Overthrow (Paperback)

Caleb Crain

ISBN 10: 0525560475 / ISBN 13: 9780525560470

Editore: Penguin Putnam Inc, 2020

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Paperback. The best American political novel of the 21st century. Sophia Nguyen, The Washington PostA New York Times Editors' ChoiceLonglisted for the 2020 Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize"A nineteenth-century social novel for the twenty-first-century surveillance state." The New York Times Book Review"A political thriller with a radical spirit." The Boston GlobeA deeply humane novel that explores the fate of candor, good will, and the utopian spirit in a world where technology and surveillance are weaponizing human relationshipsOne autumn night, as a grad student named Matthew is walking home from the subway, a handsome skateboarder catches his eye. Leif, mesmerizing and enigmatic, invites Matthew to meet his friends, who are experimenting with tarot cards. It's easier to know what's in other people's minds than most people realize, the friends claim. Do they believe in telepathy? Can they actually do it? Though Matthew should be writing his dissertation on the poetry of kingship, he soon finds himself falling in love with Leif--a poet of the internet age--and entangled with Leif's group as they visit the Occupy movement's encampment across the river, where they hope their ideas about radical empathy will help heal a divided world and destabilize the 1%.When the group falls afoul of a security contractor freelancing for the government, the news coverage, internet outrage, and legal repercussions damage the romances and alliances that hold the friends together, and complicate the faith the members of the group have--or, in some cases, don't have--in the powers they've been nurturing. Elspeth and Raleigh, two of Leif's oldest friends, will see if their relationship can weather the strains of criminal charges; Chris and Julia, who drifted into the group more recently, will have their loyalties tested; and Matthew, entranced by the man at the center of it all, will have to decide what he owes Leif and how much he's willing to give him. All six will be forced to reckon with the ambiguous nature of transparency and with the insidious natures of power and privilege.Overthrow is a story about the aftermath of the search for a new moral idealism, in a world where new controls on us--through technology, surveillance, the law--seem to be changing the nature and shape of the boundaries that we imagine around our selves. Caleb Crain, with astonishing sensitivity, acuity, and grace, has captured the deep unease and ambiguity that threaten our contemporary lives, and has written a beautiful novel about the redemptive possibilities of love and friendship. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Codice articolo 9780525560470

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Overthrow (Paperback)
• Editore: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Data di pubblicazione: 2020
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0525560475
• ISBN 13: 9780525560470
• Rilegatura: Paperback
• Condizione: new

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

A novel about the fate of candor, goodwill, and the utopian spirit in a world where technology and surveillance are weaponizing human relationships

One autumn night, as a grad student named Matthew is walking home from the subway, a handsome skateboarder catches his eye. Leif, a poet as well as a skater, invites Matthew to take part in an experiment with tarot cards. It's easier to know what's in other people's minds than most people realize, Leif and his friends claim. Do they believe in telepathy? Can they actually do it? Instead of writing his dissertation, Matthew soon finds himself falling for Leif and entangled with his friends, who are as idealistic as the Occupy encampment they like to visit.

When the group runs afoul of a government contractor, an avalanche of news coverage, internet outrage, and legal repercussions overwhelms them. Elspeth and Raleigh, two of Leif's oldest friends, will see their relationship tested by the strain of criminal charges. Chris and Julia, who drifted into the group more recently, will have their loyalties questioned. Diana, a hardheaded sociologist, will need to find a way to stand with her friends without compromising her skepticism. And Matthew, entranced by the man at the center of it all, will have to decide what he owes Leif and how much he's willing to give. All six will be forced to reckon with the catch-22s of transparency and the insidious natures of power and privilege.

Overthrow is about the aftermath of idealism--about what happens after new technologies have begun to change the boundaries that we imagine around ourselves. Caleb Crain has captured with astonishing sensitivity, acuity, and grace the unease and ambiguity that threaten our contemporary lives, and has written a beautiful novel about the redemptive possibilities of love and friendship.

Informazioni sull'autore

Caleb Crain is the author of the novel Necessary Errors and the critical work American Sympathy. He has written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper's, the Paris Review, The New York Review of Books, n+1, and The New York Times Book Review. He was born in Texas, grew up in Massachusetts, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.