Scaffolding tells the story of two women separated by time, but living parallel lives in the same Paris apartment decades apart. We follow Anna, a psychoanalyst in 2019, and Florence, a psychoanalyst-in-training in 1972. 

Character-focused books are something that I always enjoy, and from the first chapter, I knew that Scaffolding would become one of my favorites. This is my first introduction to Lauren Elkin’s writing, and I am a new fan. 

Anna is such a compelling character to read. There is so much going on with her, but also there is a lot that she is avoiding. So much of the book is an exploration of relationships, sexuality, identity, desire, love, and feminism. But through all these lies an undercurrent of grief of the personal (Anna’s recent miscarriage) and the collective kind (protests surrounding the rise of femicides in France).

Lacanian theories of desire also play a significant part in this book. Anna is a psychoanalyst who subscribes to Lacanian views. Florence is also learning from him and attending his seminars. Both women use his theories as a framework for understanding their identities and their self-exploration. I had no knowledge of Lacan before reading Scaffolding. But it was interesting how Elkin added his theories into the book and how much it ties into the story. Did I get a little confused by these Lacanian ideas at times? Yes. But I always welcome those moments as an invitation for further reflection. I love it when a book pushes me to pause and think, a little break from passive consumption. 

One thing I would have wanted was a bit of closure for Florence and Henry’s arc. When I finished the book, I had to go back to the end of their section to remind myself how it concluded. And although it was a banger of an ending (iykyk), I still wish I got to know what happened to them in the aftermath of it all.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for the ARC!