The Review

The first few pages of ‘Green Dot¹‘ by Madeleine Gray sparked a sense of familiarity that I couldn’t quite pinpoint initially. It soon became apparent that Gray’s prose carried a conversational tone reminiscent of my past creative writing essays. Narrated in a long flow of chaotic consciousness, ‘Green Dot’ unfolds as Hera grapples with the transition to the workforce, applying for a job as a community moderator. The narrative takes a turn when she encounters Arthur, a journalist, leading to a whirlwind infatuation.

Hera emerges as a complex, likable but frustrating, character, challenging societal norms while still succumbing to stereotypical expectations. Her sarcastic nihilism is on par with Camus, and her stylistic delivery is comparable to Rupi Kaur². Above all though, I couldn’t help but chuckle at how stereotypically bisexual she is – the first man she crushes on in years is laughably unattainable and yet she still intends to pursue them³. Which is ultimately, the most infuriating part about her. Hera clearly knows what she is doing is horrendous, and yet, even as morally sound as she is regards to the sociopolitical climate, she still fell hard for the delusion.

Had Hera fallen in love with literally anyone else, this novel would have received a much better reception from the public. There was such a heavy focus on Hera’s relationship with Arthur, that unfortunately, too many readers were caught up in the lack of “sisterhood” and “support” for “the wife” that they missed the true magic of this novel. However, if you pay close enough attention, what Gray excels at with writing this novel is with what is implied but isn’t said.

Ultimately, what made me rank this novel as a 4.5 stars instead of 5 was due to a minor complaint I had based on the stylistic choice of the novel and how it translated on the PDF eARC version of the novel. It was difficult to tell where one chapter stopped, and another began. While this did help achieve the “long flow of chaotic consciousness” mentioned above, it did confuse me because for the first 60-70% of the novel, I thought the prologue was Madeleine Gray writing about how she got the idea for the book based on a time she was the other women. It wasn’t until the closer to the end I realized the meta-forth-wall-breaking that occurred meant that the prologue was Hera’s POV not Gray’s. Which didn’t really change the plot of the story, but did change my mind on how I perceived this novel.

Gray’s prose as Hera is so raw that it is a true testament of her ability as a writer. When I thought this entire novel was “based on a true-story”, a fictional essay rooted in factual ideas, I wasn’t sure where Gray’s real-life thoughts ended and Hera’s began. I was impressed with the metaphorical sentence construction, but was not in awe. The moment it clicked that, this entire debut novel is a fictional author writing a fictional story about a fictional event in their past I was gobsmacked. Gray effortlessly created an entirely fully complex being out of thin air as real as you or me.

In conclusion, “Green Dot” by Madeleine Gray is a compelling exploration of Hera’s complex character and her tumultuous journey through infatuation and self-discovery. Gray’s raw and conversational prose immerses the reader in Hera’s chaotic consciousness, eliciting both frustration and empathy. While the focus on Hera’s relationship with Arthur may overshadow other elements of the narrative for some readers, Gray’s skillful implication and the novel’s thought-provoking nature shine through.

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Short Review (AKA TLDR)

The first few pages of ‘Green Dot’ by Madeleine Gray spark a sense of familiarity, with conversational prose akin to one long chaotic consciousness. The narrative follows Hera’s journey into the workforce and her whirlwind infatuation with journalist Arthur. Hera is portrayed as a complex and likable character, challenging societal norms while succumbing to stereotypical expectations. Despite engaging prose and thought-provoking implications, the heavy focus on Hera’s relationship with Arthur may overshadow other elements of the narrative for some readers. Ultimately, “Green Dot” is a compelling exploration of Hera’s character and her tumultuous journey through infatuation and self-discovery, showcasing Gray’s ability as an author making her debut one not to miss.

1. Aptly named after the “Green Dot” that indicates if a person is active online or not ↩︎
2. A joke you will get once you read “Green Dot” ↩︎
3. Which I am assuming is a play on the “bisexual women only love women and fictional men” joke which I can say as a member of the Pink Purple Blue crew ↩︎