What It's Like in Words

Enola is approaching 30 and everything feels like a lot. The boxes arent ticked and she feels adrift in a way she thought she would have beaten by now. She wants to be a writer but can't finish a first draft; she romanticises her childhood but wont speak to her mother; she has never been in a serious relationship but yearns to be one half of a couple that DIYs together at the weekends. Enter: enigmatic writer. Enola falls in love and starts to dream about their perfect future: the wedding, the publishing deals, the house in Stoke Newington. But the reality is far from perfect. Hes distant. But shes a Cool Girl, she doesnt need to hear from him every day. He hangs out with his ex. But she's a Cool Girl, shes not insecure. Is she? He has dark moods. But hes a creative, thats part of his process. Her best friend begs her to end it, but Enola cant. She's a Cool Girl. She might feel like shes going crazy at times, but she wants him. She needs him. She would die without him...That's what love is, isnt it? Over the next twenty-four hours (and two years), everything that Enola thinks she knows is about to unravel, and she has to think again about how she sees love, family, and friendship and - most importantly - herself. With notes of Fleabag & I May Destroy You but with the sparseness and emotional accuracy of writers like Ali Smith and Lily King, What It's Like In Words is a close examination of what it means to experience the intense emotional uncertainty of first love.