Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett

"Certain written words are alive, active, living — they are entirely in the present, the same present as you. In fact it feels as if they are being written as you read them, that your eyes upon the page are perhaps even making them appear, in any case, certain sentences do not feel in the least bit separate from you or from the moment in time when you are reading them. You feel they wouldn't exist without your seeing them. Like they wouldn't exist without you. And isn't the opposite true too—that the pages you read bring you to life: Turning the pages, turning the pages. Yes, that is how I've gone on living."

Checkout 19 a stream-of-consciousness novel about a writer and her deep connection to writing. It explores her encounters with books, both her own writing and the works of others, and how reading and writing transform her life. The story begins with the unnamed narrator discovering the magic of books and reading. The narrator's relationship with literature is portrayed as a profound and intimate experience, capturing the essence of why people love to read.

Audiobook, as narrated by the author: Bennett did a lovely job of handling the constant deluge of her story. The push and pull is a delicate balance of knowing when to stretch it and when to let it breathe, and I do think this benefitted from having Bennett at the mic.