Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind

Hardcover, 304 pages

English language

Published Jan. 9, 2023 by Astra Publishing House.

ISBN:
978-1-6626-0211-5
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(5 reviews)

“A scathing critique of capitalism that holds onto the humanity of its characters.” —Laura Zornosa, TIME

Jonathan Abernathy is a self-proclaimed loser. . . he’s behind on his debts, has no prospects, no friends, and no ambitions. But when a government loan forgiveness program offers him a literal dream job, he thinks he’s found his big break. If he can appear to be competent at his new job, entering the minds of middle class workers while they sleep and removing the unsavory detritus of their waking lives from their unconscious, he might have a chance at a new life. As Abernathy finds his footing in this role, reality and morality begin to warp around him. Soon, the lines between life and work, love and hate, right and wrong, even sleep and consciousness, begin to blur.

Molly McGhee touches on themes most people know all too well—the relentlessly crushing weight of …

8 editions

Exemplary anti-capitalist sci-fi

(em português → sol2070.in/2029/08/livro-jonathan-abernathy-you-are-kind/ )

"Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind" (2023), by Molly McGhee, is a stupendously sad satire that's hard to put down. Dystopian science fiction about meaningless work, depression, romance and loneliness.

The atmosphere is very reminiscent of the Brazilian classic "The Hour of the Star" (1977), by Clarice Lispector, as well as the film "Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind" (2004). But there's a macabre humour.

I didn't catch the spirit of it at first and abandoned it within the first twenty pages. I didn't get the tone, which seemed too derogatory: the protagonist of the title is dull and miserable in every way, and spends his time filling his mind with self-help affirmations, like the phrase that gives the book its name.

As I kept hearing praise for the book from people I trust, I gave it another go. What I hadn't picked up on was …

Stumbling through the world

Like some reviews say, this novel is a scathing rebuke of the capitalist system, but that's not what it's about. It's about finding one's place in the world. It explores this using dreams and literally walking into them. But what's different is that McGhee uses a protagonist that has zero emotional awareness to explore the self.

It is super interesting to watch the protagonist flounder around his life. And with these disparate elements McGhee's brought together, I can say she's totally successful to the point of endearment.

Review of 'Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind' on 'Goodreads'

Unfortunate cover… I mean, I think it’s beautiful, but it does not match the tone of the story at all!

I was all over the place with this one. I thought it was 3 stars, 4 stars, and 5 stars all at different points. I’m going with a 3.5 rounded up because I did really enjoy the themes, the imagination of it, and even the bleakness.

This is the story of Abernathy, a young man with huge debts, and the job he takes out of desperation - removing all the “bad” things from workers’ dreams. It’s worse than it seems, of course, and gets out of hand. Another major part of the story is Abernathy’s relationship with Rhoda, a woman he wants to help but doesn’t know how.

There’s initially a lot of humor in this, and I wasn’t sure it would be for me. But it turns dark, and …

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Subjects

  • Fiction, general