Rejection: Fiction

Written by Tony Tulathimutte

Narrated by Micky Shiloah, Allyson Ryan, Quincy Surasmith and 5 more

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

""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

“One of the foremost fiction writers exploring the subject of his own generation.” —Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Sep 17, 2024
• ISBN: 9780063337909

Tony Tulathimutte

Tony Tulathimutte is the author of Private Citizens and Rejection. His work has appeared in The Paris Review, n +1, The Nation, The New Republic, and The New York Times. The recipient of an O. Henry Award and a Whiting Award, he runs the writing class CRIT in Brooklyn. 

Reviews for Rejection

[ameliaaa333 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thought the first 2 stories were EXCELLENT. 3rd was over the top but still retained some of the humor of The Feminist and Pics, but from then on Tony fell apart.

[hcomet204 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. At times it was laugh out loud funny. At other times it was slightly heartbreaking. It is some of the best writing I have seen in a long time. This author has an incredible mastery of words. He has a deep understanding of the complexity of human nature, and how completely screwed up people can be. Great read.

[Ashley Marie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A binge listen (or read, if you’re not into audiobooks). A times a bit too graphic in its themes of sexual sadism, but, honestly, nothing you probably haven’t heard before if you’ve ever been on the internet.

I loved to hate the characters. The writing is witty, experimental, and refreshingly contemporary. I thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish! I wish I could find better words to describe it without giving away too much but I highly recommend it!