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A review by laurenkd89
The Great Man Theory by Teddy Wayne
5.0
I'm surprising myself by giving this five stars, but it was SO GOOD. This is like watching a well-written car crash, a perfect combination of satire and cringe, culminating in an edge-of-your-seat twist.
The book follows Paul, a man you've certainly met before: he's a divorced writer and academic on the lowest rung of a mid-tier college's totem pole. He's writing a book he hopes will skyrocket him to fame - "The Luddite Manifesto" - and is one of those white male liberals who hates Trump and Republicans, but also believes that technology, political correctness, and snowflake Gen Z-ers are ruining the world. You watch his life crumble further and further, starting with his demotion from senior lecturer to visiting adjunct and going downhill from there.
The writing is what you will stay for. There is plot - and the ending is excellent - but Teddy Wayne completely nails the detestable, holier-than-thou, sad sack personality of his main character, also adding in sharp observations about the world from Paul's perspective and how others see Paul. Highly, highly recommend this - and I'll certainly be picking up other titles on Teddy Wayne's backlist to get more of this fantastic writing. Thank you to Dreamscape for the audio ARC via Netgalley.
The book follows Paul, a man you've certainly met before: he's a divorced writer and academic on the lowest rung of a mid-tier college's totem pole. He's writing a book he hopes will skyrocket him to fame - "The Luddite Manifesto" - and is one of those white male liberals who hates Trump and Republicans, but also believes that technology, political correctness, and snowflake Gen Z-ers are ruining the world. You watch his life crumble further and further, starting with his demotion from senior lecturer to visiting adjunct and going downhill from there.
The writing is what you will stay for. There is plot - and the ending is excellent - but Teddy Wayne completely nails the detestable, holier-than-thou, sad sack personality of his main character, also adding in sharp observations about the world from Paul's perspective and how others see Paul. Highly, highly recommend this - and I'll certainly be picking up other titles on Teddy Wayne's backlist to get more of this fantastic writing. Thank you to Dreamscape for the audio ARC via Netgalley.