What Does it Feel Like?

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER!

‘Only Sophie Kinsella can make you laugh like this while she’s got you crying … This is one of the gutsiest moves I’ve seen from a writer in a long time. I could not put it down.’ TAYLOR JENKINS REID

‘I laughed. And I cried. And then I thought about the meaning of life. A jewel of a book.’ JOJO MOYES

’Emotional and affecting, this gave me a new appreciation for life’s small joys.’ Red

‘The bravest book you’ll read all year.’ JODI PICOULT

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From Number One bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an unforgettable story – by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming – of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.

‘What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.’ — SOPHIE KINSELLA

Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumour growing in her brain.

As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again — and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children — she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights and always buying that dress when she sees it.

Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This extraordinary novella is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humour – it will both break your heart and put it back together again.

‘Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.’ – SOPHIE KINSELLA

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‘I was gripped and moved and I loved every word.’ LISA JEWELL

‘A beautiful love story and a glowing beacon of hope.’ JENNY COLGAN

‘Heartbreaking yet hopeful, this life-affirming read encourages us all to take life by the horns.’ Prima

‘Of all the books I have read about living with cancer this is by far the best. Beautifully written, profound and deeply moving.’ HENRY MARSH


Sophie Kinsella, Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller, June 2024
Sophie Kinsella, Sunday Times bestseller, October 2024