We Were Pretending is on SALE NOW!

my book is out in the wild

Author

Hannah Gersen
August 16, 2024

 

Did this arrive in your mailbox this week? I hope so!

We Were Pretending is now officially published and out in the world! Thank you to everyone who preordered, and I hope it arrived safely this week. If you haven’t had a chance to pick up a copy, you can order it through Amazon, Target, and Powell’s. One interesting thing about publishing with Little A is that they release hardback and paperback copies at the same time, so you can choose your price point. There’s also an ebook and audiobook version.

To celebrate the novel’s arrival in the world—and perhaps to accompany your reading experience—I thought I would share with you some of the music, books, and movies that were inspirational to me when I was writing it. I made a playlist on Spotify, a movie list on Letterboxd, and a reading list on Goodreads.

If you have a chance this weekend—or any time in the next few weeks—I would love if you could leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Storygraph, or wherever it is you talk about books. I find that readers are often the best at describing books and attracting the kind of readers who will enjoy it. Also, let’s be real, there aren’t that many book reviewing outlets left, so reader reviews tend to lead the conversation about books. If you have something to say about my novel, or you just want to throw some stars my way, please do! It really does help the book to make its way in the world, especially early reviews that can build momentum.

Here are a couple of early reviews from my friends (and wonderful authors) Katherine Hill and Jennifer Acker. I think they give a really good sense of the novel and its themes and I hope they will convince you to track down a copy if you haven’t already.

“We Were Pretending is the rarest of mushrooms, the kind that makes you want to change your life, without in any way pretending that's easy. This deeply pleasurable, shape-shifting book -- a utopian novel masquerading as a friendship novel masquerading as a thriller -- confirms Hannah Gersen as one of our finest contemporary writers, as attuned to natural ecosystems as she is to human nervous systems in this time of planetary change. A marvel.”

—Katherine Hill, author of A Short Move

“A gorgeous, utterly original novel about what it means to be human in an age of climate anxiety and grief. This book takes you places you didn’t know you needed to go, stirring up deep love for its characters and our precious planet along the way. Adventuresome, lyrical, and inspiring, We Were Pretending is the perfect antidote to our hectic day-to-day.”

—Jennifer Acker, author of The Limits of the World

Finally, I have a couple of events coming up. On August 24th , I’ll be at the Maine Authors Book Festival, selling and signing books. If you happen to be on vacation nearby, please stop by. Then, on September 16, I’ll be speaking at the Curtis Memorial Library (my local library in Brunswick, Maine) along with two other local authors.

Thank you, as always, for your support!