I should have made it clear that Lipsyte does not use the label “late capitalism” — rather that came from the critic in whatever literary publication it was where I read the discussion of the book. I agree that the label doesn’t make much (if any) sense. Having said that, there is an economic factor that is a major driver in the book which indicates that modern capitalism is different — the “ask” is a youngish tech success, not a Carnegie or Rockefeller. One of the things that I liked about the book is that Lipsyte does capture the way the world is moving more quickly than it once did.

I’ve only reader Generation X by Coupland, and don’t remember much about it beyond the obvious. I’ve looked at a couple of others but never been interested — he seems to use his fiction as one vehicle for his broader social commentary, which is of marginal interest to me.

As an aside, I hate the descriptor late capitalism. We have no idea if our capitalism is late, we aren’t dead yet. For all we know capitalism could be around in various forms another ten thousand years and ours could be later described as early stage capitalism. By definition, we don’t know. I’ve seen it a few times and I think it’s sloppy thinking.

The problem is that the dialogue sounds like dialogue, it doesn’t sound like conversation. That isn’t necessarily problematic, lots of great books have stylised dialogue, but I did feel the quotes were rather telling me what to think.

Have you read much Coupland Kevin? I’ve only read a couple and this did remind me of him, but with perhaps less wit. Any thoughts?

I suppose I’m Gen X, I hadn’t really thought about it before. That said, I’m not terribly persuaded the generation exists, it’s a good novel but I’m not sure it’s good demographics.

I’m pretty sure my next New York book is going to be The Tenants of Moonbloom — I have Fortress of Solitude on hand as well but, like you, I seem to be thinking that it is a book that needs to be “worked up to”.

I do like Lipsyte’s humor. At least, I like as much of it as I can see in your review.

As for the list of books that include characters from all walks of Manhattan life, Lethem’s Chronic City is another. It was not my favorite of his work (and I am still working up to Fortress of Solitude), but I did enjoy it. In fact, I think I am talking myself into reading The Ask sooner rather than later.

Good review, Kevin. I was going to avoid it, now I will read it.

Would Cooley mention the Teitelbaum ask had once been mine? I’d screwed that one up good at a lunch, made the mistake, in listing the kinds of exhibits that might be mounted in a proposed gallery space, of mentioning the work of a Polish artist who built a model of Treblinka with Tinker Toys. The camp guards were freeze-dried ants. Teitelbaum, a Holocaust orphan, was not amused.

“What did he make the Jews out of?” the old man snarled over his salade Nicoise.

“Vintage coins from the Weimar Reublic,” I mumbled.

“Money? He made them out of money?”

“It was a point about historical perception. The artist is Jewish himself.”

But Teitelbaum, who’d made a fortune in optics, was not so intrigued by this notion of perception.

Lipsyte might not link all the set pieces, but he certainly has some wonderful ones.