"The Life and Death of Sophie Stark" by Anna North

I came across this book when searching online for my previous read. I'd never heard of this title or its author, but the cover caught my eye, and I found the premise intriguing: a budding filmmaker creates a documentary about a college classmate she's obsessed with. 

Sophie Stark has never really fit in. She has always wanted to capture the essence of other people: first by drawing, which wasn't exactly what she was looking for; then by photographs, but these lacked the vitality of movement; finally in film, where she found a talent for exposing the inner core of her subjects--each time, inevitably causing a relationship-ending rift.

This is one of those novels, told from multiple viewpoints, where the main character is described by those around her, but you never actually get into her head. Even those closest to her find her inscrutable, thus the reader does too. She takes shape as a shadow, as negative space. For the first two or three chapters, I had the impression that this book was going to be more like a collection of short stories, all sharing one common character, but the whole is definitely more cohesive than that.

I ate this novel up quickly, aided by a chilly weekend that invited snuggling under a blanket with a good book. It was a compelling read and an enjoyable reading experience, but ultimately I did not feel strongly invested in it--likely because I don't think I actually liked Sophie Stark that much!

In case you plan to seek this book out, content warning: themes of suicide/self-harm.