Fiction

One's Company

One's Company

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-07-25 08:51:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ashley Hutson
  • ISBN：0393866645
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Summary

Bonnie Lincoln just wants to be left alone。 To come home from work， shut out the ghosts of some devastating losses， and unwind in front of the nostalgic， golden glow of her favorite TV show， Three’s Company。


When Bonnie wins the lottery， a more grandiose vision—to completely shuck off her own troublesome identity—takes shape。 She plans a drastic move to an isolated mountain retreat where she can re-create the iconic apartment set of Three’s Company and slip into the lives of its main characters: no-nonsense Janet Wood， pleasantly airheaded Chrissy Snow， and confident Jack Tripper。 While her best friend， Krystal， tries to drag her back to her old life， Bonnie is determined to transcend pain， trauma， and the baggage of her past by immersing herself in the ultimate binge-watch。

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Reviews

Nicole ，

It’s hard to give this book a rating。 So I’ll just write a review， a story that seems quirky and strange and a bit dark humor wrapped around trauma， grief， and delusion。I think - overall- it is definitely a 4 star book， but based upon how I feel about it， connected to it， enjoyed it， etc。 i still don’t know。

Katie Wheeler ，

This book is so STRANGE！ But it was exactly what I needed to pull me out of a reading slump。 Nothing like anything I have ever read before！ Great debut novel！

AJ Buckle ，

Bonnie Lincoln is a supremely unlikable protagonist。 Watching （and I use that verb for a reason） her descent into madness is satisfying in a perverse way。

Carrie Blythe ，

4。50 stars

a！nsley ，

{3。5⭐️} This and ‘My Year of Rest and Relaxation’ can have their own shelf called: “Unreliable female narrators that isolate and subsequently self-sabotage”。 That being said， I thought it was pretty good—I just can’t tell if my apathy toward everything in the story was what the author was intending， or not。 Favorite Quote（s）:“I suspected that the women felt betrayed—I refused to play a game they had never felt free enough the refuse， and women generally don’t like being reminded that if one is w {3。5⭐️} This and ‘My Year of Rest and Relaxation’ can have their own shelf called: “Unreliable female narrators that isolate and subsequently self-sabotage”。 That being said， I thought it was pretty good—I just can’t tell if my apathy toward everything in the story was what the author was intending， or not。 Favorite Quote（s）:“I suspected that the women felt betrayed—I refused to play a game they had never felt free enough the refuse， and women generally don’t like being reminded that if one is willing to be unattractive， you can get away with anything。”“To truly exist in the external world， others must judge you worthy。 Like Tinkerbell being clapped into reality， my strength required others to will it into existence with their faith， and by just presenting as a male I felt like I’d gained a new respect， a strange sense of invincibility。 Of invisibility， to a degree。”“That’s the beauty of anything set firmly in the past， especially a past time that was never one’s present—you know how it ends。” 。。。more

Jane Harris ，

she Synecdoche， New York’ed herself！

Lissa ，

4。5 ⭐️

Hayley ，

5 star concept: Emotionally stunted Bonnie lives through a traumatic event and comforts herself by watching Three's Company over and over again。 When she wins the lottery， she decides to retreat from society to build and live out the rest of her life in a perfect replica of the apartment building from the show。2-3 star execution: I didn't connect much with the protagonist or the writing style。 -Bonnie was unlikeable， but not in a clever way where the reader roots for her anyway。 Total sad sack。 5 star concept: Emotionally stunted Bonnie lives through a traumatic event and comforts herself by watching Three's Company over and over again。 When she wins the lottery， she decides to retreat from society to build and live out the rest of her life in a perfect replica of the apartment building from the show。2-3 star execution: I didn't connect much with the protagonist or the writing style。 -Bonnie was unlikeable， but not in a clever way where the reader roots for her anyway。 Total sad sack。 -The writing felt very "creative writing capstone" and could have used some major editing。 Way too much description and not enough action or anything of value being said。 Could have been 100 pages shorter。 I skimmed a LOT from around the 20% mark all the way to the end。-The execution of this concept should have been sharp and satirical， but there were only a couple of passages in the whole book that I would describe as such。-I also question the choice of first person perspective， and think third person would have worked better considering the whole TV show angle - make the reader feel like they're watching a TV show。 Not being inside Bonnie's head would have been a bonus。-On the plus side， some of the descriptions of Bonnie walking around the property in costume were very funny。 。。。more

Frosty61 ，

Quote: "The more you have to live for， the more can be taken away。"That about sums up what the main character， Bonnie， believes and uses to justify her deep dive into the pursuit of perfect isolation。 She's suffered tremendous trauma which has lead to her to want an alternate reality - one where she's in absolute control of events and emotion。 When she wins the lottery， she's able to build an authentic perfect world （The sets from the TV show， Three's Company） where she's safe and untouchable。 O Quote: "The more you have to live for， the more can be taken away。"That about sums up what the main character， Bonnie， believes and uses to justify her deep dive into the pursuit of perfect isolation。 She's suffered tremendous trauma which has lead to her to want an alternate reality - one where she's in absolute control of events and emotion。 When she wins the lottery， she's able to build an authentic perfect world （The sets from the TV show， Three's Company） where she's safe and untouchable。 Obviously， things don't go as expected。Heartbreaking， scary， and haunting， the story is well written but it's hard to read。 Bonnie isn't particularly likeable， she's full of rage， and her actions are difficult to understand。 She's unpredictable and a ticking time bomb。 Though it gets overly wordy with the Three's Company detail， the plot kept me on the edge of my seat （this is NOT a relaxing tale）， wondering what was coming next。 The ending？ Ambiguous， sadly。 I wouldn't say I 'really liked' the book， so its a 3 star read though it has disturbingly stayed in my mind several days after reading it。Quote: "The world was so haphazard and frightening， why not arrange it the way I wanted it？" 。。。more

Kate ，

So， so weird。 Like Merricat Blackwood for the 21st century。 Maybe it's because I can relate so much to both of those characters， but this odd little book might be a new favorite。 So， so weird。 Like Merricat Blackwood for the 21st century。 Maybe it's because I can relate so much to both of those characters， but this odd little book might be a new favorite。 。。。more

Shannon （The Book Club Mom） ，

One’s Company by Ashley Hutson is unfortunately a classic case of “this book was not for me，” mixed with “expectations were high but not met。” Such a bummer！ I always appreciate unique and quirky stories， but this one just went a tad too far for my liking。 I will give the author points for originality and great writing， though。 I considered DNFing it multiple times， but just had to know where the heck this story would go！ I was interested enough to see how it finished， but was left extremely und One’s Company by Ashley Hutson is unfortunately a classic case of “this book was not for me，” mixed with “expectations were high but not met。” Such a bummer！ I always appreciate unique and quirky stories， but this one just went a tad too far for my liking。 I will give the author points for originality and great writing， though。 I considered DNFing it multiple times， but just had to know where the heck this story would go！ I was interested enough to see how it finished， but was left extremely underwhelmed in the end。 This book is definitely not for everyone， so proceed with caution。 Overall， it was just meh for me！ 。。。more

Jess ，

This was a strange one。 Bonnie likes the classic sitcom Three’s Company。 She goes through a traumatic event and becomes obsessed with Three’s Company。 She then wins the lottery and decides to build the world of Three’s Company and live in it like an alternate reality。 This explores mental health， PTSD， delusions， and depression。

Lea ，

This is like an even darker “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” （credit to the bookstore Book Culture LIC for noting the parallel in a placard so that I picked it up）

Carolyn Wright ，

Don’t let the book description fool you into thinking this is a light hearted story with references to winning the lottery and Three’s Company。 This book is a devastating look at someone who has endured terrible trauma and is desperately trying to escape its aftermath。 I could not put it down。

Michael ，

I REALLY enjoyed this - I kept thinking I was gonna put it away cause I was so excited to start my next book （my most anticipated release of the year） but I waited a few extra days cause I was genuinely so intrigued by this story。 It’s really quirky and feels super light and funny but the last 20 pages get pretty real and you’re like “yeah， I suppose this is how this story actually ends”。 I didn’t see it coming and yet duh， of course。 If you’re looking for a super interesting （and fun） summer re I REALLY enjoyed this - I kept thinking I was gonna put it away cause I was so excited to start my next book （my most anticipated release of the year） but I waited a few extra days cause I was genuinely so intrigued by this story。 It’s really quirky and feels super light and funny but the last 20 pages get pretty real and you’re like “yeah， I suppose this is how this story actually ends”。 I didn’t see it coming and yet duh， of course。 If you’re looking for a super interesting （and fun） summer read - I’d recommend it 。。。more

Bob Comparda ，

The premise for this book was so wild that I couldn't help but pick it up。 Quickly I realized that it wasn't going to be as light hearted and goofy as I thought it'd be。 This story is actually pretty dark and deals with some pretty serious topics。 Death， depression， sexual abuse， PTSD， different ways of dealing with grief， and mental disorders all play a part in the story。 A woman wins the lottery and decides to spend her money in an effort to remove herself completely from society， and live in The premise for this book was so wild that I couldn't help but pick it up。 Quickly I realized that it wasn't going to be as light hearted and goofy as I thought it'd be。 This story is actually pretty dark and deals with some pretty serious topics。 Death， depression， sexual abuse， PTSD， different ways of dealing with grief， and mental disorders all play a part in the story。 A woman wins the lottery and decides to spend her money in an effort to remove herself completely from society， and live in isolation， reenacting the television show Three's Company over and over one character at a time。 I was unsure when I began where the plot would go， but I was never bored， and the story did a great job at building a certain level of tension and never dropping it。 It was hard to put down as Bonnie sank further and further into her madness。 Even though she is living in the past， it's hard to escape the present where people can never mind their own business and let people be。 Definitely a good read， I'd recommend to anyone looking for something a little different。 。。。more

Jojobooks Higgins ，

3。89 stars！This was insane and I kinda loved it。 Grab it if you were ever into Three’s Company reruns and be prepared for some （real）dark twists。

Brooke ，

I just could not get into it and did not have any desire to finish the story。

audri ☮️❤️☮️❤️ ，

“We have My Year of Rest and Relaxation at home”My Year of Rest and Relaxation at home:

Matt ，

this was bonkers…but obviously in the BEST way。 a unique deepdive into the psychological effects of a traumatic event as we follow Bonnie immersing herself so much in her favorite TV show that she uses lottery winnings to literally recreate the sets of the show and live as its characters

Amanda ，

“I remembered now。 This was what happened when other people got their hands on the things I loved — my eyes inevitably became their eyes。 I would see everything from outside myself， from a distant perspective， and whatever I had loved would be ruined。 I would see that it was not what I had imagined at all， and it never had been。 It never would be again， either。 Not as long as others laid eyes on it。 Their mere existence took it away from me。“Was there nothing in this world that couldn’t be mine “I remembered now。 This was what happened when other people got their hands on the things I loved — my eyes inevitably became their eyes。 I would see everything from outside myself， from a distant perspective， and whatever I had loved would be ruined。 I would see that it was not what I had imagined at all， and it never had been。 It never would be again， either。 Not as long as others laid eyes on it。 Their mere existence took it away from me。“Was there nothing in this world that couldn’t be mine alone？”After binge-reading One’s Company in a day， I find that I can’t stop thinking about it。 Its propulsive， painful， sad， disturbing， and page-turning storyline explored trauma， grief， loneliness， loss， escape， mental health， and the dark side of humanity through a traumatized and unreliable protagonist。 The writing and storyline were utterly immersive and produced similar feelings to those I experienced while reading Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation。 This was a powerfully disconcerting， highly affecting work， one that I don’t foresee receding into memory anytime soon。As it was published by W。 W。 Norton & Company （independent publishers since 1923）， this book satisfies The Bookstore Podcast March reading challenge prompt， which is to read a book published by an indie press。 。。。more

Amber ，

Unique and thought-out。

Mara ，

4。5 starsAbsolutely loved the concept。 Great pace， solid writing。 ending was not quite as strong as I would have liked。"I knew better。 Other people can ruin a dream just by knowing it。" （p。4）"I wanted to disappear into a new， unexpected version of myself。" （p。15）"People who declare things impossible lack a ruthless imagination。" （p。194） 4。5 starsAbsolutely loved the concept。 Great pace， solid writing。 ending was not quite as strong as I would have liked。"I knew better。 Other people can ruin a dream just by knowing it。" （p。4）"I wanted to disappear into a new， unexpected version of myself。" （p。15）"People who declare things impossible lack a ruthless imagination。" （p。194） 。。。more

Sophia ，

4。5 stars / that was incredible and so entertaining。 A book about trauma and coping with that through immersion， it was so weird and wacky and felt ottessa moshfegh-ish。 Only downside is Ive never seen threes company and had to google what all the characters looked like。 I enjoyed the pacing and monologues and the ending punched me in the gut。 I picked this one up purely based on reading the blurb on the back and was not disappointed。 Also if i ever go insane， win the lottery and build my own se 4。5 stars / that was incredible and so entertaining。 A book about trauma and coping with that through immersion， it was so weird and wacky and felt ottessa moshfegh-ish。 Only downside is Ive never seen threes company and had to google what all the characters looked like。 I enjoyed the pacing and monologues and the ending punched me in the gut。 I picked this one up purely based on reading the blurb on the back and was not disappointed。 Also if i ever go insane， win the lottery and build my own set of gilmore girls i dont wanna hear anything from y’all 。 。。。more

Debbie ，

2。5Not all weirdos are wonderful Usually I’m all excited when there’s a weirdo， but this one， Bonnie， left me cold。 （Note to self: just because a character is weird or batshit crazy， it doesn’t mean she’s interesting or fun to be around。） Loner-loser Bonnie has lived through a trauma and then she wins a hugundous lottery。 I expected to see some excitement， like a yahoo or two， but she is one of the most stoic winners in history。 （There should be a lottery police that requires the winner to go cu 2。5Not all weirdos are wonderful Usually I’m all excited when there’s a weirdo， but this one， Bonnie， left me cold。 （Note to self: just because a character is weird or batshit crazy， it doesn’t mean she’s interesting or fun to be around。） Loner-loser Bonnie has lived through a trauma and then she wins a hugundous lottery。 I expected to see some excitement， like a yahoo or two， but she is one of the most stoic winners in history。 （There should be a lottery police that requires the winner to go cuckoo with happiness; if not， the police should renege and give the dough to someone who will appropriately flip out when they win！） Also， the traumatic event she had been through is weirdly downplayed， though I’m thinking maybe the writer intended that—like Bonnie is repressing it so we readers don’t get a dramatic replay。 Still， the lack of info and emotion about the trauma bugged me。 Bonnie is obsessed with the 70s sit-com， Three’s Company， and with her huge winnings， she buys a place in the country and replicates the set。 And I mean REALLY replicates it。 I scream， “Give me some juice， give me some interaction， knock off explaining what wall is painted what color and what dishes are in the sink！” I didn’t find her obsession interesting in the least。 The author got too carried away with description， like her writing assignment was to be very articulate and dig deep into the appearance of the set， leaving nothing out。 Bonnie hired a huge crew to create the elaborate， multi-room setup exactly how she wanted it—she was pretty overbearing when it came to the worker bees。 The author gets an A for creating such a detailed set—it was clever and thorough。 Come to think of it， an architecture or design magazine would have a field day with this。 But this is a novel， folks， and character is sort of a major factor here， wouldn’t you say？ I like it when the author looks carefully inside a character， not a static set。 I couldn’t stand it—building the set went on forever。 Meanwhile， what we had here was an anti-social， bossy missy who rubbed me the wrong way。 Bonnie hates people， even her supposed friend （who she treated terribly）， so she stays away from everyone。 This added to my dislike of her。 I wanted interaction—and bring in someone with heart and soul， please！ But we’re left with a domineering set-creator who doesn’t like anyone or anything。 Well， halfway through the book， another person enters the scene， and finally， there’s some dialogue and some action besides set building。 Also， we get to see inside Bonnie’s head a little more， and I did feel some sympathy for her then。 She has some major head disorders， though I’m not sure they are always presented in a way that seems on the mark。 And I apparently held a big grudge against Bonnie。 I had washed my hands of her in the first half of the book， and damn it， she couldn’t butter me up in the second half， no matter what; I wouldn’t be swayed and like her， oh no。 I did calm down enough to realize there was depth to the writing and some improved character development （and yes， some excitement）， and I enjoyed it more。 This led me to giving the book 2。5 stars， rounded up， instead of doling out 1。5 or 2 stars。The book is advertised as being quirky， and as I said， quirk doesn’t have to work just because there’s weirdness。 I will say that lovers of Three’s Company will be in hog heaven。 Bonnie discusses the traits and clothes of all the characters and takes on their lives。 If I had loved the show， I’m sure I’d have been drooling over Bonnie’s trip down memory lane， all the minute details she gives about its characters and setting， and the perfect replication， which was indeed clever。This book is getting high marks from most other readers， so be sure to read their reviews when considering this book。 I’m definitely the outlier。Thanks to Edelweiss for the advance copy。 。。。more

John Spiller ，

After reading a capsule summary of the plot， it would easy to dismiss "One's Company" as a zany commentary on American culture。 I mean， lottery winner builds simulacrum of the set of sitcom "Three's Company" sounds like lightweight stuff， right？ In the word of a disgraced former President: wrong。 Bonnie Lincoln loses her birth parents to suicide and cancer。 She finds a surrogate family of sorts， only to lose most of them in a convenience store robbery where she is raped。 She finds escape in the After reading a capsule summary of the plot， it would easy to dismiss "One's Company" as a zany commentary on American culture。 I mean， lottery winner builds simulacrum of the set of sitcom "Three's Company" sounds like lightweight stuff， right？ In the word of a disgraced former President: wrong。 Bonnie Lincoln loses her birth parents to suicide and cancer。 She finds a surrogate family of sorts， only to lose most of them in a convenience store robbery where she is raped。 She finds escape in the 1970's sitcom "Three's Company"。 She then wins an astronomical sum of money in the lottery and uses her winnings to create her private Shangri-la isolated from the indignities of the outside world: a life-size mock up of the world of "Three's Company"。 The apartments， the Regal Beagle， Janet's flower shop， the works。 Bonnie creates a world unmoored from her past reality。 Real life intrudes， however， and Bonnie's life follows a toilet bowl vortex downward。"One's Company" left the same impression upon me as "Civilwarland in Bad Decline" by George Saunders。 Beautifully written， broadly weird story about damaged people。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Kelly （and the Book Boar） ，

The afternoon I walked to the gas station， I received the mission of my life， the plan， and it was channeled through the television show Three’s Company。 Bonnie finds herself the sole survivor of an armed robbery at the local mom and pop market where she works。 Raped and battered， Bonnie was witness to nearly her entire “adopted” family being gunned down。 Unable to deal with her trauma， Bonnie self isolates and immerses herself in her idea of utopia – that which belongs to the residents o The afternoon I walked to the gas station， I received the mission of my life， the plan， and it was channeled through the television show Three’s Company。 Bonnie finds herself the sole survivor of an armed robbery at the local mom and pop market where she works。 Raped and battered， Bonnie was witness to nearly her entire “adopted” family being gunned down。 Unable to deal with her trauma， Bonnie self isolates and immerses herself in her idea of utopia – that which belongs to the residents of Apartment 205 – Jack， Janet and Chrissy。 When Bonnie ends up being the lone winner of the biggest jackpot in lottery history she decides to make this dream a reality and builds not only 。 。 。 。 But also the Ropers’/Mr。 Furley’s apartments as well as that of ladies’ man Larry Dallas， along with a mini city of sorts containing all of the known landmarks where her best pals go – The Regal Begal， Jack’s technical college culinary class， the flower shop where Janet works， etc。 It is Bonnie’s plan to truly go off the grid and live in a revolving state as each of these characters in perpetuity。 But how long can you really hide from reality？This was totally a “you had me at Three’s Company” instant request and thanks to my wonderful library they bought a copy right away。 If I were to award points solely on originality One’s Company would get about a trillion。 And the parts about the building of petite Santa Monica and all of the details provided regarding the décor of each apartment really had me on the wayback machine to a show that remains a favorite to this day （dear young people， do not come shit on my sundae and tell me the problems with this masterpiece – it was a different time）。 Unfortunately， I really disliked pretty much everything about Bonnie aside from our shared love of re-runs and could not wait to not be in her head any longer， so this one ends up being 3 Stars : （ 。。。more

Tina ，

Quite a unique and clever story！I used to love the show， "Three's Company" which aired in the late 1970's to mid 1980's。 I watched the 80's show in real time and I caught the 70's episodes in re-runs。 It was a great show！ That's what made me decide to try this book out。 Well， Bonnie Lincoln is obsessed with the show。 Like really obsessed！ As it goes she wins the biggest lottery payout in U。S。 history and guess what she wants to do with it？ Build a real-life replica of the show's sets and live al Quite a unique and clever story！I used to love the show， "Three's Company" which aired in the late 1970's to mid 1980's。 I watched the 80's show in real time and I caught the 70's episodes in re-runs。 It was a great show！ That's what made me decide to try this book out。 Well， Bonnie Lincoln is obsessed with the show。 Like really obsessed！ As it goes she wins the biggest lottery payout in U。S。 history and guess what she wants to do with it？ Build a real-life replica of the show's sets and live all by herself in an isolated area as the characters themselves！This reminded me of when I was very young and played imaginary games like house or when we actually acted out tv shows with my friends。 Although we were young and just pretending。 Poor Bonnie tells the story throughout the book and it's not a happy circumstance。This was so different and entertaining。 A really great audio！ 。。。more

Sara ，

Bonnie Lincoln has experienced personal trauma and loss。 Her only comfort has been in watching reruns of the 70’s sitcom Three’s Company。 She has purchased all the seasons on DVD and even bought backup copies in case the originals were damaged。 Everything in her sad life changes when she wins the lottery。 So confident was she that she would be the winner that she had a multi step plan ready to put into place when it happened。 Since her life and the people in it have either disappointed her or d Bonnie Lincoln has experienced personal trauma and loss。 Her only comfort has been in watching reruns of the 70’s sitcom Three’s Company。 She has purchased all the seasons on DVD and even bought backup copies in case the originals were damaged。 Everything in her sad life changes when she wins the lottery。 So confident was she that she would be the winner that she had a multi step plan ready to put into place when it happened。 Since her life and the people in it have either disappointed her or disappeared she has decided to buy a remote mountain property and build exact replicas of the Threes Company sets。 She hires contractors and has them sign NDAs。 She also makes everyone she employs including her lawyer promise to never contact her again。 With few exceptions， she has no human contact for years。 During that time she spends one year at a time living as each character in the show。 This is a quirky story of loneliness and everyone’s lottery wish fulfillment。 。。。more

Ellen ，

It continues to be a great year for debuts。 This has one of the wildest premises I’ve heard of but the comparison to Thomas McCarthy’s REMAINDER sold me （and I think it’s accurate）。 Would add MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION and THE NEW ME as similar。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=One's Company

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=One's Company&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,One's Company&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0