Girl meets boy. It's a story as old as time. But in Whitbread winner Ali Smith's lyrical, funny, mash-up of Ovid's most joyful gender-bending metamorphosis story, girl meets boy in so many more ways than one. Imogen and Anthea, sisters that are opposites, work together at Pure, a creative agency attempting to "bottle imagination, politics, and nature" in the form of a new Scottish bottled-water business with global aspirations. Anthea, somewhat flighty and bored with the office environment, becomes enamored of an "interventionist protest artist" nicknamed Iphisol, whose billboard-size corporate slurs around town are the bane of Pure's existence. And when Anthea and Iphisol meet, it's a match made in heaven. Girl Meets Boy is about girls and boys, girls and girls, love and transformation, the absurdity of consumerism, as well as a story of reversals and revelations that's as sharply witty as it is lyrical. Funny, fresh, poetic, and political, Girl Meets Boy is a myth of metamorphosis for a world made in Madison Avenue's image, and the funniest addition to The Myths series from Canongate since The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.
Ali Smith
Ali Smith is a Scottish author known for her innovative and experimental writing style. She is best known for her seasonal quartet of novels, which includes "Autumn," "Winter," "Spring," and "Summer." Smith's works often blend genres and incorporate elements of postmodernism, feminism, and social commentary. She has been praised for her lyrical prose, sharp wit, and ability to capture the complexities of contemporary life. Smith's contributions to literature have earned her numerous awards and accolades, solidifying her reputation as one of the most important voices in contemporary fiction. Her most famous work is often considered to be "How to be Both," which won the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.