Why people recommend it
Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday is a structurally innovative and critically acclaimed novel exploring power dynamics, ambition, and global politics through two seemingly distinct narratives that ultimately interconnect. On The Book Review, Jumana Katib recommended the novel during a book club segment, describing it as a deeply compelling read that she even chose to revisit. MJ Franklin also enthusiastically recommended the book, pointing out that a subtle, easily missed line in the very final section forces the reader to completely rethink the entire preceding story. Pamela Paul introduced the novel for broader discussion, while Jen Salai and other contributors acknowledged its significant literary footprint. When Lisa Halliday herself appeared on the podcast as a guest, she spoke with Pamela Paul about the autobiographical threads woven into the first section of the book. Halliday reflected on how living away from the intense literary scene of New York allowed her the necessary perspective to write the novel, drawing heavily on her own past experiences without crafting a strictly traditional memoir. The combination of structural brilliance, thematic depth, and critical praise made the novel a frequent and memorable fixture on the podcast.
Who recommended it
- Pamela Paul Recommended
- Jumana Katib Recommended
- Lisa Halliday Discussed
- Jen Salai Discussed
- MJ Franklin Recommended
Pamela Paul — 3 mentions
“Lisa holiday will join us to talk about her debut novel asymmetry”
“Lisa holiday's debut novel is asymetry and it's reviewed this week on our cover by Alice”
“next we'll talk about e simetry By Lisa holiday John you want to talk about that”
Jumana Katib — 2 mentions
“hypothetically speaking I also really like Lisa halliday's novel asymmetry which I think is a fictionalized account”
“so i reread asymmetry by lisa halliday”
Lisa Halliday — 2 mentions
“and in fact it enabled me to write this book I would say because as much as I miss New York it helps to be out of what in fact a character in the book calls the Fatal froth and frenzy of literary life in New York”
“and it really took a lot of looking back at that time in my life in order to write the first part of the book which as you've acknowledged is not neatly autobiographical”
Jen Salai — 1 mention
“a symmetry by Lisa Halliday”
MJ Franklin — 1 mention
“the first I wanted to mention this came out a few years ago was a symmetry by Lisa Halliday there's in the very very last section there's just this like small like if you're reading fast you might miss it line that makes you rethink the entire book”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“or asymmetry by Lisa Halliday”
“when there is an unexpected demand for say a literary novel that made a bunch of 10 best lists for example Lisa holiday's asymmetry or Washington black when they need to go back and do reprints to meet the demand they're they're not able to do it”