Meatspace by Nikesh Shukla
Kitab is an author with one book to his name, greeted
lukewarmly by the literati. He’s supposed to be working on a second book but is
slowly frittering away his inheritance whilst spending so much time on social
media his girlfriend dumps him. When he gets a friend request from someone with
the same name as him his life takes an odd turn. This is a funny book that
makes you think, a hard trick to pull off. Shukla’s voice shines through the
prose and he’s a funny guy. It’s a meditation on identity, identity theft and
the Facebook generation. But, you know, in a funny way. There’s an extra level
of meaning for someone who hangs around the lit scene in the city and frequents
readings. It’s often self-referential and finger on the pulse but what Shukla
achieves with the core theme is always engaging and the pages just fly by.
Interspersed with the main story are extracts from a blog about Kitab’s brother
going to New York which is like a shaggy dog story and just as entertaining, if
not more so, as the main story.
Overall – highly enjoyable second novel about a guy writing
his second novel. Recommended
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