Australian Competitions Club

http://www.elle.com.au/win/win-the-answers-book-by-catherine-lacey-13909

WIN A Copy Of 'The Answers' By Catherine Lacey

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Fans of 'The Bachelor' will love our August Book of the Month.

the answers book by catherine lacey
Named one of publishing magazine Granta’s best young American novelists, Chicago-based Lacey’s second novel follows the plight of the somewhat reclusive and chronically pained Mary, whose mystery disease is becoming increasingly unbearable – and she increasingly desperate for a cure. She becomes hooked on the New Age ways of an alternative health practitioner, who specialises in “neuro-physio-chi bodywork” – but as anyone who’s ever tried to claim Kinesiology on their health fund can attest to, his promise of a fix doesn’t come cheap. To help foot the bill, Mary responds to an ambiguous job ad she finds pinned up in a health food store, and before she knows it, has been recruited to The Girlfriend Experience (or ‘GX’), a The Bachelor-style social experiment constructed by a wealthy actor, seemingly frustrated by his inability to find a true and lasting connection with any one woman.

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Mary is assigned the role of the Emotional Girlfriend to Kurt, but there’s also the Intellectual Girlfriend, Mundanity Girlfriend and the Maternal Girlfriend, among others. Along with a generous salary, Mary’s given a list of pre-approved Signs of Affection and an Emotional Girlfriend Handbook containing a series of bizarre requests, like, “at some point after two and four months we’re going to need you to be able to cry in front of Kurt”. As the GX progresses, Kurt and the Girlfriends’ search for answers about love ultimately leads them further down the experiment’s complex (and often messy) rabbit hole – making for an irreverent take on common affairs of the heart, and the way our identities can shape-shift as we navigate relationships. Lacey also isn’t afraid to cast an (often amusing) light on the lengths our crystal-cleansing, IV-drip-injecting generation will go to in search of a fix – whether real or perceived. “It didn’t matter if I believed in [Ed] or not,” reflects Mary. “It didn’t even matter if he was right. It was an explanation. A story.”

Why would you like to win a copy of The Answers?

By entering the competition you agree to receive ELLE Australia newsletters and marketing communications. Competition opens July 24th 2017, and closes 21st August 2017, at 11.59pm AEST. Open to Australian residents aged 18 years and over only. One entry permitted per person. This is a game of skill, not a game of chance. Go to www.bauer-media.com.au/privacy/ for location of Bauer Media privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time, using the unsubscribe facility within the newsletter. The Promoter is Bauer Media Pty Ltd (ABN 18 053 273 546).