The Blondes by Emily Schultz

WEEKEND READS BY CHERIE COOPER

The Blondes by Emily Schultz book cover beside a cup of coffee

BOOK REVIEW

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a book other people would describe as WEIRD. I love a subversive story, an unusual plot, and if it’s written by a woman about societal beauty standards? Even better.

I picked up The Blondes by Emily Schultz second hand, and I’m so glad I grabbed it. I read it in two days, and I couldn’t stop telling people about the story.

It’s about Hazel Hayes, a postgrad candidate navigating an awkward affair with her professor that gets even more problematic when women – notably blondes – start having violent public outbursts.

Hazel, whose research looks at the depictions of women in advertising, gets caught in the midst of one of these events, and before she knows it, a full-blown pandemic is underway. Women with blonde hair, whether it’s natural or not, are regarded with intense suspicion. It’s not long before women are being tracked down, imprisoned, and forced to shave their heads and submit to humiliating tests to see if they carry the mysterious virus.

This book is like a cool glass of water on a humid day– it’s just so refreshing. It has a great plot that moves along quickly, and the genuine creepiness of the story is undercut with hilariously black observations about how society treats “dangerous” women.  It makes you think about how insane western beauty standards really are.

The Blondes, is savage, funny, and thought-provoking.

I’m betting there’s a movie adaptation for this one coming, and I’ll be first in line at the cinemas. 

More Weekend Reads

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Cherie Cooper
Cherie lives, works, and reads in beautiful Tasmania – the green island gem below Australia known for its gorgeous landscape and beautiful wildlife. She holds multiple academic qualifications in English, journalism, and fine art theory, and has worked in writing, editing, and communications roles for more than a decade. Most importantly, she has a deep love for books that began as soon as she learned how to read. Old, new, any genre – for Cherie, reading is about as vital as breathing. She is interested in sharing books that move, excite, and compel, so others can share the joy of a truly great read. While she reads across most genres, her favourite is literary fiction. Particularly anything by Margaret Atwood, Ottessa Moshfegh, Kate Atkinson, Elizabeth Berg, Ann Patchett, and Anne Tyler. Cherie frequents Tasmania’s beautiful boutique book shops as well as scouring secondhand shops for books to add to her extensive home library.   Catch up with her on LinkedIn