Rejection

Fiction

De: Tony Tulathimutte

Narrado por: Micky Shiloah, Allyson Ryan, Quincy Surasmith, Dan Bittner, André Santana, Marcha Kia, Eunice Wong, Madeleine Maby

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE

"A master comedian with a virtuoso prose style has produced an audacious, original and highly disturbing book . . . an incandescent satire." —Giles Harvey, The New York Times Magazine

From the Whiting and O. Henry–winning author of Private Citizens (“the first great millennial novel,” New York Magazine), an electrifying novel-in-stories that follows a cast of intricately linked characters as rejection throws their lives and relationships into chaos.

Sharply observant and outrageously funny, Rejection is a provocative plunge into the touchiest problems of modern life. The seven connected stories seamlessly transition between the personal crises of a complex ensemble and the comic tragedies of sex, relationships, identity, and the internet.

In “The Feminist,” a young man’s passionate allyship turns to furious nihilism as he realizes, over thirty lonely years, that it isn’t getting him laid. A young woman’s unrequited crush in “Pics” spirals into borderline obsession and the systematic destruction of her sense of self. And in “Ahegao; or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,” a shy late bloomer’s flailing efforts at a first relationship leads to a life-upending mistake. As the characters pop up in each other’s dating apps and social media feeds, or meet in dimly lit bars and bedrooms, they reveal the ways our delusions can warp our desire for connection.

These brilliant satires explore the underrated sorrows of rejection with the authority of a modern classic and the manic intensity of a manifesto. Audacious and unforgettable, Rejection is a stunning mosaic that redefines what it means to be rejected by lovers, friends, society, and oneself.

"Rejection is unrelentingly brutal and gut-bustingly funny and spares no one—not you, not me. Tulathimutte is a pervert and a madman and a stone-cold genius." —Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties

“One of the foremost fiction writers exploring the subject of his own generation.” —Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker

©2024 Tony Tulathimutte (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

New favorite book

I listened to this in two days. The story, performances and overall tone made this my new favorite book / audio book.

Bonkers! Insanely well written and matched performance wise as well!

“…first and most importantly, lol.” A book that is intense — detailed & meticulously niche, it all gets out of hand real quick and you’re in it for the ride of discovering hidden desires, designed deliberately one way or another that will have you wondering if there is an endgame. If so, what then?

Trigger warning for one chapter, otherwise really creative

Very creative format. Funny at times. Captures the feeling of loneliness in modern times. There is one chapter that was a bit too much for me, which I wish I had skipped. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book and was thought provoking

Uncomfortable but Pressing

Not exactly a "fun" listen, and I think I've been a grouch these past few days listening to it as a result, but this book contains within it the most self-aware and loving take down of millennial, our selfishness and most of all - fear of rejection. Don't listen to it with kids around (you've been warned) but please do listen. I am coming away with a deeper appreciation, understanding and sense of revulsion towards my generational cohort.

Effects of tech

I am aware that cellphones and iPads are shattering my mind but I lived many decades without them. This book seems to reveal what it is like to be a digital native. I could not stop listening . It is raw and close to the bone and utterly absorbing. It shows what it is like to be a human in this culture right now. I hope the pendulum swings soon and humans return to face to face interaction. We need each other’s company so, so much.

There’s no other book, or writer, like this

Tony Tulathimutte is one of a kind. No one with such a masterful command of language should also possess a devastating and depraved sense of humor. By the end of the third story, “Ahegao,” I was laughing so hard I COULDN'T BREATHE.

Genuine sicko stuff of the highest order. Tulathimutte is a major talent.

Tony!

Agonizingly acute exam of rejection in modern era. Looked over my shoulder every time I laughed to make sure I wouldn’t be arrested for bad taste. Could be called literary Obscenity. But in an lol good way. I love this writer.

Fun Read

Although I found some parts a bit weird the stories were a fun read.

basically everything

this is the greatest book of all time, I hope all other books by American authors are stripped out of all curricula and replaced by this book

fantastic (and disturbing) stories

the book is incredibly well crafted but the performance of the last chapters was so monotonous I considering dropping it. It gets better at the end. Still a GREAT piece.