but also an equally slim one between being polite and being a fucking liar。 Since I can’t and won’t let myself do either， I will keep this as short as I possibly can without going on a full-blown rant。 This novel felt like a self-indulgent， badly written autofiction to me。 Would work a lot better as a short collection of essays。 The narrative ‘tone’ didn’t work for me。 I appreciate the writer trying to explore the societal issues/ideas in the novel， but most of it felt too dated and underdeveloped。 But most of all， it didn’t blend in well with the characters’ stories/lives。 It felt unconvincing， and it was hard to feel anything for any of the characters。 It felt discordant， like badly made music。 This made the narrator/protagonist even more unbearable as if they’ve just made being ‘woke’ their personality – which then makes them borderline being pretentious as fuck。 What an underwhelming and frustratingly disappointing reading experience。 I can’t give it any more than one star because that would mean that I actually thought it was ‘okay’。 I can see how someone else might enjoy this novel more than I did， but it still baffles me that this particular publishing house picked this one up。 Also， I’d much rather read forwarded posts of angsty， not-always-accurate political ramblings than this。 For a more superior， and thorough review， I recommend checking out AnnaLuce’s here。 I’d actually already given up my curiosity with regards to the book after having read AnnaLuce’s review， but a writer I admire very much recommended the book shortly after that。 Now I’m left wondering if he had done that because he felt obligated to？ 。。。more
Millie Stephen
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Three Rooms - written by Jo Hamya， who is the same age as me （？！） such an incredible writer - pure talent， I can’t get over the beauty of this writing。 Three Rooms is a novel， under 200 pages， set in 2018 in the midst of Brexit and is set around a young woman who is looking for a bit of normality in a busy， expensive， and rather chaotic period in her life。 We never learn the name of the woman， which I rather liked， but we do learn a lot about where she lives， and what she does。 Her obsession wit Three Rooms - written by Jo Hamya， who is the same age as me （？！） such an incredible writer - pure talent， I can’t get over the beauty of this writing。 Three Rooms is a novel， under 200 pages， set in 2018 in the midst of Brexit and is set around a young woman who is looking for a bit of normality in a busy， expensive， and rather chaotic period in her life。 We never learn the name of the woman， which I rather liked， but we do learn a lot about where she lives， and what she does。 Her obsession with Twitter scrolling and Instagram stalking are close to home - she feels disconnected from ‘real life。 The world is busy， politics and current affairs are all around her and she’s just floating through life， is she happy， does she like her life， where she lives， the people around her？A really beautifully written piece of literary fiction， a severe lack of speech marks is something I usually am not a fan of， but it really worked in this book and I enjoyed the conversations taking place between our unnamed characters， such as ‘neighbour’。 Three Rooms provided an insightful view into class， race， privilege， the lack of a full-time permanent job or career。Three Rooms really conveys how much Brexit really dragged on， and how much of a big thing it is in our lives and country。 I found it really clever how Brexit was discussed in Oxford University， and in London and different people’s perspectives on it。 Three Rooms is a beautiful novel that observes the current life hurdles， costs of living， holding down a job， not having a permanent job， and being in your 20’s in England， today。 The story is a search for a place to live， a home， somewhere to make your own， and really be yourself， and find yourself。 I can’t recommend it enough， I loved this story。 。。。more
Alli Theis
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That’s a nope from me。
Jen Burrows
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Three Rooms is a modernist millennial novel， taut and simmering with tension。 The prose flows like stream of consciousness， although in true modernist style it's also heavily weighted with academic and literary allusions。In many ways inspired by A Room of One's Own， Hamya touches on themes of freedom， privilege and the cost of living in contemporary Britain。 It's also a complex exploration of the powerlessness of social-political consciousness in the age of social media。Three Rooms is a novel th Three Rooms is a modernist millennial novel， taut and simmering with tension。 The prose flows like stream of consciousness， although in true modernist style it's also heavily weighted with academic and literary allusions。In many ways inspired by A Room of One's Own， Hamya touches on themes of freedom， privilege and the cost of living in contemporary Britain。 It's also a complex exploration of the powerlessness of social-political consciousness in the age of social media。Three Rooms is a novel that takes itself seriously， and while it won't be for everyone， Hamya brings a bold new voice to contemporary British literature。*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Melanie Caldicott
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This book went way over my head。 It was style over substance as far as the plot was concerned and was often too vague making me feel slightly disorientated。 And yet another book with no speech marks - argh！ I prefer literature that wants to tell you things through expansive characterisation and engaging plot on top of well-constructed language rather than a dry essay in the guise of a novel。 Not an enjoyable read for me I'm afraid。With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this digital ARC This book went way over my head。 It was style over substance as far as the plot was concerned and was often too vague making me feel slightly disorientated。 And yet another book with no speech marks - argh！ I prefer literature that wants to tell you things through expansive characterisation and engaging plot on top of well-constructed language rather than a dry essay in the guise of a novel。 Not an enjoyable read for me I'm afraid。With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Tredaran
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Interesting， insightful and uncomfortable， this book is a 21st century Virginia Woolf。 It describes and observes what life is like today for a well educated， ambitious， hard-working but not well connected young person， unable to put down roots due to the transitory nature of the work they do and the lack of affordable accommodation。 This feeling of detachment is enhanced by not naming the first person narrator nor most of the other characters， who the main character refers so by monikers such as Interesting， insightful and uncomfortable， this book is a 21st century Virginia Woolf。 It describes and observes what life is like today for a well educated， ambitious， hard-working but not well connected young person， unable to put down roots due to the transitory nature of the work they do and the lack of affordable accommodation。 This feeling of detachment is enhanced by not naming the first person narrator nor most of the other characters， who the main character refers so by monikers such as “neighbour” or “intern”， with the exception of the highly well-connected Ghislaine， whose life passes through the narrator’s as an example of extreme privilege and a sharp contrast to hers。 A literary novel in which not a lot happens， where relationships and friendships are superficial and feelings suppressed， but which is nonetheless highly perceptive and well observed。 Likely to resonate with a lot of millennials。 With thanks to the author， NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy。 。。。more
Octavia Lavender
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Three Rooms is a novel that （accurately？） explores the cost of living in 21st-century England as a twenty something。 The novel is split into three sections - three rooms that the unnamed narrator lives in during the course of the book。 Three Rooms is set in front of the backdrop of Brexit and politics and is a novel about belonging and the price of trying to find your place。 The novel's unnamed protagonist is a literature graduate going from job to job and city to city struggling with the cost o Three Rooms is a novel that （accurately？） explores the cost of living in 21st-century England as a twenty something。 The novel is split into three sections - three rooms that the unnamed narrator lives in during the course of the book。 Three Rooms is set in front of the backdrop of Brexit and politics and is a novel about belonging and the price of trying to find your place。 The novel's unnamed protagonist is a literature graduate going from job to job and city to city struggling with the cost of modern living。 Perhaps for this reason the novel hit a little too close to home at times。 However， the protagonist is absent of a name or a personality and at times it was hard to sympathize with this generic millennial character。 Jo Hamya's writing priorities style over character and is reminiscent of the work of Rachel Cusk or Deborah Levy， two writers I love。 Jo Hamya's novel is part of a modern genre of satire with honest and intellectual prose。 Similar in style to novels such as The New Me by Halle Butler and My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh， which itself got a notable mention in Three Rooms。ARC provided by NetGalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Parker Kelly
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Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review！Three Rooms is a gorgeously written character study focusing on a young girl as she passes from university to the working world。 It is a really good exploration of modern issues facing millenials in the UK， and had a lot of reflection on modern global issues as well。 It brings up a lot of good points through the protagonist's interactions with society， her peers， and her surroundings。 Its a rea Thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review！Three Rooms is a gorgeously written character study focusing on a young girl as she passes from university to the working world。 It is a really good exploration of modern issues facing millenials in the UK， and had a lot of reflection on modern global issues as well。 It brings up a lot of good points through the protagonist's interactions with society， her peers， and her surroundings。 Its a really solid reflection on the state of the world， but the book definitely feels a bit empty。 If you like plot driven narratives， this will not be the book for you， but if you're a fan of reflective pieces with high quality writing， this would be a good pick for you。 3。5/5 。。。more
B。S。 Casey
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Genre: Literary FictionRelease Date: Expected 8th July 2021Eight months ago， a young woman began her life - moving into her renting university living space and ready to start her new job as a research assistant at Oxford。 All around her， she can feel the energy from the previous residents who became leaders and pioneers - and it almost doesn't feel like real life at all。But now everything is different - she's sleeping on a strangers sofa in London， temping at a magazine and things don't appear t Genre: Literary FictionRelease Date: Expected 8th July 2021Eight months ago， a young woman began her life - moving into her renting university living space and ready to start her new job as a research assistant at Oxford。 All around her， she can feel the energy from the previous residents who became leaders and pioneers - and it almost doesn't feel like real life at all。But now everything is different - she's sleeping on a strangers sofa in London， temping at a magazine and things don't appear to be getting better。 She's no closer to a stable job or home， she's overworked and underpaid， and the world around her is falling apart - Brexit is dividing the nation， Grenfell tower burned， the city is rife with homelessness and despair and the climate is changing beyond repair。 And as every day passes by， she begins to question what this is all really for。 Our nameless， faceless narrator was cold and detatched - an almost clinic approach to storytelling that made me feel like an observer to a social experiment rather than a reader。 Three Rooms had a strange monotony and boredom throughout - the kind that makes your stomach ache and it felt uncomfortably familiar。 The entire book read like a stream of thoughts， but with very long strings of text with no pauses for air or punctuation which at times was not enjoyable but didn't detract too much。Hamya has captured the despair and nihilism of young people who feel like their futures are devoid of hope - even our nameless narrator may seem on the surface like she's fine， working for a society magazine and living in the capital city - but even her life is barely held together and being pulled apart by the world we are living in。 Three Rooms was a darkly uncomfortable truth about the complexities of class， race， politics and the thousands of things that make our identity。 RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐Thank you to Jo Hamya， Random House UK and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Siobhan
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Three Rooms is a novel about a young woman looking for stability in 21st century life as she drifts through a transitory year。 In autumn 2018 an unnamed narrator moves into a rented room in a shared university house in Oxford， ready to take up a temporary research assistant position， but she spends most of her time scrolling Twitter and watching one of the only people she's met do things on Instagram。 When the contract ends， she finds herself in London， living on someone's sofa and doing another Three Rooms is a novel about a young woman looking for stability in 21st century life as she drifts through a transitory year。 In autumn 2018 an unnamed narrator moves into a rented room in a shared university house in Oxford， ready to take up a temporary research assistant position， but she spends most of her time scrolling Twitter and watching one of the only people she's met do things on Instagram。 When the contract ends， she finds herself in London， living on someone's sofa and doing another temporary job at a society magazine。 Once again， she feels disconnected， and as politics rolls on in the background， she considers what she can do next。Told in the first person in a literary style with very few named characters， Three Rooms is the sort of book some people will love and others not get along with。 I enjoyed it， with its clever look at privilege， class， and race， and the complications of these as the narrator takes up temporary jobs doing things from a rarified world， straddling the line between having no money and still having the ability to get a temp job at a posh magazine。 I also liked the engagement with books， from the stuff about Walter Pater and Instagram to a glib commentary on modern novels which feels like it's pointing out this book could be classed as another of them。As it's set at a very specific time and has a lot of politics and current events run through it， at times you do feel like there's a bit too much Brexit going on， but that is also important to the general look at the Oxford and London worlds that provide the backdrop for a lot of the people ruling those decisions。 As a fleeting first person novel， there aren't really answers to the issues raised， but more a look at a version of millennial existence。I have lived in both the locations in the novel in vaguely similar circumstances， which made me drawn into the character and narrative perhaps more than I might've been， and there are a lot of little details that bring these locations and the protagonist's existence to life。 Three Rooms presents a clash not only between sides in political issues， but also between ways in which someone can be privileged and not， and between real life and the internet。 。。。more
Taylor
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This book is a well-composed， almost self-aware piece of literature with an experimental vibe， and is quick to read。 Part II spoke to me， in particular， because I saw a lot of myself reflected in the protagonist。 Unfortunately， I believe a lot of nuance was lost on me because I'm not versed in English politics。 But that's my fault， not the author's。 This book is a well-composed， almost self-aware piece of literature with an experimental vibe， and is quick to read。 Part II spoke to me， in particular， because I saw a lot of myself reflected in the protagonist。 Unfortunately， I believe a lot of nuance was lost on me because I'm not versed in English politics。 But that's my fault， not the author's。 。。。more
Paul
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Really strong writing here。 I'm probably the wrong age and gender for this， but I do like literary fiction。 This is a bit slow overall， and will not satisfy many readers。 It also doesn't have the polish of a more experience author and it felt like she tried too hard once in a while， but with so much promise， this is probably an author to watch。 Serious readers and literary fans will likely enjoy this most。 3。5 Stars。Thanks very much for the ARC for review！！ Really strong writing here。 I'm probably the wrong age and gender for this， but I do like literary fiction。 This is a bit slow overall， and will not satisfy many readers。 It also doesn't have the polish of a more experience author and it felt like she tried too hard once in a while， but with so much promise， this is probably an author to watch。 Serious readers and literary fans will likely enjoy this most。 3。5 Stars。Thanks very much for the ARC for review！！ 。。。more
Karen
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This seemed well written， but I was bored。 It doesn't really have a plot; it's more of a portrait。 It's a book about circumstances rather than a specific person of story。 The protagonist has no name， is an indeterminate non-white race with a father who has some sort of accent， seems maybe bisexual but never dates。 She's fairly generic - liberal， overeducated and underemployed， and having difficulty affording a place to live。 The book is about the economic obstacles millenials face and the politi This seemed well written， but I was bored。 It doesn't really have a plot; it's more of a portrait。 It's a book about circumstances rather than a specific person of story。 The protagonist has no name， is an indeterminate non-white race with a father who has some sort of accent， seems maybe bisexual but never dates。 She's fairly generic - liberal， overeducated and underemployed， and having difficulty affording a place to live。 The book is about the economic obstacles millenials face and the political atmosphere in Britain （mostly around Brexit）， and I guess about social media。 But it was hard for me to pay attention without a story， and I wasn't very invested in the character。 。。。more
Queralt✨
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*3，5The unnamed main character has one goal: to live in an apartment that she can afford， by herself， where she can invite her friends over for drinks and food。 However simple goal it may sound， reality proves her wrong。 The main character talks about her jobs， people whose personalities only exist in Instagram and Twitter （and what this does to the people who feed from their hypocrisy）， rent fees， Brexit， and what it means to be successful。The writing is hands-down one of the most beautiful thi *3，5The unnamed main character has one goal: to live in an apartment that she can afford， by herself， where she can invite her friends over for drinks and food。 However simple goal it may sound， reality proves her wrong。 The main character talks about her jobs， people whose personalities only exist in Instagram and Twitter （and what this does to the people who feed from their hypocrisy）， rent fees， Brexit， and what it means to be successful。The writing is hands-down one of the most beautiful things I have ever encountered。 I was in awe and enthralled in every page， but it was a "style over character" type of novel。 I loved it and I connected with the character but， somehow， I guessed the ending and I found myself reading because of the writing rather than the meaning of the words。 I'm looking forward reading more of Hamya - something with a plot or something that keeps me hooked， rather than a sort of bildungsroman comprised in meandering and introspective thoughts based on social media， appearances， and class。 It was interesting， but I am not sure if I will think about it in the coming weeks， since it felt like reading thoughts I probably had at some point or another beautifully regurgitated and re-written by someone else。ARC provided by NetGalley :） 。。。more
Lizzy Wizzy
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“。。。When did it become ridiculous to think that a stable economy and a fair housing market were reasonable expectations？”Three Rooms was mainly a book about millennial disillusionment and wealth/income inequality， which for me offered up a fair few striking insights， but unfortunately I feel like too much of the interest got muddied by the tedium of academia （the Oxford months） and the incessant Brexit ruminations。 I enjoyed the descriptors employed in setting the scene for each of the housing s “。。。When did it become ridiculous to think that a stable economy and a fair housing market were reasonable expectations？”Three Rooms was mainly a book about millennial disillusionment and wealth/income inequality， which for me offered up a fair few striking insights， but unfortunately I feel like too much of the interest got muddied by the tedium of academia （the Oxford months） and the incessant Brexit ruminations。 I enjoyed the descriptors employed in setting the scene for each of the housing situations our narrator finds herself in， although it would have been beneficial （in my opinion） for this to be expanded on even more。 There were a few mentions of themes central to millennial life that did get me thinking: the “privilege Olympics，” the beguiling phenomenon that is social media lifestyle curation， “structural privilege，” and the emotionally exhausting effect of staying up to date with the online news reels。 Overall I found the tone of this book to be very apathetic and whiny， which resulted in a story in which I forged no meaningful connections with any of its characters or settings。 I think this book set out to do what it aimed， it just didn’t make for a memorable read。 Thank you NetGalley for the ARC！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Three Rooms
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Three Rooms&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Three Rooms&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0