Anna Hope’s Expectation is a profound and poignant portrait of the idealism of early adulthood and the lofty expectations attached to it, and what life subsequently does to undo it, or at the very least change our barometer for success and accomplishment.
We meet Hanna, Cate, and Lissa as university students on the brink of graduation; young and vibrant, bestowed with the confidence and dreams of youth. Then we travel forward, to almost a decade later (and eventually beyond) and witness what these women have become. Expectation reminds us life is a journey, full of tough times, hard lessons and big decisions, but also replete with things to savour, cherish and love, always. And while it lacks the devastating subtlety of Sally Rooney’s work, it is a remarkably proficient novel that addresses the expectations, intentions and consequences of everyday lives.
Simon McDonald 