Failing Through Your Twenties: Bea Setton's Berlin

Failing Through Your Twenties: A Story of Millennial Struggle

Finding your way in your twenties is no easy feat. With constant pressure to determine your entire future while balancing precarious finances, unstable relationships, and little real-world experience, failure seems imminent. Author Bea Setton captures this tumultuous period with humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom in her new novel, Berlin.

Lost in Transition

Like many millennials, Berlin's loosely autobiographical protagonist arrives in the titular city armed only with a liberal arts degree, tattered ambitions, and grandiose fantasies about discovering her true calling while working as a nanny. As the glamour and novelty wear off and real life sets in, she cycles through soul-crushing day jobs, dysfunctional relationships, and aimless late nights fueled by youthful abandon and the need to escape, even briefly.

Far from a sad girl with an acoustic guitar bemoaning her misfortune, Berlin is laugh-out-loud funny with a self-deprecating wit. She documents her misadventures and revelations in a "book of scraps" like a sarcastic Sally Rooney armed with razor-sharp observations about the hidden anxieties of being young and lost in an age overrun with the pressure to seem put together online.

Finding Your People

Amidst coping through hookups, hangovers, and hustles, Berlin finds solace in a motley crew of expat friends also trying to "adult." Together they experience all the chaotic comradery of shared flats, odd jobs, and hard-partying nights out propelled by the desire to momentarily feel alive and numb their worries about the future. Their connections, clashes, and inside jokes reveal the scrappy supportive tribes we build as we learn to let go of what we thought our lives would be and embrace wherever they take us next.

The Journey Over the Destination

While Berlin focuses on the uncertainty, failures, and offbeat experiences of millennials learning to accept what they can't control, Setton explores profound universal questions. How do we cope with change? Why are we so desperate to present a filtered life online? Is there really such a thing as "having it all figured out," or is adulthood just faking it till you make it? More than anything, the book is a celebration of how the people and places that unexpectedly change our trajectory are what really make life rich.

The Relatability of #QuarterLifeCrisis

Berlin may focus on a young woman's misadventures, but her insights about how we measure success resonate across generations. Setton reveals how the glossy facade of perfect millennial influencers belies the turbulent reality that everyone second-guesses themselves, makes questionable choices while chasing fleeting happiness, and constantly resets their expectations.

Watching Berlin and her friends embrace the messy process of self-discovery reminds midlifers that success isn't a pinnacle you reach, but an amalgamation of experiences and lessons that reshape your perspective. Ultimately, Berlin realizes chasing the next high, job, or relationship is less meaningful than learning to laugh at failure and celebrate tiny moments of chaotic joy with loved ones.

A Talent to Tell the Bees

Fans of Sally Rooney and other writers shining a light on #MillennialLife will find a kindred spirit in Bea Setton. Like Berlin floating noncommittally through life, Setton's prose floats effortlessly from laugh-out-loud observations to poignant moments sitting with discomfort. Berlin may be losing her way amongst one-night stands and all-night benders, but Setton never loses the plot in this promising debut.

Berlin brings a playful self-awareness to the aimlessness of our twenties while reminding midlifers not to lose touch with the parts of life's journey that don't fit the highlight reel. Through fumbling and failing towards epiphanies that can't be captured for other people's approval, Berlin's scrapbook of formative experiences will speak to anyone still trying to navigate maturity in our hyperconnected era.

FAQs

What is Berlin about?

Berlin is a semi-autobiographical novel by author Bea Setton about a young woman floundering through her twenties while living as an expat in Berlin, Germany. As she cycles through jobs, relationships, and late nights, she documents her misadventures and revelations in a scrapbook.

Who would enjoy reading Berlin?

Berlin would appeal to millennials and Gen Z experiencing their own #quarterlifecrisis. Midlifers may also find humor and wisdom in its commentary on our cultural obsession with presenting perfected lives online versus grappling with private struggles.

How does Berlin compare to other books?

With its razor-sharp yet relatable voice, Berlin sits firmly between Sally Rooney's millennial novels and the biting humor of tumblr. Fans of stories about the uncertainty of youth finding connection will feel seen.

What makes Bea Setton stand out?

While Berlin herself may be lost, author Bea Setton demonstrates wit, emotional intelligence, and talent comparable to far more seasoned writers. Even in chaotic stories, her prose floats effortlessly in this promising debut.