Cassandra in Reverse

Holly Smale’s first novel for adults was published in 2023, titled Cassandra in Reverse in the US and The Cassandra Complex in the UK. Smale was diagnosed with autism at the age of 39, which helped her understand herself and motivated her to advocate for representations of neurodiversity. Cassandra in Reverse’s protagonist, Cassandra Penelope Dankworth, experiences a similar situation: Having always known she was different, she realizes she likely has autism at the age of 31, near the conclusion of the novel. Cassandra in Reverse’s genre is contemporary magical realism, and its magical conceit is that the protagonist develops an ability to rewind time. The novel subverts expectations of the time-travel trope in that Cassie primarily uses her ability for banal reasons, like correcting minor daily errors and avoiding awkward social interactions, rather than dramatic ones. Several of the novel’s primary themes relate to neurodiversity as Smale explores internal and external perceptions of neurodivergence, the importance of human connection, and inevitability and fate.

The novel has been selected as a Reese’s Book Club pick (US) and BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick (UK).