Rejection

Fiction

By: Tony Tulathimutte

Narrated by: 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 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

""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

Exploration of the complexity of modern lives

In reading Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte, I was struck by how starkly different it feels to be young in the 2020s compared to the 1980s—a reminder that I’m now in my late 50s. I loved this book for its exploration of the complexity of modern lives: navigating a dizzying array of acronyms that define, categorize, or resist categorization; and the myriad lifestyle choices available in today’s society.

The book captures the seamless integration of the digital era—how effortlessly people move between virtual and physical worlds. Some having a hard time living in the physical as they are so deeply involved with a digital life which is hard for me to fully grasp. It’s a sharp reminder of how much listening and learning my generation still needs to do to understand these shifts, if we ever will is under debate in my mind.

The story provided a fascinating glimpse into a familiar yet evolving world of coming of age while serving as a sobering reminder of how much has changed over the past 40 years. My youthful yesterday feels lightyears away from the reality of being young today. Hearing these smart, brave, and refreshingly different young voices was fantastic and deeply thought-provoking.

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.

Brutal satire. Brilliant.

Fiction only a millennial could write. Wise, cynical, isolated, disillusioned, so over it. A feedback loop of evolved thought.