Naoise Dolan’s debut novel, Exciting Times, arrives with sharp edges and a clinical precision that belies its emotional undercurrents. Set in Hong Kong, this contemporary love triangle examines the intersections of money, language, and power through the eyes of its emotionally reticent protagonist Ava, an Irish expat teaching English grammar to wealthy children.
The novel’s title operates with biting irony—there’s little conventionally “exciting” about Ava’s existence. Instead, we witness a protagonist who observes her own life with detached analysis, using sardonic wit to keep genuine feeling at arm’s length. This analytical distance serves as both the novel’s greatest strength and its ultimate limitation.
The Anatomy of Relationships as Transactions
Dolan gives us a story that feels both timeless and uniquely millennial. Twenty-two-year-old Ava leaves Dublin for Hong Kong, where she quickly falls into a peculiar arrangement with Julian, a wealthy British banker. Their relationship is defined by an unnerving transactional quality—he provides material comfort; she provides companionship and sex. It’s never clear if this arrangement qualifies as dating, and neither party seems eager to define it.
When Julian returns to London for work, Ava meets Edith, a sophisticated Hong Kong-born lawyer who represents everything Ava admires and covets. Their relationship develops with a tenderness notably absent from Ava’s dynamic with Julian, creating the central tension of the novel when Julian announces his return.
What makes Dolan’s approach distinctive is how she positions these relationships within systems of power:
- Class and wealth – Julian’s economic privilege allows him to dictate the terms of engagement
- Gender politics – Ava’s feminist principles clash with her passive acceptance of Julian’s control
- Colonial legacy – The British expatriate presence in Hong Kong creates hierarchies that benefit Julian and, by extension, Ava
- Sexuality and identity – Ava’s attraction to both Julian and Edith forces her to confront aspects of herself she’s avoided examining
Language as Both Weapon and Shield
Dolan’s background in English literature shines through in her preoccupation with language. The novel treats words as objects worthy of dissection, and Ava—who teaches English grammar—is constantly parsing meaning:
“You say that a lot,” I said. “By the way, I’m still not your boyfriend,” like you think I need reminding. I’m not stupid.’
‘I’m aware you’re not stupid.’
‘So why do you keep saying it? I feel like you’re hiding something.’
The characters engage in verbal sparring matches where subtext matters more than what’s explicitly stated. Dolan cleverly uses these exchanges to reveal power dynamics—Julian’s casual Oxford-educated eloquence versus Ava’s hyper-awareness of class markers in language; Edith’s sophistication versus Ava’s self-conscious Dublin vernacular.
This linguistic precision extends to the novel’s style itself. Dolan writes in clean, unadorned prose that occasionally blossoms into startling perception:
“Everyone is embarrassed. They feel compromised by even mentioning it. You’re like that about other things, but not about money. When it comes to money, you’re a little animal.”
The Novel’s Strengths: Precision and Perspective
Where Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan truly excels is in its unflinching examination of self-deception. Ava recognizes her compromises but makes them anyway. She critiques capitalism while benefiting from Julian’s wealth. She acknowledges her emotional cowardice without being able to overcome it.
The novel also offers brilliant observations about cultural differences, particularly:
- The peculiarities of British class signifiers through an Irish lens
- The dynamics of post-colonial Hong Kong
- The strange bubble inhabited by wealthy expatriates
Dolan handles these intersections with subtle intelligence, avoiding heavy-handed commentary while ensuring they shape the narrative’s backdrop.
Limitations: Emotional Distancing and Character Development
Despite these strengths, Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan sometimes suffers from the very analytical detachment it portrays. Ava’s constant self-examination and reluctance to fully engage with her feelings can make the novel feel emotionally distant. We understand Ava’s behavior intellectually without always connecting to it emotionally.
This distance extends to the other characters as well. Julian remains something of a cipher—we see his privilege and charm but rarely glimpse beneath this exterior. Edith fares better but still feels partially obscured, viewed exclusively through Ava’s admiring and anxious gaze.
The consequence is that the stakes of the central conflict—whom will Ava choose?—sometimes lack the emotional urgency they deserve. We understand the choice intellectually but may not feel its weight as deeply as we might.
Style and Structure: Clinical Precision
Structurally, the novel divides into three parts, roughly aligning with Ava’s relationships with Julian and Edith. The prose avoids excessive ornamentation, relying instead on Ava’s razor-sharp observations and internal monologues.
Dialogue forms the core of the novel’s rhythm, with conversations often reading like verbal chess matches. Characters exchange witticisms and subtle jabs, each interaction layered with unspoken power negotiations:
- Julian displays casual condescension masked as affection
- Ava delivers acerbic commentary that reveals her insecurities
- Edith offers genuine warmth tinged with class confidence
Dolan excels at a particular type of millennial comedy—deadpan, self-aware, and laced with social commentary:
“I said he sounded like a guy from her firm she went running with. He was an overpronating arsehole, she said. Overpronating was when your foot moved too far inward as it landed on the ground. Arsehole was when you had a personality like his.”
Contextualizing Exciting Times
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan arrives in a literary landscape that has seen several acclaimed novels exploring similar territory. It invites comparisons to Sally Rooney’s work (Normal People, Intermezzo), particularly in its examination of power dynamics in relationships and its Irish protagonists navigating class anxieties. However, Dolan’s voice is distinctly her own—cooler, more analytical, and more overtly concerned with language as both subject and medium.
As a debut, the novel demonstrates remarkable control and intelligence. Dolan’s economic prose and unflinching examination of self-deception mark her as a writer to watch, even when the emotional temperature of the novel runs cooler than some readers might prefer.
Final Assessment: An Intellectually Stimulating If Emotionally Reserved Debut
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan is at its strongest when examining the intersection of money, language, and desire. Its protagonist’s clinical self-awareness provides both the novel’s most fascinating insights and its limitations.
What Works:
- Razor-sharp observations about class, language, and power
- Clean, precise prose that occasionally soars
- Sophisticated examination of expatriate culture and colonialism’s legacy
- Unflinching portrayal of emotional cowardice and self-deception
Where It Falls Short:
- Emotional distance sometimes keeps readers at arm’s length
- Some secondary characters remain underdeveloped
- The central conflict occasionally lacks urgency
- Ava’s passivity can become frustrating
Readers who appreciate intellectual engagement with contemporary issues through the lens of intimate relationships will find much to admire in Dolan’s debut. Those seeking an emotionally immersive experience may find the novel’s analytical approach keeps them at a distance.
Exciting Times marks Naoise Dolan as a writer of considerable talent and intelligence. If her debut occasionally prioritizes sharp observation over emotional depth, it nevertheless announces a distinctive new voice in contemporary fiction—one that dissects the transactions, both financial and emotional, that make up modern life with clinical precision and occasional brilliance.
