Scaffolding by Lauren Elkin “We only know what we know to know. We can only recognise what we’ve already seen. I worry that’s one of my limitations, as a therapist. That I can only respond to what a patient is saying on the basis of my narrow understanding of the world.” A novel about marriage, womanhood, desire, the psyche set in Paris. It follows two stories, fifty years apart: In 1972, a young couple living in a bohemian apartment realize they hardly know each another. In 2019, another couple inhabit the same space, facing distance, a miscarriage, and the past creeping in. Even the title is sentimental with this novel: In the contemporary plot, the building is scaffolded to repair its facade, and the emotional journey of the main character echoes it. Both timelines share a sentiment: women are made to anticipate freedoms they’re not allowed to fully explore.