One's Company: A Novel

Without a doubt this is one of the best books I've read in my 63 years on this earth. A character study with such depth and feeling that I will never forget it. Don't expect some kind of goofy comedy, this is anything but. Be prepared to cry if you are at all human.Thank you so much Ashley Hutson, you are not only a gifted writer but a philosopher in the most beautiful way.

This is the kind of novel that stays with you as you sort through it’s themes of trauma and classism and others. I really enjoyed reading it and was never sure where it would go but was satisfied throughout the story for the journey. I’d recommend this book.

Absolutely loved this, I wanted to jump in to the cast - total Rita envy! Looking forward to what's next from this talented author.

Bonnie Lincoln prefers to be left alone, spending her time at home watching the classic show Three’s Company. When Bonnie wins the lottery, she spends her money creating the set of Three’s Company, down to the last detail, in a remote area in the mountains. Once completed, she spends her days living as the various characters from the show. Bonnie’s friend Krystal tries to drag Bonnie back to her own life, but Bonnie is determined to run away from the baggage of her past and live in the comfort of her favorite show.This novel definitely had a unique concept. I understand Bonnie went through a lot of trauma in her life, but I found it hard to like her. I kept hoping someone would step in and get her the help she needed. At a certain point, this story jumped the shark and became a little too much for me.Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

One’s Company was such a unique book that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it. Definitely one of the most interesting novels I’ve read this year.Bonnie has survived a horrible tragedy that leaves her with lasting trauma. Her “salvation” comes in the form of Threes’s Company, which she discovers during a late night plagued by insomnia. She doesn’t want to be Bonnie anymore - but she can be Jack, Chrissy & Janet. After Bonnie wins the largest lottery in history she decides to do just that.There aren’t many characters in this novel so we spend a lot of time with Bonnie, who isn’t the most likable character. Even so the author did a great job of making me care for her. I got anxious for her every time the threat of something new and horrible loomed outside the world she created for herself and I just wanted her to find peace and work towards processing her grief. There are times where the author really messes with your mind so you’re not sure what exactly is real and what’s in Bonnie’s head.This book isn’t one that I would recommend to everyone, but it’s one I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I look forward to checking out future books by this author.

Fantastic book with such a unique premise. Hutson chooses every word perfectly.

This was an interesting book, with a unique premise. I myself have seen plenty of Three’s Company episodes, which I think greatly enhanced the experience of reading this story. Being able to visualize Mr. Furley’s facial expressions, the tacky ‘70s decor, and the absurdity that is that entire sitcom is really vital to the central concept, in my opinion. I found the resolution satisfying, but I’m not sure I would recommend this to most readers, as it is a pretty abstract read with unlikable characters.There are spoilers in the rest of my review. Read no further if you don’t want to see them!Bonnie is a bit of an unreliable narrator, insisting that she is not mentally ill, only nihilistic and full of anger. This is pretty obviously untrue, even from the beginning. Her perception of events is not true to reality either, as we discover when Krystal is very much not dead at the end. Was Rita even real? I’m not entirely sure. And what on earth happened to the dog?The best part of the book was the canary getting struck by lightning, a strange and probably excellent metaphor for something far over my head. But it was visually jarring and a welcome break from the monotony of Bonnie’s fabricated reality.I didn’t like Bonnie at all. I don’t think I was supposed to. I didn’t like any of the characters, actually, except for Ray.So while this book was interesting and definitely unique, I didn’t find it fully satisfying on the level I usually expect from my fiction.

Sad. NOT funny. But DESERVES four stars. I finished it BECAUSE it was well written, but I would not have read it had I known what was coming.Some of the blurbs at the beginning of One's Company called it a Black Comedy. I did not laugh once. In fairness, the novel is well written, hangs together, has some great characters and Bonnie Lincoln and how she proceeds when she wins a bazillion dollar lottery is amazingly wrought. But it is a sad, introspective book about a very damaged woman who needs to live as a character in Three's Company to survive. Bonnie is a woman in her early twenties who has only ever had exactly one friend. Both her parents are dead and you would not call her family one that was memorable in a good way. She's recently gone through a horrible trauma, coming out of a situation as the only survivor-- if you want to call it survival.Somehow, the old sitcom, Three's Company, comforts her and she becomes obsessed. When she wins the biggest lottery ever, Bonnie creates an alternate world for herself of the Three's Company set and sets things up so that she will live alone there and be one of the characters from the show each year, moving from apartment to apartment, but always existing in the 1970s.. We already know the concept of this novel going in. It's in the blurbs. Personally, the best thing about the book, is what I THOUGHT it was going to be. Something light and silly and a little pathetic but in a way that doesn't make you curl up in pain. Well done. Wish I had not read it.

Good for a short novel, not for a book. I'm sorry I bought it and still don't understand it has been noted by The New Yorker.

Haven't read such a tedious book in a long time. The premise sounded promising. But.Unfortunately, I didn't encounter a single likeable character throughout the book. The protagonist is simply obnoxious and shows no character development, the side characters are boring and not fleshed out at best.Total waste of time and a missed opportunity, imho.