A review by chillcox15
The Novelist by Jordan Castro

4.0

Jordan Castro's The Novelist is a novel concerned with the minutiae of the day that gets in the way of the work we set out to do: it's the extra tabs you have open in your browser that you have to wade through before getting to the work document, it's the extra time you spend on the toilet, mindlessly scrolling through shit while your shit floats beneath you. It's also the weird vendettas and preoccupations your mind sets about, why you feel drawn to caring about what one person thinks and not another person, a person who may be closer to you in real life. Any novel that concerned with daily bowel functions may have to work overtime to beat the 'insubstantial' allegations, and Castro seems to be aware of this with the citation of Baker's The Mezzanine, but he maybe doth protest too much. That being said, this is a book you could read in one or two decent sittings, and I would recommend you do so, even if just to feel "seen" by someone who is wonderfully and accurately capturing this particular moment of physical-digital existence.