Rejection: Fiction by Tony Tulathimutte

Rating: ★★★★★

Tulathimutte understands the different strains of terminal internet usage in a way few do. In fact the novel's strength is how well he can understand and represent a huge variety of people in a way we rarely understand ourselves. From incels to tech bros to San Francisco queer co-ops, Tulathimutte knows every single one of the worst people you know, and spreads them across the page so viscerally that you can't be sure whether you hate them or are them.

Beneath the character studies that make up the surface of this book is a deep, spiralling depth of self reflection and meta analysis. It is self referential and confusing and so deeply intriguing that you can't help but wonder who truly wrote this book, even though his name's right there on the cover. This novel constantly surprised me, and was constantly adding on new layers of meaning to drive the novel forward and constantly change your perception of everything which had come before.

This novel has been nominated for the 2024 national book award in Fiction, and is definitely my pick to win.

(Also, it had by far the scariest scene I've ever read in anything ever. So that was awesome.)

Recommendations:

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut: An older, but no less relevant, exploration of "the worst people you know." Breakfast of Champions was written long before the internet, so lacks that dimension, but matches Tulathimutte's indepth exploration of loneliness and ego. Additionally, if you liked the meta elements of Rejection, Breakfast of Champions will not let you down.