Nobody, Somebody, Anybody: A Novel

Oof. There was lots of potential in this book, which made me see it through to the end, even past the eye rolls that escaped me when reading the main character’s incessant ramblings about her “elite schooling” or obsession over Florence Nightingale (take a shot every time she is mentioned). Unfortunately, the author let this potential fall flat in the end. The protagonist, Amy, is full of hamartia and no one in her life seems either close enough or caring enough to call it out. This could have led to such a powerful climax! She also continuously makes questionable decisions that should lead to her downfall, yet these are never really followed through on by the author to the extent of making any impact on Amy or the reader. She is literally batsh*t crazy with little to no consequence, which left me wondering if this was a genuine accident or the intention of the author, which isn’t a great takeaway. I’d read more from this first time author, but this particular story fell short of having any real impact or emotional weight.

I’ve no idea why anyone would classify this novel as “darkly comic,” but it is not.

The main character suffers from isolation, depression, anxiety, delusion, and a recurring urge to self-destruct her life. She is neither likable nor particularly interesting. In fact, I found her so unlikable that I found myself rooting for the supporting characters to finally be free of her.

The book is dark and maudlin with an ending that I can only describe as plain dumb.

Additionally, the front cover photo is a strange mismatch to the actual story, implying some sort of historical twist to the narrative.

I was midway into Kelly McClorey's impressive debut novel “Nobody, Somebody, Anybody” before I read the dust jacket and saw that it is "laugh-out-loud funny." I hadn't noticed.

I didn't laugh, or even smile, at any point in this book, but I was certainly moved, even saddened.

The story is narrated by Amy Hanley, a young woman working a summer job as a chambermaid at the Yacht Club. Unlike a yacht, she lacks an anchor. Her mother died recently. She has no close friends, no boyfriend, no permanent job, no confidence. She greatly admires Florence Nightingale, whom she quotes frequently as if her words were Scripture. She is training to become an EMT, but she has twice failed the final exam and is running out of chances. She thinks of herself, as the title suggests, as a Nobody.

During the course of the novel, Amy hardly ever makes a good choice. She steams open her landlord's mail and sees that he plans to go to Ukraine to find a bride. She resentfully destroys property belonging to a co-worker. To give herself more self-esteem, she sends a congratulation letter to herself, praising her for passing the EMT test, and then tells others about receiving the letter. She thinks of this lie as perhaps having a placebo effect, giving her enough confidence to actually pass the test. What it does, of course, is to add to the pressure

She begins to feel like Somebody when Gary, her landlord, invites her to his apartment to sample his cooking and to help him prepare his home for the arrival of Irina from Ukraine. The growing friendship with Gary fools her into thinking she can replace the other woman in Gary's heart. Gary is certainly no prize, but she is that desperate

By the end of the novel, Amy decides to reinvent herself. She's willing to become Anybody, as long as it isn't Amy Hanley.

There's nothing funny, or even amusing, about people giving in to self-destructive impulses, but “Nobody, Somebody, Anybody” is nevertheless engaging and, in its low-key way, even powerful. It reminds us that the world is full of Amy Hanleys, those who want so much to be Somebody, at least to Someone, that they are willing to settle for Anybody.

The recent case of the Alabama corrections officer who helped a murder suspect escape and then ran off with him provides an example.

This is an impressive debut novel by Kelly McClorey. Amy is working as a housekeeper at a Yacht Club, but she prefers the more evocative job title of "chambermaid." She considers it good practice for her chosen career as an EMT, which is what she will be as soon as she passes the exam. Only, she's failed it twice before and this will be her last chance. To combat her anxiety, she comes up with a program to convince herself she has already passed.

So this novel fits perfectly into my favorite sub-genre, which is novels about women ruining their own lives. Amy is a mess, and for every step she takes to stabilize her life, she takes two that are self-destructive. And she's living in a world with people with their own agendas and plans, plans she can't see through the haze of her own self-involvement. McClorey does a fantastic job of revealing Amy's past and reasons for the way she is organically over the course of this novel, and as I gained enlightenment, I really rooted for Amy. But issues created over the course of a lifetime are not solved in a chapter and McClorey commits to Amy, who she is and how she relates to the world. I really liked this book and I'm still thinking about it.