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Karro

Karro is on the cusp of her fortieth birthday and wants for nothing. She is mother to a beautiful son, wife to a rising star in British politics, heir to an esteemed Swedish publishing house, and moneyed enough to wile away her days at home in affluent Highgate, with literature (and the occasional dose of opium) for company.

But then Karro is introduced to visiting American artist Won-sik, and falls for him entirely, embarking on an affair which will derail her sedate existence. The societal repercussions will be immediate and severe. As she confronts her own desires and abandons her son in a desperate pursuit of happiness, her world and her sense of self begin to unravel.

Intelligent, sensual and searingly honest, Karro moves slickly between London, a Swedish archipelago, New York City, and the Côte d’Azur, and asks what it means to fall from grace in the twenty-first century. It paints a psychologically astute portrait of a woman trying – and failing – to find herself in motherhood, and forces us to weigh up our obligations to family, to society, and most importantly, to ourselves.

A novel of rare emotional intensity—affecting and provocative. The narrative is immersive to the point of disorientation and I was completely drawn into the raw immediacy of Karro’s world. (At times, I found myself casting judgement, and was prompted to interrogate my own feminism, and what choice really means.) Karro is such a complex, flawed, and deeply human character and Mustard has excelled in crafting a protagonist who resists simplification and demands engagement. With notes of Jean Rhys and Ottessa Moshfegh, but this is singularly its own thing. An utterly controlled yet delightfully unhinged novel—it is bold, modern, unsettling, and exquisitely rendered. Karro is an exceptional achievement

Elaine Feeney

About Jenny Mustard

Jenny Mustard is a writer and content creator, born in Sweden but living in London. Jenny and her work have featured in the Observer, the Independent, Vogue, Stylist, the Evening Standard and elsewhere. She has over 600k followers, and more than 50 million views on YouTube.

Her acclaimed debut novel, Okay Days, was published in 2023 and her work has been translated to ten languages. Her second novel, What a Time to Be Alive, a New York Times Editors' Choice, was published in 2025.
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Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9781405991391
  • Length: 192 pages
  • Price: £8.99
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