The Eternal Return of Clara Hart
Louise Finch
Little Island, August 2022
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN 9781915071026
The Eternal Return of Clara Hart is an incredible novel that tells an important message of toxic masculinity through an engaging story that anybody can connect to. The book follows Spence, a teenager who finds himself stuck in a time loop where he must relive the same day in which his classmate, Clara, dies at a house party.
I found Finch’s writing style to be well done as it brings the reader into the mindset of a teenage boy. Spence makes the overall theme of the book easy to engage with as we see how his toxic mindset has been influenced by the world around him. He’s a flawed character that must learn from his mistakes which just makes him more realistic.
The rest of the characters were all well-rounded too as each had their own problems that didn’t just revolve around Spence. We see snippets of their lives and personalities through Spence’s repetition of the same day which honestly made me feel as if I was reading about a real class.
Another thing I loved about this book was seeing the different ways Spence dealt with the time loop. I thought this was extremely fun and the short chapters make it easier to keep reading. I found myself not wanting to put this book down and ended up finishing it in two days.
I think this is an exceptional debut that can be enjoyed by anybody, but especially by teenage boys who can connect to Spence and his struggles.
Rachel Stephens, 18
