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A review by thebarandthebookcase
Fake Accounts by Lauren Oyler
5.0
Meta, hilarious, and smart as hell, Fake Accounts is a refreshing read that cleverly unpacks internet culture and its inherent effects on present reality. This book radiates big brain energy in the best possible way, challenging the reader through its incisive social commentary rooted in a dissection of performance and facades.
The unnamed narrator secretly discovers that her boyfriend is a popular online right-wing conspiracy theorist, sparking an endlessly surprising fallout. Moving between New York and Berlin, the narrator sets off on a journey of apparent self-discovery yet quickly falls into the trappings of self-delusion, manifesting hilariously in a spree of dates using false personas according to archetypal astrological traits. While touted as a novel, and explicitly organized as such, it barely feels like one. It carries an unputdownable nature with its twisty plot yet is often operating in an almost essayistic manner throughout, with Oyler’s sharp criticism always on full display. For example, we get a takedown and parody of the trendy use of fragmentary structure in contemporary fiction. The narrator breaks the fourth wall and considers the manner in which her story is being told. She attends the Women’s March following Trump’s inauguration and questions performative activism. To top it all off, there is a chorus of ex-boyfriends that chimes in throughout. Finally, the ending is perfect, to put it simply (!!!).
This is a brilliant debut and I expect it to be one of the best books I read (and reread) this year. I cannot recommend it enough!
The unnamed narrator secretly discovers that her boyfriend is a popular online right-wing conspiracy theorist, sparking an endlessly surprising fallout. Moving between New York and Berlin, the narrator sets off on a journey of apparent self-discovery yet quickly falls into the trappings of self-delusion, manifesting hilariously in a spree of dates using false personas according to archetypal astrological traits. While touted as a novel, and explicitly organized as such, it barely feels like one. It carries an unputdownable nature with its twisty plot yet is often operating in an almost essayistic manner throughout, with Oyler’s sharp criticism always on full display. For example, we get a takedown and parody of the trendy use of fragmentary structure in contemporary fiction. The narrator breaks the fourth wall and considers the manner in which her story is being told. She attends the Women’s March following Trump’s inauguration and questions performative activism. To top it all off, there is a chorus of ex-boyfriends that chimes in throughout. Finally, the ending is perfect, to put it simply (!!!).
This is a brilliant debut and I expect it to be one of the best books I read (and reread) this year. I cannot recommend it enough!