Acts of Service

Reviews

“Extraordinary . . .  a work of ferocious moral and sensual intelligence and a masterly defense of sex for its own sake.”—The Guardian

“A stylish, elegant piece of provocation that is also as sincere and searching as its heroine. Even if it pisses you off, it’s hard not to keep turning the pages. Acts of Service is a bold, promising debut.”—Mary Gaitskill

“Radical, daring and bracing . . . It is a book of exciting, provocative complexity, and, for me, it made the human creature feel like something new.”—Sheila Heti, author of Pure Color

“Fishman’s seductive debut novel centers questions of sexuality and sex, sexual freedom and power.”—Autostraddle

“Searching and enthralling . . . [Acts of Service] arrives with quiet confidence and a fully formed bank of ideas about intimacy, sexual ethics and contemporary mores.” —The New Statesman

“A radical understanding of the multi-hyphenate definitions of sexual orientation . . . Using sex as a road map, Eve is searching to understand her own inner workings as a young woman. We tend to love what disturbs us, if we are willing to follow our desires and take the risk.”—Interview

“A fun debut novel that feels like the life story of half of Brooklyn.”—Nylon

“Reminiscent of Sally Rooney’s work . . . An evocative exploration of desire and sexuality, this dark debut will cause readers to question the very nature of consent.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Fishman’s alluring debut poses questions about sex, sexuality, and power via the story of a young woman’s exploration of desire. Smooth and smart.”—Publishers Weekly

“Acts of Service doesn’t kiss you first, it gets right to it—depicting the liquid frequencies of need and power with a thoughtful, savage eye.”—Raven Leilani, author of Luster

“Fascinating . . a book of exquisite moral refinement and almost intimidating elegance.”—Edmund White, author of A Boy’s Own Story and States of Desire

“Acts of Service doesn’t shy away from asking big questions about the nature of attraction. All this, but with a great deal of page-turning pleasure.”—Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country Friends and Super Sad Love Love Story

“A kind of supercharged combo of Sally Rooney and Ottessa Moshfegh, and as smart as Joan Didion, Fishman isn’t just a brilliant writer—she’s a brilliant feeler, a great thinker. She has the gift we open books for.”—David Lipsky, author of The Art Fair

“Months after turning the final page, I'm still thinking about this fiercely wily novel.”—Heidi Julavits, author of The Folded Clock

“Stunning. . . I didn’t want it to end.”—Saskia Vogel, author of Permission

“I cannot recall the last time I felt this exhilarated and transformed by a novel. Acts of Service electrified both my mind and body.”—Sanaë Lemoine, author of The Margot Affair

“Taut, thorny, and sublimely fraught. . . This book is electric.”—Alexandra Kleeman, author of Something New Under the Sun Expand reviews