The mode here is Rabelaisian overkill, penned in prose so sharp it cuts. As a loyal employee and friend of Beatrice, Charles often engages in the affairs of her family, though the novel’s energy is in its feverish asides, plunges into hell, “sibilant hind blast”s, Charles’s preening knowledge of literature and history, his cohort’s assessment of the politics of Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo, and his insistence that, despite being a “confirmed Royalist” and claiming responsibility for the firing of the founder of Old Navy, he sees himself as of the proletariat, as life has pushed him into hardships.
In spite of it all, he still believes “in the existent secular national religion known as The American Dream,” while he prides himself for turning “The Art of Bargain Shopping into Science.” The satire is often wicked and unpredictable, targeting beliefs and figures across the political spectrum, while digging into the dehumanizing complexities of consumer culture. Readers who love a rant will find much to laugh over.
Takeaway: Rabelasian satire of the pandemic age, written with wit and giddy overkill.
Great for fans of: Paul Beatty, Gary Shteyngart's Our Country Friends.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
