The Giant Dark tells the story of Aida, a rockstar with a cultish fanbase, and Ehsan, her first love. Beginning nearly ten years after they split up, they reunite at a party in London and try to rekindle the love they had in their twenties. The perspective switches between Aida, Ehsan and Aida’s fans — the most interesting part of the story. Aida’s public image is contrasted with deeply personal descriptions of her day-to-day life and memories. We’re told that Aida is an engaging artist whose whole career has been inspired by Ehsan, but her passion for both her muse and the music itself pale in comparison to her fan’s love of her. Fans of Sally Rooney will probably enjoy this more than I did. For me, I had the same question as I did with Normal People: why? Why do these two people love each other? Why is Aida a musician? The characters’ motivations were always a mystery to me, and though the writing itself impressed me, the story left me with a hollow feeling that none of it mattered at all. MG

Published by Dialogue Books