A review by tensy
Red Pill by Hari Kunzru

3.0

For the first part of this novel set right before the 2016 US election, I was irritated by the self-absorbed academic protagonist who takes advantage of a sabbatical in Germany to finish his current book. As the book progresses, and the main character becomes more paranoid, his paranoia highlights the recurrence of fascism in Europe and America. This is a book about philosophical ideas and as a result it is hard to engage in the depressing plot or characters, but Kunzru is a gifted writer and I managed to hang on to the end which was itself satisfying. I began reading this book a week after the insurrection at the US Capitol by white supremacists on January 6, 2021, which made the reading experience both difficult and prescient.