Even for Tarantino loyalists, the first 100 pages of his
Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood novelization are a slog. All the criticisms that skeptics lobbed his way for years pop off the page. Without his stable of actors, the mentions of other movies, directors, and stars (as well as the return of his casual use of the N-word, thankfully omitted from the film) grate against the eyes, the novel reading more like an attempt from one of Tarantino’s imitators, or worse a Wikipedia entry, than the genuine article. But then something happens. As the book unfurls, Tarantino’s rhythms settle, and his skills as a novelist emerge. He’s able to reimagine his cinematic history the way he reimagined actual history, and this dime-store paperback becomes impossible to put down, even if you’ve seen the film a dozen times. Tarantino stages a total rework. Characters Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt in the movie) become more unlikable (as
What to read June 2021: ¡Hola Papi!, Kink, and more
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The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up conversations about labor conditions across the American economic spectrum, from hourly employees opting out of low-paying, physically punishing restaurant jobs to salaried staff members realizing that they’re not working from home they’re living at work. What an opportune time, then, for labor reporter Sarah Jaffe’s
Work Won’t Love You Back, which was released by Bold Type back in January. Jaffe’s mission is to break down the late-capitalist ethos of “doing what you love,” a concept that she argues sets people up for overwork and exploitation rather than true pleasure in one’s daily activities. This critique applies to the insidious 18/6 schedule of “hustle culture,” as well as giant corporations pressuring employees to accept indignity after indignity under the guise of “family.” But Jaffe’s analysis goes further, dividing 10 types of work, from housekeeping to professional sports, into two broad categories. First are
Despite what publicists and jacket-copy writers might have you believe, there are way more readers out there who appreciate, and even prefer, novels in which not a whole lot happens. “Page-turner” needn’t only apply to the action-filled or plot-driven. That’s not to say that things don’t happen in Christine Smallwood’s
The Life Of The Mind (March 2, Hogarth), which centers on English adjunct Dorothy in the days and weeks following her miscarriage due to a blighted ovum. (The writer structured her novel around the prolonged, intermittent bleeding of her main character, who views her body with a matter-of-fact curiosity.) Dorothy grades papers, rides the subway, attends a literary conference. Scenes set around a karaoke party and an underwater puppet show (!) are given the kind of symbolic weight one might more likely see in short fiction. As with so many exemplary novels in which plot is not the driving force, the main attraction of
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The Onion’s long been heralded for its sharply observed satire and penchant for a good photoshop. But as true fans of
The A.V. Club’s sister site know those who actually click through and read the article its writers are also expert storytellers, each headline a gateway to economic comedic world-building.
The Onion is where Jen Spyra cut her teeth (and, full disclosure, shared office space with this writer) before contributing to publications like
The New Yorker and
McSweeney’s, and joining the staff of
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert where she can still be heard announcing each night’s guests. In Spyra’s hilarious first book,
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