I started reading "Kill Dick" but lost interest partway through. Your review has inspired me to give it another go. I did appreciate Susie's narrative voice.
The comparison with "The Shards" was intriguing since I did enjoy that novel.
Curious to learn a little more about the “post-empire” element here. Is the suggestion that America’s focus abroad has led to a decline at home (bad education, no universal healthcare etc.)? Or is it that the decline of empire somehow goes hand-in-hand with the decline in (male) character (addiction, violence etc.)? Or something else entirely…
I was thinking more the latter, but both! And the two go hand-in-hand in my opinion. Lack of investment in our domestic resources has resulted in so much addiction, violence, etc. like you allude to. Thanks for reading my piece!
I started reading "Kill Dick" but lost interest partway through. Your review has inspired me to give it another go. I did appreciate Susie's narrative voice.
The comparison with "The Shards" was intriguing since I did enjoy that novel.
You might be interested in my review here:
https://kabiraltaf.substack.com/p/review-the-shards-by-bret-easton
Oh thank you — will check it out! I felt like there was a big overlap btw the two
Am I the only one who is really unnerved by the "justified" alignment of the text? It feels really jarring to me.
Agreed.
Curious to learn a little more about the “post-empire” element here. Is the suggestion that America’s focus abroad has led to a decline at home (bad education, no universal healthcare etc.)? Or is it that the decline of empire somehow goes hand-in-hand with the decline in (male) character (addiction, violence etc.)? Or something else entirely…
I was thinking more the latter, but both! And the two go hand-in-hand in my opinion. Lack of investment in our domestic resources has resulted in so much addiction, violence, etc. like you allude to. Thanks for reading my piece!
Interesting. I enjoyed the piece. Thanks so much for writing and taking the time to reply too.