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theguardian.com

Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason review – a tale of literary obsession, with cameos from real-life authors

A heartbroken woman becomes fixated on a famous writer in this witty, touching follow-up to Sorrow and BlissThe protagonist of Meg Mason’s new book, the follow-up to the 2020 tragicomedy Sorrow and Bliss, is an invisible woman. She might well be standing there but you won’t notice her. She’s a techie at literary festivals – the person who shuffles up to a famous writer a few minutes before their event and apologetically slides a microphone cable down their shirt while they’re making small talk with the chair or accepting a bottle of room-temperature mineral water from an anxious publicist.No man is a hero to his valet, and no writer is a hero to the technical staff lurking in the wings of a venue. Mason’s opening pages present a teasing but not quite libellous series of cameos from real writers: George Saunders deciding at an inconsiderately late stage to insist on swapping his headset for a lapel mic; Ann Patchett being frosty with a fan; Mick Herron accidentally stepping

Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason review – a tale of literary obsession, with cameos from real-life authors
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Krit Wong

10h ago
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