Chrysalis - by Anna Metcalfe (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Chrysalis is the story of a mysterious young woman transforming first her body and then her digital presence, told by three distinct people, each differently mesmerized by her. Elliot, a recluse who notices her at the gym, witnesses her physical evolution as she becomes bigger and stronger, in order to still her body and mind. Bella, her mother, worries about the strange, dark effect her daughter's new way of life is beginning to have on others as she reflects on their relationship, a close cocoon from which her daughter has broken free. Susie, her ex-colleague and best friend, houses and feeds her as she makes the transition to self-created online phenomenon, posting videos of herself meditating for hours in strange physical positions and encouraging her followers to renounce their previous lives and join her in meditative solitude"--

Book Synopsis

This provocative, fiercely imaginative debut follows a woman trying to slip the shackles of society by controlling her body and mind in extreme ways, by one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists.

"Chrysalis is a thrilling look at how we spin silk around ourselves by watching the world on our screens."--The New York Times Book Review

It was hard to be in the present, she said, but if her body were heavier and more in control, then her thoughts would clear and her mind would recover its power.

What happens when a woman dares to take up space? An enigmatic young woman drastically transforms her body, working to become bigger, stronger, and stiller in the wake of a trauma. We see her through the eyes of three people, each differently mesmerized by her, as they reckon with the consequences of her bizarre metamorphosis. Each of them leaves us with a puzzle piece of who she was before she became someone else.

Elliot, a recluse who notices her at the gym, witnesses her physical evolution and becomes her first acolyte. Bella, her mother, worries about the intense effect her daughter's new way of life is beginning to have on others, and she reflects on their relationship, a close cocoon from which her daughter has broken free. Susie, her ex-colleague and best friend, offers her sanctuary and support as she makes the transition to self-created online phenomenon, posting viral meditation videos that encourage her followers to join her in achieving self-sufficiency by isolating themselves from everyone else in their lives.

Uncanny, alluring, and intimate, Chrysalis raises vital questions about selfhood and solitude. This daring novel asks if it is possible for a woman to have agency over her body while remaining part of society, and then offers its own explosive answer.

Review Quotes

"The effect of the novel's triptych form feels like looking at the protagonist through the lens of a kaleidoscope, each segment dazzling, but ultimately fractured, leaving compelling gaps in our perception of who she is."--Electric Lit

"Deliciously timely . . . [Chrysalis] raises questions about all sorts of themes including solitude, influence and agency. The big one is of course: how well do we really know anyone? [Anna] Metcalfe is a properly clever writer--she moves deftly between the voices of her narrators with ease, while her prose is assured, unforced and almost graceful."--AnOther Magazine

"Taking on questions of femininity and expectation, as well as social media and its ability to make a cult leader of anyone, Chrysalis raises as many questions as it answers about our society and our place within it."--Lit Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2023

"A beautifully conceived triptych, shining and modern."--Lillian Fishman, author of Acts of Service

"I just devoured this wonderful, painful, funny novel. Every sentence is full of energy, every description just delicious. I was so struck by the strange loneliness of being in our own heads--this journey to selfhood as a complete internalization, without much interest in a relational existence, except inasmuch as it fosters that transformation. It's so beautiful and cruel, and summed up just perfectly by the ending. Chrysalis absolutely gave me chills."--Avni Doshi, author of Burnt Sugar

"Unputdownable, ice-cool, and wittily contemporary, Chrysalis announces Anna Metcalfe as a distinctive and daring fresh literary voice. Utterly original and with shades of Ottessa Moshfegh, Patricia Lockwood, Yoko Ogawa, and Alexandra Kleeman, this brilliant portrayal of desire and transcendence had me totally entranced."--Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti

"I can't stop thinking about this incredibly smart and totally unique novel. Ranging from online obsession, to mothers and daughters, to the very nature of selfhood, Chrysalis is strange and warm and, crucially, very funny. With shades of Han Kang, Catherine Lacey, and Gwendoline Riley, Metcalfe's writing is both dissecting and effortless; I savored every last brilliant sentence."--Ruth Gilligan, author of The Butchers' Blessing

"Metcalfe's triptych is written in clean, matter-of-fact prose . . . Biographical details are unspooled slowly and with deliberateness . . . A powerful, eerie debut novel that investigates stillness and selfishness."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Perceptive . . . [An] intriguing exercise in narrative . . . Metcalfe clearly has her finger on the pulse of internet culture and its habitués."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Anna Metcalfe was born in Germany. Her short fiction has been published in The Best British Short Stories, The Dublin Review, and Lighthouse Journal, among other places, and has been shortlisted for the Bridport Short Story Prize and the Sunday Times Short Story Award. She is the author of a story collection, Blind Water Pass, which was published in the UK. She teaches creative writing at the University of Birmingham. Chrysalis is her first novel.