Deviously plotted ... This is a strange, fresh story about artistic ambition and personal autonomy willingly abridged for love ... Deliciously weird ... In its ingeniously duplicitous narrative structure, I Am Agatha is reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith's magnificent Ripley novels.
Debut novelist Foley crafts a spare and skillful story, giving Agatha a unique narrative voice that lets the sarcastic yet vulnerable narrator reveal herself at her own pace. Readers drawn to deep explorations of character and the complex relationships in Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend (2018), Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping (1980), and Elizabeth Strout’s novels will find much to appreciate in this remarkable debut that lingers long after the final page is turned.
Despite exaggerated, almost silly plotting, a rich portrayal emerges on multiple layers ... A fascinating portrait of a woman torn between her single-minded artistic ambition and her yearning for love.
Many of the late plot developments strain credulity, but Foley crafts a colorful portrait of a headstrong artist. For readers intrigued by the lives of bohemian women, this is worth a look.
