a tale of two book clubs: trick mirror by jia tolentino
Jia Tolentino’s debut novel, Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion, is a grim yet nihilistically optimistic opus for the millennial generation
I am rarely compelled to write full reviews of books, but Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion is a noteworthy exception for a couple of reasons. First, it’s not a novel, but a collection of nine distinct essays that dive deep into social and cultural ecosystems from the perspective of a Brooklyn millennial that habitually overanalyzes in retrospect, something I find deeply relatable. And second, the author is the absolutely wonderful Jia Tolentino, a staff writer at The New Yorker. I’ve followed Jia for a while, and she’s become one of my favorite writers on the internet — a whip-smart cultural critic praised as “this generation’s Joan Didion” that writes about everything from the existential anxiety that fueled the rise of Korean skincare to the capitalistic appeal of your favorite children’s books.
I was already reading Trick Mirror when Girls’ Night In announced it as their September book club pick, so I immediately bought a ticket. And then The Cosmos announced that it was also their book club book for September. So, intrigued by the chance to discuss it with two different demographics, I attended both. And since it’s an essay collection rather than a novel, there’s a lot to unpack.
