“Laura was ten feet away, in a throne-like chair, facing Paul, but not looking at him, or anyone, it seemed. Paul openly stared at her for around ten seconds, to no response, then moved chips and guacamole onto his lap (partly because he felt anxious about Laura seeming to refuse to look at him) and focused on steadily eating while repeatedly thinking “eating chips and guacamole.”
The story centers on Paul, a writer in his late twenties, who drifts through a series of social encounters, romantic entanglements, and drug-fueled experiences in contemporary New York. The narrative shifts between the city's art and party scenes and a trip to Taipei, where he confronts his family background and cultural identity. Written in a detached, observational style, the book explores themes of alienation, the search for meaning, and the blurred lines between connection and isolation in modern urban life. more
“I wondered if I'd ever be nice enough to volunteer for anything. I was hoping not.”