The Actual One cover art

The Actual One

How I Tried, and Failed, to Remain Twenty-Something for Ever

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The Actual One

By: Isy Suttie
Narrated by: Isy Suttie
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About this listen

Performed by Isy Suttie, and featuring three songs from the book. This audio edition also includes an exclusive extra song and a unique introduction.

Isy woke up one day in her late 20s to discover that the invisible deal she'd done with her best mates - that they'd prolong growing up for as long as possible - had all been in her head. Everyone around her is suddenly into mortgages, farmers' markets and nappies rather than the idea of running naked into the sea or getting hammered in Plymouth with 80-year-old men.

When her dearest friend advises her that the next guy Isy meets will be the actual one, Isy decides to keep delaying the onset of adulthood - until a bet with her mother results in a mad scramble to find a boyfriend within a month.

From papier-mâché penguins to being stranded on a dual carriageway in nothing but a fur coat and trainers, The Actual One is an ode to the confusing wilderness of your late 20s alongside a quest for a genuinely good relationship with a man who doesn't use moisturiser.

©2016 Isy Suttie (P)2016 Orion Publishing Group
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bittersweet tales of no longer being young

What made the experience of listening to The Actual One the most enjoyable?

Isy's delivery and sense of humour keeps a good deal of observational humour and energy in a book that, without this, may have been a real downer.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Actual One?

If you are on the wrong side of thirty, you will recognise those moments where it becomes apparent that share houses and parties are giving way to married friends dinner parties and mortgages, for better or worse.

What about Isy Suttie’s performance did you like?

Isy is genuinely likeable - I recognised her from the TV comedy Peep Show, and it seems like she shares a few characteristics with her onscreen persona - cheeky, upbeat, slightly nerdy and thoughtful.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

In middle-age, no one can hear you scream.

Any additional comments?

There are some really nice moments in this book, and it's hard not to like the author and her sense of humour. I dont know if this would resonate with under-30's who are yet to live through this time of their life, but for everyone else its a well-written and performed take on the head games that come with the realisation that you are no longer young and cool.

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