'Nothing Can Hurt You' by Nicola Maye Goldberg '18 Published Last Month

Nothing Can Hurt You, the recent debut novel by alumna Nicola Maye Goldberg '18, was published to very positive reviews in June.

Described as a “gothic Olive Kitteridge,” “Gone Girl for the new decade,” Nothing Can Hurt You has been praised for rejuvenating the thriller genre. The story is familiar: a college student is killed in upstate New York, the most likely suspect—her boyfriend—confesses. The young woman’s death is traumatic for the small liberal arts college town. What distinguishes this novel is Goldberg’s knack for observation, writes Bloomsbury, for “tracing the concentric circles of violence rippling out from Sara's murder.” The book is what Bloomsbury calls “masterfully conduct[ing] an unforgettable chorus of disparate voices.”

The Nerd Daily, in a glowing review, wrote, “[Goldberg] essentially has reinvented what a novel is and how it’s meant to be comprehended. This was a bold move for a debut novel and Goldberg has written Nothing Can Hurt You brilliantly.”

From Publishers Weekly, “Goldberg’s razor-sharp, intricately constructed tale, with its varied voices, will leave few readers unmoved. Fans of literary thrillers will relish this incisive account of murder and its aftermath.”

Assistant Professor Leslie Jamison called Goldberg’s novel “Gripping and tremendously searing.”

Vogue published an excerpt of Nothing Can Hurt You in June as part of their "Fiction Friday" series. “Fiction Friday” is a new Vogue weekly series showcasing original fiction from novels being published this spring and summer. The book is available for purchase via Bloomsbury’s website.

Goldberg is the author of the limited-release short story Other Women (Sad Spell Press, 2016) and chapbook The Doll Factory (Dancing Girl Press, 2017). She lives in New York City.