What a Shame: 'Intelligent, moving and darkly comic' The Sunday Times

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The two aspects of shame I have experienced, the one negative and exiling, the other positive and humbling, are core to the human experience. Shame tears us apart; and shame allows for compassion and contrition. Paul understood this. As do the following writers. i have nothing much to say of this book apart from it was just okay. i believe this is bergstrom’s debut so it is completely understandable. it’s a normal reaction to me almost. It also explores the notion of social media and how nothing you see online is ‘real’ and everybody has something going on, everybody has their own “stuff” whether they share it or not. Intelligent, moving and darkly comic . . . taking us deftly from serious explorations of trauma to riotously funny scenes of modern life’ The Sunday Times

This book is one of the most honest depictions of grief i’ve ever read - it took me quite a while to get through as I had to keep stopping to absorb what i’d just read. Jasvinder Sanghera is the founder of British Human Rights charity, Karma Nirvana who support all victims of Honour Abuse and Forced Marriage. I loved her volunteer work, her learning at every stage. I am happy she met the women she met. I am grateful for their open mindedness, their empathy and non judgement. It's, of course, a tough read, challenging, with very emotional passages (e.g. the horrific suicide of her sister following years of domestic abuse -a reminder that, women from India and the Middle-East are three times more likely to commit suicide than their White counterparts...) but absolutely necessary to fully understand the impact of forced marriages. She escaped such a fate, but how many didn't and still don't? Intelligent, moving and darkly comic . . . taking us deftly from serious explorations of trauma and consent to riotously funny scenes of modern life'First of all it pissed me off, the way her parents thought they were better than The English people, they considered white, low class (there words , not mine) but the whites were good enough to let them live there and care for them and this is what is wrong with Europe nowadays. May cause you to inflate your ego to hide the belief that you don’t have value ( narcissistic personality) Affecting, clever and blisteringly humorous... a riveting read about heartbreak, female shame and self-acceptance' - Sarra Manning, Red Magazine Tender, unflinching and blisteringly funny, What a Shame glitters with rage and heartbreak, perfect for fans of Emma Jane Unsworth, Dolly Alderton and Holly Bourne.

Tender, unflinching and blisteringly funny, What a Shame glitters with rage and heartbreak, perfect for fans of Emma Jane Unsworth, Dolly Alderton and Holly Bourne. Lareese’s Review Westermann S, Rief W, Euteneuer F, Kohlman S. Social exclusion and shame in obesity. Eat Behav. 2015;17:74-6. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2015.01.001

It is such an obvious choice I thought I shouldn’t include it. Then I realised that such an omission was not possible. It is one of the greatest works about shame ever written, including the shame of self-righteousness and the dishonour of thinking you are better than your fellows. I have met people who don’t admire Dostoevsky’s novel: they’re usually moral idiots. This was a sharp and personal debut about Mathilda, who has in many ways lost herself due to grief and heartbreak. It is in a way difficult and easy read at the same time. The subject matter is hard, but it is written in a manner that one wants to laugh and cry along with Mathilda. I really liked how the story switches between the her point of view to her speaking directly to her dad and her previous partner. The plot kept moving while the writing was beautiful on a sentence level. A definite recommend! if mathilda were to have a song, it’ll undoubtedly be harry styles’ famous “matilda”. that’s it. that’s the verdict. beep. I always love a book that focuses on the importance of female friendships, because aren’t they just the best? There really is something so beautiful about the sisterhood us women feel. Would 100% recommend this book (to the right person, maybe not your aunt), can’t wait to read Abigail’s next masterpiece!

Don’t forget to let yourself be sad. You are allowed. Grief is a good thing. It means that you loved someone. It means that they mattered.” Misfortunes rarely arrive alone, as Mathilda, the protagonist of Abigail Bergstrom’s tender and wise What a Shame, knows too well. Reeling from the death of her father and the abrupt departure of her partner, her heartbreak is – try as she might – impossible to parse. There is a sense of life passing, and barely lived; of the paths laid out before us, both elusive and binding. And over everything, the spectre of female shame lingers. Intelligent, moving and darkly comic . . . taking us deftly from serious explorations of trauma and consent to riotously funny scenes of modern life’ Adults meets little scratch in this bold, funny and tender debut, which captures the pain of heartbreak and the universal heat of female shame through a very unique journey towards self-acceptance. I had also never considered "middle eastern" women asian, but with these references I looked into marriage and other practices in China and other countries I considered "Asian". The practices vary but they have more in common than I would have guessed.What a Shame’ is a perfect balance of genuine heart and awkward humour. If you enjoyed ‘Fleabag’ and writers like Caitlin Moran and Dawn O’ Porter I think you’ll love this debut.