Either/Or Synopsis
An instant New York Times bestseller!
A New York Times Notable Book of 2022
"Batuman has a gift for making the universe seem, somehow, like the benevolent and witty literary seminar you wish it were . . .This novel wins you over in a million micro-observations." -The New York Times
From the acclaimed and bestselling author of The Idiot, the continuation of beloved protagonist Selin's quest for self-knowledge, as she travels abroad and tests the limits of her newfound adulthood
Selin is the luckiest person in her family: the only one who was born in America and got to go to Harvard. Now it's sophomore year, 1996, and Selin knows she has to make it count. The first order of business: to figure out the meaning of everything that happened over the summer. Why did Selin's elusive crush, Ivan, find her that job in the Hungarian countryside?
What was up with all those other people in the Hungarian countryside? Why is Ivan's weird ex-girlfriend now trying to get in touch with Selin? On the plus side, it feels like the plot of an exciting novel. On the other hand, why do so many novels have crazy abandoned women in them? How does one live a life as interesting as a novel-a life worthy of becoming a novel-without becoming a crazy abandoned woman oneself?
Guided by her literature syllabus and by her more worldly and confident peers, Selin reaches certain conclusions about the universal importance of parties, alcohol, and sex, and resolves to execute them in practice-no matter what the cost. Next on the list: international travel.
Unfolding with the propulsive logic and intensity of youth, Either/Or is a landmark novel by one of our most brilliant writers. Hilarious, revelatory, and unforgettable, its gripping narrative will confront you with searching questions that persist long after the last page.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780593654897 |
| Publication date: |
23rd May 2023 |
| Author: |
Elif Batuman |
| Publisher: |
Penguin Books an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
368 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Romance / Relationship Stories
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| Other Genres: |
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Elif Batuman Press Reviews
'Our funniest overthinker - and the queen of the campus novel... Selin is a droll and disarming narrator, and takes her place as one of the finest hapless scholars in the literary canon.' - Johanna Thomas-Corr, Sunday Times
'Batuman has a gift for making the universe seem, somehow, like the benevolent and witty literary seminar you wish it were . . . This novel wins you over in a million micro-observations.' - Dwight Garner, The New York Times
'A richly suggestive and amusing book.' - Jonathan Derbyshire, Financial Times
'A charming, mordantly funny follow-up to her first novel... triumphal.' - Daily Mail
'Such an enchanting writer.' - Johanna Thomas-Corr, Sunday Times
'Either/Or is both an entertaining campus novel and an engaging disquisition on the very nature and purpose of novels.' - Financial Times,Summer Reads of 2022*
'[A] charming, smart and completely idiosyncratic take on art, life and the gap between.' - Stephanie Cross, Daily Mail,Books to Look Out For 2022*
'The central pleasure of reading Elif Batuman's ferociously intelligent fiction...[is] the thrill of encountering things you already half-knew, rendered in language with lyrical precision... hopefully, there will be a third installment of the adventures of Elif Batuman's brilliantly modern picaro.' - Times Literary Supplement
'Delightful... Batuman has a formidable deadpan wit... Selin is not only an astute observer but displays a touching capacity for awe.' - Spectator
'Wonderfully idiosyncratic... Charming' - Alex Clark, Guardian
'Selin, the magnetic protagonist in Batuman's brilliant and comedic first novel, The Idiot (2017), returns . . . Selin reads and ponders the human condition, culminating in a breath-catching ending that will leave spellbound readers hoping for more from Batuman's bright and witty adventurer of conscience.' - Booklist (starred review)
'Either/Or is an astute and very amusing read, packed with pin-sharp observations delivered in a deadpan style.' - i
'One of the most convincing fictional descriptions of overwhelming despair I have read... Batuman... [has] extraordinary control of the narrative voice.' - London Review of Books
'A brilliant meditation on womanhood and identity. By turns hilarious and illuminating. -- Irenosen Okojie What elevates this far above the typical campus novel is Ms. Batuman's wry perspective . . . Selin's observations are frequently hilarious, sometimes touching and always original . . . There's both a sweet innocence and a sophisticated meta aspect to all this, a level on which Either/Or is about how Selin (and her creator) came to create the very book we're reading . . . [A] charming, hyper-literary novel . . . To be continued, we hope.' - Wall Street Journal
'Batuman, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New Yorker writer, brings delicious detail and light irony to her heroine's quest.' - Oprah Daily, The 50 Most Anticipated Books of 2022
'Either/Or is driven by intellectual questions: it's a novel of ideas narrated by a protagonist who, even in her misery, is delightful company.' - Hannah Rosefield, Literary Review
'Elif Batuman's debut novel, The Idiot, is one of the best works of fiction published in the 21st century. Her new novel, Either/Or, picks up where The Idiot left off. . . . Batuman has an extremely keen sense for what makes characters engaging and renders it all in supernaturally observant and funny prose.' - AV Club, The 15 most-anticipated books of 2022
'Witty, funny and revelatory.' - Lottie Woodrow, Handbook
'Selin is a disarming narrator, tossing off insights that are revelatory, moving, and laugh-out-loud funny - sometimes all at once - and it's exciting to watch her become the author of her own story. Another delightfully cerebral and bighearted novel from a distinctive voice in contemporary fiction.' - Kirkus (starred review)
