Rejection: Fiction

From the Whiting and O. Henrywinning 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 mans passionate allyship turns to furious nihilism as he realizes, over thirty lonely years, that it isnt getting him laid. A young womans 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 bloomers flailing efforts at a first relationship leads to a life-upending mistake. As the characters pop up in each others 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.