Supersaurio - by Meryem El Mehdati (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An uproarious debut novel about a young woman from the Canary Islands whose internship with a supermarket chain reveals the soul-crushing vagaries of modern life.

Meryem is twenty-five years old, drinks too much coffee, goes on dates with terrifying men and never says what she really thinks. A Canarian from a Moroccan family, she's just started working as an intern at a mega-chain supermarket, where the only thing she and her boss have in common is their mutual hatred for each other.

To pass the time, Meryem begins to write fan fiction starring her office mates. Surrounded by insecure and inept individuals, she reimagines her bland day job through fabricated office crushes and coworker drama. But to get through the daily grind, she's going to have to summon more than just her imagination.

Bold, refreshing and darkly comedic, Supersaurio vividly portrays the everyday trials and tribulations of entering your twenties in a world that feels like everything's pitted against you.

Review Quotes

Praise for Supersaurio

"The bleakly hilarious Meryem El Mehdati's Supersaurio renders a satire of youth, work, and ordinary life so biting and refreshingly honest that the real world feels just a little more ridiculous by comparison. I tore through this book."--Jinwoo Chong, author of I Leave It Up to You and Flux

"Funny, provocative, and moving. If you've ever had a boring job, a soul-draining commute, felt overeducated and underpaid, fended off an unexpected office 'romance'--and wanted a way out--you need to meet Meryem El Mehdati and enter the world of Supersaurio."--Jessica Berger Gross, author of Hazel Says No

"Meryem El Mehdati has written a refreshing, witty and addictive debut."--El País

"An honest, intelligent and amusing look at the hyper-touristic spaces of the Canary Islands." --Andrea Abreu, author of Dogs of Summer

"Meryem El Mehdati can rip shreds of laughter and pierce your chest in a single line."--Elisa Victoria, author of Oldladyvoice

"[A] really great voice... It also made me never want to visit the Canaries."--Ben Brooks, author of Dare To Be Different

"One of the most dazzling debuts of the year in the form of a stunning Bildungsroman with a Canarian accent."--Rosa Martí, Esquire

"A millennial, feminist, Canarian and Muslim voice needed in the national scene. Funny, depressing and hopeful."--Estela Ortiz, Catalunya Rádio

"A raw and hilarious literary debut against job insecurity, racism and classism."--Rigoberta Bandini, singer and songwriter

"Supersaurio is a work of autofiction narrated with a sharp, clever eye for interpersonal conflict."--Booklist

"Novels about persevering against everyday toil are no rarity, but El Mehdati's bleak, forthright candor and modern take breathes vitality into the concept. Readers will want to root for funny, snarky, tender-hearted Meryem, but they will also reckon with the limited options available as she faces a reality in which basics like affordable housing and starting a family seem wildly out of reach. The Canary Islands setting vibrantly grounds the story with specificity, but readers all over the world will laugh and cry in solidarity with Meryem's struggles."--Shelf Awareness