Corey Fah Does Social Mobility by Isabel Waidner
This story is contemporary, though the location is unidentified and much of the history of the protagonist is inscrutable. The author lives in London, so perhaps that is the inspiration for many of the situations, I dunno.
Recognizably contemporary, but, no, not realistic. I mean, the key plot element is some kind of worm hole, along with the strange entities that traverse it.
The titular Corey Fah is a writer who as been awarded a prize for “Fictionalization of Social Evils”, whatever that might mean. There is a trophy, but it seems to be sentient and wormhole traversing. Corey spends most of the book trying to claim his big prize.
The rest is a hallucinogenic shaggy dog story, through multiple timelines and many strange situations. Corey is remarkably unfazed by all this.
It is possible that the author is making one or more points about contemporary culture and media. But I can’t tell you what they might be. I haven’t a clue what it all means, nor do I care. It’s not really interesting enough to worry about.
- Isabel Waidner, Corey Fah Does Social Mobility, Minneapolis, Graywolf Press, 2023.
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