the internet
Have we all become slaves to algorithms?
Kyle Chayka sees their constant feeds as flattening our lives, but the spread of Americanisation, which began long before the internet, is the real steamroller
On the defensive
Lauren Oyler is viral and vicious. A critic with a reputation for pulling no punches, she is known for delivering…
Real life breaks in
Some writers — Jane Austen, for example — get to funny sideways, using irony and understatement. The American poet and…
Satirising the global society: Only Americans Burn in Hell, by Jarett Kobek, reviewed
An immortal faery queen from a magical gynocratic island arrives in Los Angeles to track down her missing daughter. This…
Fast and furious
Modern life is too fast. Everyone is always in a hurry; people skim-read and don’t take the time to eat…
Ruling the digital waves
Everyone, we hear these days, must learn to code. Being able to program computers is the only way to be…
Redemption with laughs
Harry Christmas, the central character of this bitterly funny debut novel, is a middle- aged, overweight alcoholic, with no friends…
