Take It Personally

Sentences like Pop Rocks and Pixy Stix and lightning—and meanwhile Agatha Christie dancing her ass off in a dream.
—Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying

In Take It Personally, Tori, the lead singer of a local rock band, takes on an amateur private investigator job where she spies on a famous diarist. Are the published diaries authentic or fabricated?

As she uncovers the mystery alongside her psychic roommate, her investigation is complicated by their nudist neighbor disappearing, the neighborhood watch morphing into a secret society, and her band getting booked on a national tour.

This vulnerable yet absurdly comic novel explores themes of alienation within a community and the pursuit of a job that gives you real feedback.

Claire Hopple writes with great precision and humour. Take It Personally is a witty and compelling novella that pushes Hopple’s style and obsessions into new, intriguing realms.
—Babak Lakghomi, author of South

There might be a more charming writer out there than Claire Hopple, but I seriously doubt it. Her boundless imagination brings to life characters and plots that are both bizarre and tender, leaving you wondering why her books aren’t already taught in high schools across America. In Take it Personally, the narrator’s quest to uncover the truth about a famous diarist beautifully captures the universal struggle of navigating the world alone, burdened by secrets that distance us from others.
—Matthew Binder, author of Pure Cosmos Club

TAKE IT PERSONALLY is a ludicrous delight. Claire Hopple is an absurdist genius whose ragamuffin group of characters will assassinate you with a single sentence. I yelped audibly, I kicked the blanket off my lap, I rubbed my eyes like a cartoon character in disbelief of Hopple's brilliant characters and craft.
—Lexi Kent-Monning, author of The Burden of Joy