Green Dot

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

Green Dot by Madeleine Gray is an Australian novel that is full of Gen-Z snark and ironic self-awareness.

The book’s protagonist is Hera, a 24-year-old in Sydney struggling with finding meaning and connection in ‘real life’. She has exhausted all study options and concedes that she must get a real job. She starts working as a comment moderator and becomes entangled in an affair with a journalist in her office. They continue the affair even after she finds out that he is married, and it all becomes very messy. Hera can’t manage let go of the one thing that brings her joy, pleasure and meaning in life even if she knows deep down it is not going to end well.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I was gripped by Hera’s struggle; her insecurities and bad decisions brought me back to my own experiences of being in my early twenties. She can be petty and mean, she drinks too much and treats her friends badly, but I still wanted her to be happy and to figure her life out. I had so many moments of wanting to shake some sense into her, but I liked that the writing was affecting me in such a strong way.

I think this is an excellent read, but I am also probably the target audience for it. I’m not sure that it would resonate so well for others. But if you feel like you could see a bit of yourself in Hera or enjoy some messy Gen-Z drama definitely give this one a go.

Find Green Dot in the library catalogue

Rosanna