Tobias Carroll’s fifth book, In the Sight, is a hip dystopian road novel. Farrier is the main character, and we follow his travels through roadside motels, eateries, gas stations, bars, retail locations, and secret reading rooms and societies across a futuristic American landscape. In the Sight was inspired by Destroyer’s 2002 album, This Night, and we trail after Farrier as he dispenses a mind-altering product which can change the trajectory of your life. A revision of life is what the product delivers. At first, I wondered if I was heading into Huxley’s Brave New World territory, or a new age reboot of Kerouac’s On the Road, but in a more nomadic picaresque journey. Rick Moody’s hilarious Hotels of North America even crossed my mind as well, early on, as I tried to figure out where Farrier was going and what he was aiming for in his journey. None of these truly fit what I found in this novel. We learn that Farrier and his friends Edwin Hollister, Lopez, and Erskine, all share a similar discontent about the lives they’re leading in university. Edwin names what they’re after: “Reincarnation…but without the death part.” The group experiments with DIY brain science alterations, which allow the recipient to begin a new life. Edwin partakes, revises himself, and sets off never to be heard from again, by Chapter 5. You wonder how many times Farrier has done the same.
Afternoon Bites: Janice Lee on Sentences, Dan Bejar Interviewed, Terrance Hayes on Airports, and More
In our afternoon reading: new writing by Janice Lee, an interview with Dan Bejar, and more.
Morning Bites: John Keene on Writing, Kaitlyn Greenidge’s Recommendations, Kevin Barry on Ghost Stories, and More
In our morning reading: interviews with John Keene and Dan Bejar, the return of Midori Takada, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Sara Lippmann’s Latest, Mike Meginnis on Writing, Dan Bejar on Destroyer, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Sara Lippmann’s new collection, an interview with Dan Bejar, and more.
Morning Bites: Jeff Jackson Interviewed, Maurice Broaddus on Writing, Tom Conaghan on Stories, and More
In our morning reading: interviews with Jeff Jackson and Melissa Febos, looking back at Destroyer’s discography, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Evie Wyld Interviewed, Ander Monson, James McBride’s Latest, Algiers, and More
In our afternoon reading: talking with Evie Wyld, thoughts on new books by James McBride and Ander Monson, and more.
Weekend Bites: Ed Bok Lee, Kwei Quartey Interviewed, Chris Eaton, Destroyer’s Latest, and More
In our weekend reading: reviews of books by Ed Bok Lee and Chris Eaton, thoughts on albums by Jeff Parker and Destroyer, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Emma Copley Eisenberg, Erika T. Wurth’s Recommendations, Writers and Politics, Ramsey Campbell, and More
In our afternoon reading: an excerpt from Emma Copley Eisenberg’s new book, literary recommendations from Erika T. Wurth, and more.