Shoplifting from American Apparel
By Tao Lin
Meleville House
104 pp.
An interesting look at the monotony of the life of a young writer, Tao Lin’s most recent novel, Shoplifting from American Apparel, follows a young protagonist named Sam as he struggles to create a name for himself in the literary world, as well as his struggles with love and life in New York City.
The plot of the book, which focuses on the trivial aspects of the main character’s everyday life, allows the reader a glimpse into the life of uncertainty and turmoil that surrounds an aimless 20-something in that strange period between student life and “real” life.
Although the book has an interesting point of view, the style of writing used—short, quick sentences and a jumpy timeline—create an odd and disted reading experience. This along with the fact that the plot of the novella is set in modern times and isn’t out of the ordinary, means it isn’t particularly enthralling. Shoplifting from American Apparel certainly isn’t a book that someone would have trouble putting down.
That said, the book wasn’t all bad—it clearly pokes fun at the idea of what it is to be a person of a certain age living in New York City. It depicts Sam as a character who fits into all the stereotypes surrounding creative young people, and what their outlook on the world might be like. All in all, though, it’s not the most thrilling read. Shoplifting from American Apparel brings to light questions and ideas that we, as students, may soon be faced with in trying to find a place for ourselves in the real world. And, despite its title, Lin’s latest effort doesn’t teach you how to shoplift from American Apparel.
—Emily Stubbings
Eating the Dinosaur
By Chuck Klosterman Scribner
243 pp.
For most of his working life, writer Chuck Klosterman made a living interviewing famous people and writing extensively about pop cultural icons. Since his debut collection of essays Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs, Klosterman has become a bit of a celebrity himself, something he obviously finds unnerving.
In his latest book Eating the Dinosaur—a compilation of essays in the style of his other non-fiction works—Klosterman grapples with his own identity as a public figure as well as with the nature of interviewing and writing. In the first chapter of the book, he interviews documentary filmmaker Errol Morris and This American Life radio host Ira Glass in search of an answer as to why we even bother to ask questions. Klosterman confesses that he often lies to reporters and frankly makes it hard for journalists to do their job. Klosterman unravels and examines the worth of his own practices—and then proceeds to compare Kurt Cobain and David Koresh.
In what seems to be an attempt to deflect attention and criticism away from himself, Klosterman returns to his old tricks, charming his readers with obscure connections between seemingly separate subjects and offering his own unique—if not sometimes cynical—outlook on the world.
And let’s not forget his often controversial conclusions. Eating the Dinosaur makes some pretty hilarious yet earnest claims, some examples being that smart people can’t understand anything except irony and that the NFL is a Marxist organization. Maybe his predictions are right, or maybe they’re bogus. Obvious is Klosterman’s attempt to keep himself out of the argument and even though his voice is distinctive and strong, we’re left knowing very little about the writer himself. Regardless, Klosterman is an articulate voice of a generation who would much rather discuss the ramifications of Garth Brooks’s alter ego Chris Gaines than grapple with their own identity.
—Emily Whalen
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