Ming's Reviews > The Startup Wife
The Startup Wife
by
by
When is a parody not a parody? The real-world vibe, despite a wry, farcical tone, had me questioning whether this book is consciously making fun of folks (creators and consumers of tech) or simply depicting modern life.
With tongue cheekily firm, this book has constructed a story that presents the 21st Century of software apps. It's a funny and smart story. But significantly, its so-called technology resonates with reality. These apps and how they are brought to market feel real and their absurdity toes solid ground.
The techie characters (main and peripheral) are very earnest...to the extent that what is ridiculous or fictional becomes plausible or necessary. One example is a devout vegetarian who somehow engineers a tick whose bite will render its victim sick with the runs if meat is consumed. There's also a restaurant that only serves pickled food...(this may be real--what do I know?). And someone creates a device that gives women thorough pleasure when her partner fails or tires.
I've read Anam's 3 other books and I would readily read her future titles. She is a warm, smart and engaging storyteller.
This book would pair nicely with New Waves.
Many thanks to Scribner for this ARC.
Some favorite quotes:
Jules was an excellent host, in that he treated the house as if he, too, were a temporary inhabitant.
Li Ann is just here to make everyone else look unkempt.
He is obsessively focused on both the present and on the esoteric distance.
I hated him on sight, mostly because he started talking to me in elaborate sports metaphors and also because my parents have always have told me to be skeptical of brown people who change their names to sound like white people.
Jules, Cyrus, and I are at restaurant where everything is pickled. It's called Pikld. The drinks are called vinegar and taste like soda. The vegetables are called kraut and taste like vinegar.
"How evil are these people?"
"Just your average evil funds."
He gives off a kind of hummingbird vibe, flapping wildly while appearing to stand perfectly still.
"Oh, honey," she soothes. "I see a bruise forming on the left side of your face. Did you get hit by a swinging dick?"
And then he's gone into the snow and the night, a trail of unsaid words following silently behind him like a clutch of shadows.
With tongue cheekily firm, this book has constructed a story that presents the 21st Century of software apps. It's a funny and smart story. But significantly, its so-called technology resonates with reality. These apps and how they are brought to market feel real and their absurdity toes solid ground.
The techie characters (main and peripheral) are very earnest...to the extent that what is ridiculous or fictional becomes plausible or necessary. One example is a devout vegetarian who somehow engineers a tick whose bite will render its victim sick with the runs if meat is consumed. There's also a restaurant that only serves pickled food...(this may be real--what do I know?). And someone creates a device that gives women thorough pleasure when her partner fails or tires.
I've read Anam's 3 other books and I would readily read her future titles. She is a warm, smart and engaging storyteller.
This book would pair nicely with New Waves.
Many thanks to Scribner for this ARC.
Some favorite quotes:
Jules was an excellent host, in that he treated the house as if he, too, were a temporary inhabitant.
Li Ann is just here to make everyone else look unkempt.
He is obsessively focused on both the present and on the esoteric distance.
I hated him on sight, mostly because he started talking to me in elaborate sports metaphors and also because my parents have always have told me to be skeptical of brown people who change their names to sound like white people.
Jules, Cyrus, and I are at restaurant where everything is pickled. It's called Pikld. The drinks are called vinegar and taste like soda. The vegetables are called kraut and taste like vinegar.
"How evil are these people?"
"Just your average evil funds."
He gives off a kind of hummingbird vibe, flapping wildly while appearing to stand perfectly still.
"Oh, honey," she soothes. "I see a bruise forming on the left side of your face. Did you get hit by a swinging dick?"
And then he's gone into the snow and the night, a trail of unsaid words following silently behind him like a clutch of shadows.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Startup Wife.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
June 24, 2021
–
Started Reading
June 24, 2021
– Shelved
July 4, 2021
–
Finished Reading