Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett

 

This book is told in first person narrative, the everyday life of a young author.  We hear about her childhood and what inspired her to start writing.  We follow her to university and then to her adult life.  To make ends meet she works in a grocery on Checkout 19.  There she observes human nature such as the Russian man with snow white hair who rushes around the grocery on the perimeter several times before he can settle down enough to start going up and down the aisles.  We learn about her various lovers and friends and the moves she makes throughout her life, sometimes on her own, sometimes with a man.

But occasionally, into the prosaic details of an everyday life, horrendous things are dropped.  She tells of these occurrences with the same calm voice that she mentions cooking a meal but they are shocking to the reader who had been moving along sure they knew what this book was about and enjoying reading the details of an ordinary life.

Claire-Louise Bennett is a British author although she currently lives in Ireland.  She has written three novels as of 2025 and all three have been listed for prizes.  I came across mention of this book in the New York Times Review of the best books to read from 2000-2025.  It was also shortlisted for the Goldsmith Award.  Since then I've purchased both her other books as I'm interested in recent authors, especially from overseas.  This book was surprising in its sudden switches from daily life to tragedy and I know I'll be on the lookout for more of her work.  Checkout 19 is recommended for literary fiction readers.