A Writer's Notebook

A Writer's Notebook

Share this post

A Writer's Notebook
A Writer's Notebook
25. Vladimir
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
User's avatar
Discover more from A Writer's Notebook
essays, art, and inspiration from an American writer in Paris
Over 22,000 subscribers
Already have an account? Sign in

25. Vladimir

The novel that hijacked my day.

Summer Brennan's avatar
Summer Brennan
Mar 10, 2022
16

Share this post

A Writer's Notebook
A Writer's Notebook
25. Vladimir
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
5
Share
Left: Julia May Jonas (photo by Adam Sternbergh). Right: Jonas’s debut novel.

Hi everyone,

I owe you guys a few things, most especially a note about trial memberships ending and next steps for the newsletter, and Patreon, and subscriptions, and all of that…but I can’t send that today, because I got completely stuck reading Julia May Jonas’s debut novel Vladimir. I know, how decadent, right? A day eaten up by a novel. I’m not quite done yet, but seeing as it’s midnight already, I figured I had better send something out. This book is so fascinating. It’s funny, kind of like Netflix’s The Chair meets Stephen King’s Misery, with a slight Ottessa Moshfegh-esque sense of narrative danger and unpredictability thrown in throughout, plus an intelligent and complex handling of sexual politics. Briefly, the narrator, a 58-year-old woman, is a literature professor whose husband is in the process of being MeToo’d. Perhaps as a result of this unenviably strange situation, she ends up fixating on a much younger new hire in her English department, the titular Vladimir. Jonas is a playwright, and masterfully reveals a character careening comically but alarmingly off the rails, first just a little bit and then all in a rush, through subtle shifts in the first-person narration. It’s a critique of our current moral moment and a meditation on female desire. If you’re looking for an addictive new novel, this may be for you.


Subscribe to A Writer's Notebook

By Summer Brennan · Hundreds of paid subscribers
essays, art, and inspiration from an American writer in Paris
16

Share this post

A Writer's Notebook
A Writer's Notebook
25. Vladimir
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
5
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Summer Brennan's avatar
Summer Brennan
Mar 12, 2022

I finished this book yesterday morning. I do feel that it held up through the end. I don't want to spoil anything, but I highly recommend that you read it. Sort of shockingly well put together for a first novel!

Expand full comment
Like (1)
Reply
Share
tiny's avatar
tiny
Mar 10, 2022

Treat yo'self :)

Expand full comment
Like (3)
Reply
Share
3 more comments...
"How To Succeed On Substack"
Anxiety, ambition, professional jealousy, hot tips, vibe shifts, and other things that should make writers wary.
Nov 29, 2023 â€¢ 
Summer Brennan
3,295

Share this post

A Writer's Notebook
A Writer's Notebook
"How To Succeed On Substack"
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
345
The Five Things Essay
An all-purpose writing prompt to help you find your voice, lose your voice, beat writer's block, or figure out what the hell you want to write about in…
May 15, 2022 â€¢ 
Summer Brennan
385

Share this post

A Writer's Notebook
A Writer's Notebook
The Five Things Essay
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
24
The Broken Tooth
"I know that isn't how poems are written, but any woman you like in that way will always seem a little magic."
Jan 25, 2024 â€¢ 
Summer Brennan
341

Share this post

A Writer's Notebook
A Writer's Notebook
The Broken Tooth
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
62

Ready for more?

© 2025 Summer Brennan
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.