“I’m trying to keep the fear at bay by doing stuff. I’ve reorganized my hammock. I’ve redrafted my monthly budget to make it last two months. I’m doing a ton of walking, because, you know, walking’s free. Plus it gives you endorphins and will therefore, in theory, cheer me up. Although I can’t say that’s really working. And I’m still up to date with Instagram. I’ve posted moody images of London streets at 4 a.m. (I couldn’t sleep but I didn’t mention that.) I’ve posted a photo of the new pretzel stand at Victoria. I sound bright and breezy and employed. You’d never know the truth.”
— Sophie Kinsella, My Not So Perfect Life
As a hardcore Sophie Kinsella fan, I expected a lot from her new novel My Not So Perfect Life (2017). I knew what I was going go get — witty humor, cringe-worthy situations and romance, of course. Little did I know, however, that this would be the book that I would be able to identify most with out of all of Kinsella’s books (and believe you me, I’ve read them all). For a 20-something student nearing graduation and trying to find a job in her own field, such as myself, this book is a must-read. The book depicts perfectly the struggle of living in an expensive city (okay, Helsinki and London are not exactly comparable, but still) while working in a low-paying job and hoping that someday you will work your way up and have the life you were meant to have. (Plus, if you get really lucky, you might also get a hot yet adorable guy as a bonus.)
The story centers around Katie Brenner, who has left farm life in Somerset behind her in order to pursuit a career in branding in London. Turns out, life in the city is a lot harder than one might imagine and her dream job doesn’t quite live up to what she expected it to be either. To keep her spirits up and to convince herself that the life of a Londoner is as fabulous as she imagined, she makes sure her Instagram feed is as cool and impressive as can be. She both admires and dislikes her driven yet socially awkward boss, who ends up rudely firing Katie without a proper explanation. Crushed, Katie returns home to her dad’s farm to help him and his wife set up a glamping site. When suddenly her old boss appears for a weekend of glamping, Katie has an opportunity to get revenge on the woman who crushed her dreams.
The synopsis of the story gives only a vague idea of what the book is really about. Kinsella’s stories are always full of surprises and plot twists, and you can never be quite sure how the story will eventually unfold. At first you get the impression that this is an educational story of the hypocrisy of social media, which, to a point, it is. But there is also so much more than that. Kinsella manages to perfectly capture the agony and depression and false hopes you get when applying for jobs, or when you must choose whether to eat out with your friends or to go home to make veggie stew because you cannot afford to spend your last coins on an expensive dinner. All this, while at the same time convincing your followers on Instagram that “oh yes, I absolutely adore my fabulous London life. Look at this lovely cup of frappuccino worth my entire day’s budget!” I’m pretty sure it is safe to say that we all have been guilty of polishing up our lives on social media, and I get it — Instagram wouldn’t be half as much fun if we all just posted gloomy pictures of our exam books, work reports and microwave meals. But it is important to remember, that despite what we see our friends and acquaintances posting on their feed, that is not the whole truth. Someone ought to take an example from the book and start a trending hashtag #mynotsoperfectlife, I at least would have plenty of stuff to post!