Ask Me Again by Clare Sestanovich
In Clare Sestanovich's debut novel Ask Me Again, tautological questions and half-answers lend a frustrating air to proceedings
Among contemporary novels, there are those in which the arbitrary exploration of the mundane is skilfully used to convey a sense of realism: life, after all, rarely conforms to traditional narrative structures. Then there are those stories which will keep readers searching for a plot, a theme, or any hint of pattern at all. Ask Me Again is one of the latter: it keeps you at the edge of your seat, waiting for something to happen.
In this debut novel by Clare Sestanovich, an author better known for her critically acclaimed short stories, we follow a young woman named Eva through her teenage years and into adulthood, watching her grow and be transformed by the people she meets. Especially significant is Eva’s friendship with Jamie, a mysterious and introspective boy coming from a very different background and who ends up following an even more starkly different path.
Ask Me Again is a novel composed of vignettes, a book of tautological questions and half-answers. While there are certainly some kernels of truth in its precisely put observations, and even some moments of brilliance lurking within its constant metaphors for growth and relationships, it begs the question: is that enough? Is the journey always more significant than the destination? What if it is a winding journey? What if there is no destination? Asking once might be more than enough.