In many ways, Claire-Louise Bennett's Checkout 19, which was initially published in March of 2022, is a difficult novel to describe and fully explain. It is a novel about self-discovery and a novel about dreams. It also tells the story of a young woman who embarks on a journey during which she will learn quite a bit about herself. The young woman lives in London and interacts with many people during her life. Each person she interacts with teaches her something about life, herself, and the concepts around her. As she meets more people, in other words, she learns more things and grows smarter. But she is stuck in a menial job that she doesn't like— as a checker in a grocery store. That doesn't last long, however, and the young woman's life changes forever—and often for the better.
When it was published, Checkout 19 received glowingly positive reviews. In their review of the novel, NPR said that Checkout 19 is better than Bennett's previous novel (and the author of the review loved her previous novel). Similarly, the Harvard Review of Books wrote that Checkout 19 is "an extraordinary exploration of selfhood and self-expression, one that argues for the centrality of literature to our lives." The New York Times, which loved Bennett's novel, called Checkout 19 one of the 10 best books of 2022.
