We Live Here Now

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We Live Here Now
AuthorC.D. Rose
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Melville House Publishing
Publication date
August 5, 2025
Publication placeUnited States
Pages320
ISBN 978-1685892012

We Live Here Now is a 2025 composite novel by British author C.D. Rose. [1]

Contents

Summary

The book consists of fourteen short stories, all centering around the experimental artist Sigismunda Conrad and a mysterious exhibition of hers.

Themes and analysis

In an interview with The New Statesman , Rose denied that the book was "art world satire." [2]

Reception

Critical reception

Ian Mond of Locus noted the book's "kaleidoscope of surrealism and artistic eccentricity," saying that it "gleefully, cheekily, playfully pokes fun at the contemporary art world." [3] Chris Power of The Observer gave the book a positive review, saying that "perhaps a book about a work of art that swallows those who experience it can only really live up to its promise if it does the same to its readers. When I think about it, though, I realise that sometimes, lost in its fitfully brilliant pages, that’s exactly what happened to me," additionally praising Rose for being "very funny; he is able to acknowledge absurdity without puncturing the novel’s menacing atmosphere." [4] John Self of The Daily Telegraph gave the book five stars out of five, saying that "here is a book that shows it is possible for a novel to be at once highly original and to fit within an established tradition," additionally praising it for being "both accessible and challenging, entertaining the reader with its ridiculous and sinister figures, even as it prompts more intellectual questions about the reality of appearances." [5]

Nicole Rudick of The New York Times gave the book a more negative review, saying that it was "too clever by half: so unironically heaped with jargon, theory and name-dropping that, like its characters, the reader never quite understands what anyone is saying." [6]

Awards and recognition

The book was awarded the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize. [7] [8]

References

  1. ↑ Davies, W.J. (22 August 2025). "Artspeak, artlook". The Times Literary Supplement . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  2. ↑ Lawford, Emily (October 2025). "CD Rose: "Novels are like massive clouds which lower overhead"". The New Statesman . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  3. ↑ Mond, Ian (1 January 2026). "We Live Here Now by C.D. Rose: Review by Ian Mond". Locus . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Power, Chris (28 November 2025). "Paperback of the week: We Live Here Now by CD Rose". The Observer . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "A clever novel about the contemporary art world – plus the best fiction of July". The Daily Telegraph . 31 July 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Rudick, Nicole (8 August 2025). "Art That Will Change Your Life (or Maybe End It)". The New York Times . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Burakowski, Kryssa (6 November 2025). "C.D. Rose's We Live Here Now wins the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize". Goldsmiths, University of London . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Okotie, Simon (5 November 2025). "Why CD Rose won the 2025 Goldsmiths Prize for fiction". The New Statesman . Retrieved 14 January 2026.
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