The Society of Shame

December 1, 2022

Kathleen Held is not running for office--her husband, Bill, is a candidate for Senate. Kathleen is a writer at heart, editor in practice, fully in the throes of perimenopause, campaign support and advanced teen daughter mothering. But when the single most chaotic moment in her life is captured and disseminated to the social media universe, it's Kathleen who becomes the focus of attention. While the moment captures Bill simultaneously burning down the garage (accidentally) and cheating on her with a campaign staffer (not accidentally), it also digitally records for all time a blot on Kathleen's name: she has her period. It leaked. In the following social media uproar(s) and hashtag activism #YesWeBleed, Kathleen learns to find her way, her people, her identity, and her relationship to her newly, suddenly, reconfigured family. An intercepted invitation to a secret society intended to rehabilitate the reputations of cancelled public figures gives her a different perspective on her situation. VERDICT Roper's second novel (after Eden Lake) is simultaneously a sendup of internet fame and a love letter to earnest activists. The comic tale's mother-daughter journey keeps it grounded and refreshing.--Julie Kane

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 13, 2023
A New York politician’s wife becomes an unwitting public figure in the entertaining latest from Roper (Eden Lake). Bill Held compromises his marriage and his Senate bid by having sex with an aide. They’re exposed, and the story goes viral, including a photo of his wife, Kathleen, in which she’s wearing period-stained pants. Though Kathleen just wants some privacy, a movement called Yes We Bleed builds in response to online trolls who seized on the photograph. At first, Kathleen finds the movement disingenuous and wants no part of it, partially to protect her 12-year-old daughter, Aggie. Aggie, on the other hand, insists on participating, much to Bill’s ire, who worries it will further damage his campaign. Things change after Kathleen intercepts an invitation meant for Bill to a secret society of people who have been canceled. She bonds with the founder, a disgraced romance novelist who advises Kathleen to reap the benefits of her situation, which includes the chance to publish her own novel. She’s ultimately swayed when she realizes how much the movement means to Aggie. Most touching is the mother-daughter relationship, as Kathleen projects her fears onto Aggie, and Aggie restores her mom’s youthful boldness. Readers will be swept along by Roper’s scrappy heroine.

Starred review from February 15, 2023
When Kathleen Held, perimenopausal wife of Senate candidate Bill Held, returns home to find her garage on fire, a soon-to-be-viral photograph captures more than that. Bill has his pants down with a young campaign staffer, and Kathleen has bled through her tampon and stained her pants. It's almost more humiliation than she can bear, but the internet picks up on her plight as a crusade, and the #YesWeBleed movement is born. Kathleen wants nothing to do with it, until she intercepts an invitation meant for Bill to the Society of Shame, which, run by a disgraced romance author, works behind the scenes to rehabilitate tarnished images. Soon Kathleen undergoes a makeover and goes by Kat Anderson Held. But while she is swept up in becoming the face of the movement, her earnest 12-year-old daughter, who is working to fight for real change, is less than impressed. Roper's latest is a hilarious romp through cancel culture, performative activism, and politics. She manages a fine balance between quippy humor and genuine emotion, and as Kat steps out of her husband's shadow, the book becomes a woman's journey of self-discovery and a mother-daughter story. Recommended for fans of Maria Semple and Laurie Gelman.

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Starred review from February 15, 2023
A novel that takes back shame while packing a funny and poignant punch. Political wife Kathleen Held returns early from a trip to discover her garage is on fire, and her husband and his mistress are the source of the heat. Both her reaction and, incidentally, the deep red stain from some leaked menstrual blood are captured on video and instantly shared around the globe. Kathleen, a production editor in book publishing by trade, is used to being invisible, but her face has become that of the #YesWeBleed movement, photo edited onto Rosie the Riveter posters and memes and submemes and gifs and hashtags in a brilliant satire of an internet culture that falls somewhere between the honesty of #MeToo and the outrage of "Grab 'em by the pussy." Kathleen is horrified and tries to hide until two things happen: She intercepts an invitation meant for her husband to the Society of Shame, a salon for the scandalous run by disgraced bestselling author Danica Bellevue; and her 12-year-old daughter, Aggie, is pelted with maxi pads. Aggie fights back by embracing the period movement even though her involvement could wreak havoc on her father's Senate campaign and her own social life. Seeing her daughter's bravery, Kathleen realizes she's chosen to disappear rather than face possible disappointment, that she's pushed aside her own wants and needs since having been rejected for her literary novel decades before. Urged by her cohort in the society, Kathleen decides to lean into the embarrassing-but-essential period-based spotlight, generating media and keynotes, hashtags, hate mail, and a high-six-figure book deal. But she starts to realize the attention and social media storm are making her lose sight of what's important to her and must decide if the risk is worth the cost of her values. The humor gets its teeth from author Roper's eye for just the right details, like the moment when Kathleen is on a solo road trip and plays her favorite college songs from Alanis Morissette and the Indigo Girls. Resist skipping ahead, but the last page cements the work's heart. Astutely written, with the perfect balance among humor, heartbreak, and understanding.

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