A lot of people seemingly loved the nothingness of this book, and while I tend to be a huge fan of plotless book I was not a fan of this one. Alexandra Tanner has no reason to change her style for me, but I definitely see glimpses of a writing style I could really enjoy one day. I loved the few glimpses of a theme I saw in this book, about depression and internet obsession. She placed us so solidly in 2019, during the Trump presidency and before Covid, and managed to say a lot without hitting us over the head with her messaging, but her main character never seemed to be internalizing this messaging or to be doing anything with it.

Earlier this month I read The Idiot by Elif Batuman. I really loved The Idiot while I have clearly come to despise Worry. I would sum up both of these books as being about "a depressed young woman doing nothing but still acting as a cultural critique for an entire novel."

The difference between Jules and Seline is that Seline's nothingness leaves her fundamentally changed at the end of the novel. While she was not proactive in changing herself the circumstances that she encounters in the book leave both the main character and the reader fundamentally changed. Jules does not go through any type of journey. She does not change and she does not learn. We never fully glimpse who she is at the beginning of the novel and a shock value ending robs us of seeing who she could become in the future.

I wanted this story to just say more. There were some really witty passages and interesting moments but what you get from the first few chapters of the book is all you'll get from the book. A slice of life that should have been a short story.