Is This a Cry for Help?
A Novel
Will be published approx. on 12. February 2026
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-1-6682-0023-0 (ISBN)
Description
Emily Austin, the bestselling "queen of darkly quirky, endearingly flawed heroines" (Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus), returns with a luminous new novel following a librarian who comes back to work after a mental breakdown only to confront book-banning crusaders in an empowering story of grief, love, and the power of libraries.
Darcy's life turned out better than she could have ever imagined. She is a librarian at the local branch, while her wife Joy runs a book binding service. Between the two of them, there is no more room on their shelves with their ample book collections, various knickknacks and bobbles, and dried bouquets. Rounding out their ideal life is two cats and a sun-soaked house by the lake.
But when Darcy receives the news that her ex-boyfriend, Ben, has passed away, she spirals into a pit of guilt and regret, resulting in a mental breakdown and medical leave from the library. When she returns to work, she is met by unrest in her community and protests surrounding intellectual freedom, resulting in a call for book bans and a second look at the branch's upcoming DEI programs.
Through the support of her community, colleagues, and the personal growth that results from examining her previous relationships, Darcy comes into her own agency and the truest version of herself. Is This a Cry for Help? not only offers a moving portrait of queer life after coming of age but also powerfully explores questions about sexuality, community, and the importance of libraries.
Darcy's life turned out better than she could have ever imagined. She is a librarian at the local branch, while her wife Joy runs a book binding service. Between the two of them, there is no more room on their shelves with their ample book collections, various knickknacks and bobbles, and dried bouquets. Rounding out their ideal life is two cats and a sun-soaked house by the lake.
But when Darcy receives the news that her ex-boyfriend, Ben, has passed away, she spirals into a pit of guilt and regret, resulting in a mental breakdown and medical leave from the library. When she returns to work, she is met by unrest in her community and protests surrounding intellectual freedom, resulting in a call for book bans and a second look at the branch's upcoming DEI programs.
Through the support of her community, colleagues, and the personal growth that results from examining her previous relationships, Darcy comes into her own agency and the truest version of herself. Is This a Cry for Help? not only offers a moving portrait of queer life after coming of age but also powerfully explores questions about sexuality, community, and the importance of libraries.
Reviews / Votes
"Inject every Emily Austin novel straight into my veins...[Is This a Cry for Help?] stole my heart."- CECELIA LASKEY, author of Cover Story "Emily Austin is the patron saint of Sad Girls With Too Many Feelings and masterful at finding and revealing the universal story in an achingly specific situation."
- NORA McINERNY, author of Bad Vibes Only "Quirky, funny, and intense...A timely and thoughtful meditation that still simmers in my brainpan."
- TERRY FALLIS, bestselling author of The Marionette, on Interesting Facts About Space "Austin has a gift for creating characters so real with insights so uniquely personal that they live in my heart long after the final page."
- NATALIE SUE, internationally bestselling author of I Hope This Finds You Well "Everything Austin writes is swoonworthy, full of lovely humans struggling to find meaning, love, and belonging in a world that's often too cold."
- ANDREW DAVID MACDONALD, author of When We Were Vikings "Emily Austin gets better and better!"
- MAI NGUYEN, author of Sunshine Nails "I will read whatever Austin puts in front of me until I'm six feet under."
- JEAN KYOUNG FRAZIER, author of Pizza Girl "Austin's writing is spare yet exciting, each page sparkles with keen observation about the fleeting nature of life, yes, but also our profound ability to make lasting impact on those around us."
- STEVEN ROWLEY, New York Times bestselling author of The Guncle "I don't know how Emily Austin does what she does, and honestly I don't care. I just want more."
- SEAN ADAMS, author of The Heap "The queen of darkly quirky, endearingly flawed heroines."
- SARAH HAYWOOD, author of The Cactus
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 141 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
382 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6682-0023-0 (9781668200230)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Emily Austin is the author of We Could Be Rats, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, Interesting Facts About Space, and the poetry collection Gay Girl Prayers. She was born in Ontario, Canada, and received two writing grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts. She studied English literature and library science at Western University. She currently lives in Ottawa, in the territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.