Delving into the complex psyche of a middle-aged woman starting over, Uno creates a deeply relatable protagonist struggling to let go of her past. Therapy helps Sachi deal with unresolved sexual trauma from her youth while resurrecting her inner child—who she aptly names Sunshine—as she opens herself up to new ideas about life, sex, and relationships. Through family dynamics, self-awareness, and therapy, Uno’s thoughtful fiction debut explores the multitude of ways the outside world can influence one woman's mental health, even as she makes a concerted effort to grow on her own terms.
Sachi's story—often unfolding through Sunshine’s voice—quickly evolves into a broader pursuit of meaning and purpose, and readers will appreciate her raw and vulnerable honesty. As she wrestles with her inner demons—and experiments sexually—Sachi reawakens the buried forces driving her mental health, sexuality, and ideas on love. “It took me forty-something years to create my universe with my bare hands and uncontrollable outside hands as well,” she reflects, “and now I had chosen to recreate it.” The result of those birth pains is a complex rendering of Sachi’s true self, sweetly melded with her inner child into a stunning portrait of “joy, grace, and beauty.”
Takeaway: Middle-aged woman works through past trauma in the midst of starting over.
Comparable Titles: Rabih Alameddine’s An Unnecessary Woman, Rowan Beaird's The Divorcées.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
