Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel, scheduled for publication in 2024, is set in Russia. Goodreads users expressed outrage over the war in Ukraine
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Elizabeth Gilbert became one of the biggest stars in the literary world with the publication of her memoirs in 2006. Eat, Pray, Lovewhich sold over 12 million copies and served as the basis for a 2010 film starring Julia Roberts.
In the following books, including another autobiography, Committedpublished in 2010, and a self-help book, 2015 Great MagicGilbert continued to build her career as a personable, wry and warm voice that resonated with her many readers. In 2013, she also published a novel, The Signature of All Things.
But Gilbert announced today on social media that her next novel, The Snow Forestwhich was scheduled for release in early 2024, is being put on hold indefinitely. It had only been publicly announced last week.
The new announcement followed an avalanche of negative pre-release reviews on the website Goodreads, which allows users to give their assessments of books – whether they’ve read them or not. As of the afternoon of July 12, more than 500 Goodreads users had expressed their disapproval with one-star reviews, the lowest rating the site allows. “I’ve heard and read this news, and I respect it,” Gilbert said in a recording posted to social media. “It’s not the right time to release this book.”
The one-star reviewers based their criticism on the fact that the book is set in Russia, at a time when Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. The book, a work of fiction, is not set in the present day, but in the Siberian wilderness in the middle of the last century. Although the publisher has already removed the book from its website, the Goodreads page is still active, so more negative reviews can be published.
The Snow Forest is not the first book to be pulled from the market due to negative reviews before publication on Goodreads. Previous cases have mostly involved young adult novels, including several books that were pulled by their publishers after being criticized in what readers are calling “review bombing” on Goodreads. The same dynamic has been at play on the film review site Rotten Tomatoes, where critics most recently downvoted the 2023 adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey.
PEN America, a literary organization whose goal is to “protect free expression in the United States and around the world,” expressed disappointment in a statement at Gilbert’s decision to delay the book’s publication.
“Ukrainians have suffered immeasurably, and Gilbert’s decision in the face of online outcry from her Ukrainian readers is well-intentioned,” PEN America wrote. “But the idea that in wartime, creativity and artistic expression should be preemptively suppressed to avoid somehow compounding the damage caused by military aggression is false.”
Readers were surprised. Some supported Gilbert’s decision, others expressed dismay that she was stripped of her right to speak before the book even had a chance to be read.
In the literary scene, many authors took to Twitter to speak out. Many told their own stories of bad experiences with Goodreads, including negative reviews that were submitted months before their books were finished. Goodreads was founded in 2006 and acquired by Amazon in 2013.
PEN America’s statement concludes: “The decision to read Gilbert’s book rests with the readers themselves, and those who are offended by it must be able to express their opinions freely. We hope Gilbert will reconsider, and we urge others to support the timely publication of her book and the principle that literature and creativity must not be sacrificed for war.”
Gilbert says she is still writing. “I’m working on other book projects and have decided to focus on this now.”
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