From the review on The Slate:
But the presence of Pessl’s Special Topics on the Times list shouldn’t come as a surprise. Our publishing culture devotes a lot of energy to the phenomenon of discovery, and the writers recently anointed in the process—and by theTimes, in particular—have tended to be those who work in an antic, over-the-top, lavishly ironized mode: Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nicole Krauss, Gary Shteyngart (whose Absurdistan also turns up on the Times‘ “10 Best” list), and even, to a degree, Benjamin Kunkel. Whatever their various levels of talent (and some are very gifted), each is given to hyper-self-aware flourishes and curlicues, and wears his or her youthful ambition on the proverbial sleeve. Read More…



