
People With No Charisma
by Jente Posthuma & Sarah Timmer Harvey
AUCK OUT OF STOCK
WGTN IN STOCK
Pages:
176
Published:
Jul 2025
Format
Paperback
Publisher
Scribe Publications
ISBN:
9781761381348
An unnamed narrator grows up overshadowed by her unconventional mother, an ex-Jehovah's witness and former television star with an inferiority complex. Her father is the head of a psychiatric institution, whose only form of parenting is to offer his daughter the same life advice he dispenses to his patients. Reserved and somewhat aloof, he chooses not to intervene when his wife obsesses about charisma, calorie counting, and turning their daughter into a child prodigy.
Their daughter strives to meet her mother's expectations and bond with her father while secretly worrying she lacks the drive or charisma to do anything significant with her life. When her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she begins to address their generational trauma, forge a new relationship with her father, and discover life on her terms. In twelve chapters - each reflecting a different phase of life - Posthuma expertly dissects a fraught family history, exposing the absurdity that often lies at the heart of life's most poignant and challenging moments.
Praise for What I'd Rather Not Think About-
'A unique story of a twin brother and sister, wryly funny and heartbreakingly sad. Her characters desperately try to make sense of our ever more complex world. This is a rare book. And Jente Posthuma is a treasure and a hell of a writer.'
-Herman Koch, international bestselling author of The Dinner
'From the opening pages of this novel I had no idea where it was going, but I trusted Posthuma completely. Tender, offbeat, and deftly drawn - I loved it.'
-Allee Richards, author of The Small Joys of Real Life
' An exquisitely vulnerable novel.'
-Cameron Woodhead, The Sydney Morning Herald
Their daughter strives to meet her mother's expectations and bond with her father while secretly worrying she lacks the drive or charisma to do anything significant with her life. When her mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she begins to address their generational trauma, forge a new relationship with her father, and discover life on her terms. In twelve chapters - each reflecting a different phase of life - Posthuma expertly dissects a fraught family history, exposing the absurdity that often lies at the heart of life's most poignant and challenging moments.
Praise for What I'd Rather Not Think About-
'A unique story of a twin brother and sister, wryly funny and heartbreakingly sad. Her characters desperately try to make sense of our ever more complex world. This is a rare book. And Jente Posthuma is a treasure and a hell of a writer.'
-Herman Koch, international bestselling author of The Dinner
'From the opening pages of this novel I had no idea where it was going, but I trusted Posthuma completely. Tender, offbeat, and deftly drawn - I loved it.'
-Allee Richards, author of The Small Joys of Real Life
' An exquisitely vulnerable novel.'
-Cameron Woodhead, The Sydney Morning Herald
$35.00