Chrysalis

Praise

“The effect of the novel’s triptych form feels like looking at the protagonist through the lens of a kaleidoscope, each segment dazzling, but ultimately fractured, leaving compelling gaps in our perception of who she is.”—Electric Lit

“Deliciously timely . . . [Chrysalis] raises questions about all sorts of themes including solitude, influence and agency. The big one is of course: how well do we really know anyone? [Anna] Metcalfe is a properly clever writer—she moves deftly between the voices of her narrators with ease, while her prose is assured, unforced and almost graceful.”—AnOther Magazine

“Taking on questions of femininity and expectation, as well as social media and its ability to make a cult leader of anyone, Chrysalis raises as many questions as it answers about our society and our place within it.”—Lit Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2023

“A beautifully conceived triptych, shining and modern.”—Lillian Fishman, author of Acts of Service

“I just devoured this wonderful, painful, funny novel. Every sentence is full of energy, every description just delicious. I was so struck by the strange loneliness of being in our own heads—this journey to selfhood as a complete internalization, without much interest in a relational existence, except inasmuch as it fosters that transformation. It’s so beautiful and cruel, and summed up just perfectly by the ending. Chrysalis absolutely gave me chills.”—Avni Doshi, author of Burnt Sugar

“Unputdownable, ice-cool, and wittily contemporary, Chrysalis announces Anna Metcalfe as a distinctive and daring fresh literary voice. Utterly original and with shades of Ottessa Moshfegh, Patricia Lockwood, Yoko Ogawa, and Alexandra Kleeman, this brilliant portrayal of desire and transcendence had me totally entranced.”—Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti

“I can’t stop thinking about this incredibly smart and totally unique novel. Ranging from online obsession, to mothers and daughters, to the very nature of selfhood, Chrysalis is strange and warm and, crucially, very funny. With shades of Han Kang, Catherine Lacey, and Gwendoline Riley, Metcalfe’s writing is both dissecting and effortless; I savored every last brilliant sentence.”—Ruth Gilligan, author of The Butchers’ Blessing

“Metcalfe’s triptych is written in clean, matter-of-fact prose . . . Biographical details are unspooled slowly and with deliberateness . . . A powerful, eerie debut novel that investigates stillness and selfishness.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Perceptive . . . [An] intriguing exercise in narrative . . . Metcalfe clearly has her finger on the pulse of internet culture and its habitués.”—Publishers Weekly