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Emily Austin, the bestselling "queen of darkly quirky, endearingly flawed heroines" (Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus), returns with a luminous new novel following a librarian who comes back to work after a mental breakdown only to confront book-banning crusaders in an empowering story of grief, love, and the power of libraries.
Darcy's life turned out better than she could have ever imagined. She is a librarian at the local branch, while her wife Joy runs a book binding service. Between the two of them, there is no more room on their shelves with their ample book collections, various knickknacks and bobbles, and dried bouquets. Rounding out their ideal life is two cats and a sun-soaked house by the lake.
But when Darcy receives the news that her ex-boyfriend, Ben, has passed away, she spirals into a pit of guilt and regret, resulting in a mental breakdown and medical leave from the library. When she returns to work, she is met by unrest in her community, and protests surrounding intellectual freedom, resulting in a call for book bans and a second look at the branch's upcoming DEI programs.
Through the support of her community, colleagues, and the personal growth that results from examining her previous relationships, Darcy comes into her own agency and the truest version of herself. Is This a Cry for Help? not only offers a moving portrait of queer life after coming of age but also powerfully explores questions about sexuality, community, and the importance of libraries.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (2/12/2026)
I finished "Is This a Cry for Help" by Emily Austin (loved the library aspect which I found very realistic) & "The Secret Christmas Library" by Jenny Colgan which was exactly what I expected & is a fine example of a holiday rom com. I've just started "This Book Made Me Think of You" by Libby Page...
-Carol_Ann_Robb
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (1/29/2026)
As soon as I finish Michael Bond's "A Bear Called Paddington' (for our library's winter reading challenge–it was published the year I was born (!) & I first read it about nearly 60 years ago), I'll start "Is This a Cry for Help?" by Emily Austin. I'm a sucker for for novels about librarians.
-Carol_Ann_Robb
"An introspective look at difference, trauma, and identity against the backdrop of a local library." —Kirkus Reviews
"Inject every Emily Austin novel straight into my veins…[Is This a Cry for Help?] stole my heart." —Cecelia Laskey, author of Cover Story
"Austin has a gift for creating characters so real with insights so uniquely personal that they live in my heart long after the final page." —Natalie Sue, internationally bestselling author of I Hope This Finds You Well
This information about Is This a Cry for Help? was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Emily Austin is the author of We Could Be Rats, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, Interesting Facts About Space, and the poetry collection Gay Girl Prayers. She was born in Ontario, Canada, and received two writing grants from the Canadian Council for the Arts. She studied English literature and library science at Western University. She currently lives in Ottawa, in the territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation.
If you liked Is This a Cry for Help?, try these:
by Laura Sims
Published 2024
From the author of Looker comes this "compulsive and unforgettable novel" (Mona Awad) of razor-sharp suspense about two local librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined.
by Mary Lawson
Published 2022
Mary Lawson is back after almost a decade with a fresh and timely novel that is different in subject but just as emotional and atmospheric as her beloved earlier work.
by Freya Sampson
Published 2021
June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.
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