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Rejection

By: Tony Tulathimutte
Narrated by: Micky Shiloah, Allyson Ryan, Quincy Surasmith, Dan Bittner, André Santana, Marcha Kia, Eunice Wong, Madeleine Maby
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Publisher's summary

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION

"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

©2024 Tony Tulathimutte (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers
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Critic reviews

"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

What listeners say about Rejection

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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

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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.

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Fun Read

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

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Major Rejection

A memorable book of short stories. Parts of it were difficult for me to listen to, so it's not a book where I got lost in the rapture. But I think it captures the sensibilities of the author's generation, much in the same way that Edith Wharton and Franz Kafka did. These are stories of people who've been deeply impacted by rejection, disappointment, and alienation, which are unfortunately the realities faced by many young people today. More than just short stories, they are like mini-biographies that tell you how the person came to be the way they are.

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The utter darkness

The title was the theme & the theme was SATURATED in every sentence. Imagine seeing something grotesque yet can’t look away. I wanted to stop listening so many times but was so curious how it would end…

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Hated it

I found this book tried way too hard. The tone of the 3rd narrator was entirely unlikable and the plot was weak.

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