I'm a Fan: A Novel
"A fast, fizzing cherry bomb of a debut" (The Observer [UK]) about power, intimacy, and the internet
I stalk a woman on the internet who is sleeping with the same man as I am. Sheena Patel's incandescent first novel begins with the unnamed narrator describing her involvement in a seemingly unequal romantic relationship. With a clear and unforgiving eye, she dissects the behavior of all involved, herself included, and makes startling connections between the power struggles at the heart of human relationships and those of the wider world. I'm a Fan offers a devastating critique of class, social media, patriarchy's hold on us, and our cultural obsession with status and how that status is conveyed. In this unforgettable debut, Patel announces herself as a dynamic, commanding new voice in literature, capable of rendering a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences viscerally on the page. Sex, brutality, politics, work, art, tenderness, humor--Patel tackles them all while making the reader complicit in the inescapable trap of fandom that seems to define the modern condition.BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
"I am used to wondering if I am good enough. I am used to hiding parts of myself from my parents, and then hiding parts of myself from my friends, and hiding parts of myself from boys I liked, and hiding parts of myself from the society I belong to that didn't like the brown bits of me, and then hiding parts of myself from my family who didn't like the parts of me that loved drugs and techno and staying out all night and sex and cocks and c*nts and come and booze and freedom. I am used to living inside of shame, I am used to being on the outside breathing mist up on the glass begging to be let in. I am absolutely primed for this affair. It is toxic and familiar."
An abstract look, through the social media lens, at modern love (or what we think is love but is really obsession), in all it's dysfunctional toxic glory.
Another uncomfortable and not very enjoyable read for me. But I learned about a couple of British artists I had not heard of before.
As I read more of these types of novels, I'm realizing I'm actually a fan of plot and character development.
My feelings about this book are 100% about me and 0% about the quality of the writing.
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