The Book of Ayn
 | |
| Author | Lexi Freiman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Satire |
| Publisher | Catapult |
Publication date | November 14, 2023 |
| ISBN | 978-1-64622-192-9 |
The Book of Ayn is a novel by Australian writer Lexi Freiman. It was published by Catapult in November 2023.
Plot[edit]
The novel's main character, Anna, is a 39-year-old novelist who is cancelled after she writes a satirical novel about the opioid epidemic in the United States. She finds solace in the individualist egoism of Ayn Rand. In an attempt to emulate Rand, who worked for several years as a screenwriter, Anna moves to Los Angeles and attempts to write a television sitcom featuring an animal character named "Ayn Ram". After falling behind on her TV writing and becoming addicted to Adderall, Anna abandons Rand's ideas. She goes to a Greek commune, where she attempts to experience ego death.
Reception[edit]
In a review for The New Yorker, Katy Waldman compares The Book of Ayn to the earlier novel Two Girls, Fat and Thin by Mary Gaitskill, which focuses on a woman who follows a Rand-like character. Waldman says that both novels "mock their characters, but they also argue that egoism can be nourishing and even generative".[1] In The Washington Post, Maddie Crum praises Freiman's skill for writing comedy.[2] In the Los Angeles Times, Ryan Chapman calls the book "one of the funniest and unruliest novels in ages".[3] The novel was also reviewed in Kirkus Reviews,[4] The New Republic,[5] The New York Times,[6] and The Wall Street Journal.[7]
References[edit]
- ^ Waldman, Katy (November 21, 2023). "The Surprising Sweetness of the Ayn Rand Fangirl Novel". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Crum, Maddie (November 21, 2023). "The Book of Ayn Pokes Fun at Cancel Culture". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Chapman, Ryan (November 14, 2023). "A 'Canceled' Author Falls for a Cringe Icon in The Book of Ayn (Rand, of Course)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "The Book of Ayn". Kirkus Reviews. August 10, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Martin, Kristen (January 11, 2024). "The Book of Ayn Trolls Us All". The New Republic. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Tanner, Alexandra (November 11, 2023). "A Gamy Picaresque for the Age of the Notes-App Apology". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Sacks, Sam (November 29, 2023). "Fiction: The Book of Ayn by Lexi Freiman". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
External links[edit]
- Excerpt published in Joyland
- Interview with Freiman about the novel, by Christopher Bollen in Interview magazine