EMMA RATHBONE READS FROM HER NEW NOVEL LOSING IT

Losing It (Riverhead Books)

Losing It is the story of Julia Greenfield, a former collegiate swimming star who finds herself at age 26, stuck in a dead-end job, living in a city she hates, and, oh yeah, still a virgin. Determined to re-route herself from her stalled life – and lose that pesky V-card once and for all – Julia travels to spend the summer with her mysterious aunt Vivienne in a small town in North Carolina. Much to her dismay, she soon finds out that Vivienne, age 58, is a virgin, too. In a summer populated by an unforgettable cast of colorful characters, Julia attempts to solve the riddle of her aunt, all while trying to avoid the same fate. Let’s just say…hijinks ensue.

Losing It brilliantly explores the sort of madness that grows out of a single-minded obsession and the all-too-relatable feeling of looking up and realizing that life has moved forward – or hasn’t – in ways you hadn’t anticipated. Rathbone effortlessly captures the unique vernacular particular to women of her generation and to anyone exploring the differences between sex and love. Alongside the wry, subtle humor is a poignant look at the messiness of becoming a human adult. 

“A slightly neurotic and wholly hilarious meditation on the difference between love and lust, The One and close enough, Losing It is about so much more than a quest for sex: It's a confrontational narrative about all the other stuff that goes along with it, and the intimate decisions we make that shape our lives for better — and worse.”— Refinery29 “20 Books Perfect for Your Summer Vacay”

“A hilarious story…Rathbone’s novel is a wry look at relationships.”— Purewow “The Ultimate 2016 Summer Books Guide”

“A charming, truthful story about a lovably imperfect young woman whose virginity has overstayed its welcome; a witty and insightful novel about the mysteries of human connection.”—Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating Arrangements and Astonish Me

“Every single page of Emma Rathbone’s Losing It contains a line so funny, so awkward, so perfect, that you do not want this momentous summer to end. Rathbone’s writing feels effortless, but it detonates in such wonderful ways. An amazing book.”—Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang

“[A] charming second novel… [Losing It’s] distinct delight is the nimble dance its author plays with the somewhat frivolous conceit, embracing its pulpiness to entertain, and pushing it to surprising places.”—Publishers Weekly

“Amusing but also smart about people and unexpectedly sweet.”—Kirkus Reviews

Emma Rathbone is the author of the novel The Patterns of Paper Monsters. She is the recipient of a Christopher Isherwood Grant in Fiction, and her work can also be seen in the New Yorker and Virginia Quarterly Review . A graduate of the University of Virginia Creative Writing Program, she lives in Los Angeles and is on the writing staff for the forthcoming Jenji Kohan produced Netflix comedy series Glow.