The Book of Ayn

A Novel

By: Lexi Freiman

Narrated by: Mia Barron

An original and hilarious satire of both our political culture and those who rage against it, The Book of Ayn follows a writer from New York to Los Angeles to Lesbos as she searches for artistic and spiritual fulfillment in radical selfishness, altruism, and ego-death

After writing a satirical novel that The New York Times calls classist, Anna is shunned by the literary establishment and, in her hurt, radicalized by the philosophy of Ayn Rand. Determined to follow Rand’s theory of rational selfishness, Anna alienates herself from the scene and eventually her friends and family. Finally, in true Randian style, she abandons everyone for the boundless horizons of Los Angeles, hoping to make a TV show about her beloved muse.

Things look better in Hollywood—until the money starts running out, and with it Anna’s faith in the virtue of selfishness. When a death in the family sends her running back to New York and then spiraling at her mother’s house, Anna is offered a different kind of opportunity. A chance to kill the ego causing her pain at a mysterious commune on the island of Lesbos. The second half of Anna’s odyssey finds her exploring a very different kind of freedom–communal love, communal toilets–and a new perspective on Ayn Rand that could bring Anna back home to herself.

"A gimlet-eyed satirist of the cultural morasses and political impasses of our times" (Alexandra Kleeman), Lexi Freiman speaks in The Book of Ayn not only to a particular millennial loneliness, but also to a timeless existential predicament: the strangeness, absurdity, and hilarity of seeking meaning in the modern world.

©2023 Lexi Freiman. (P)2023 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"Exactly the book I want to be reading right now."—Literary Hub, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year

"Lexi Freiman’s The Book of Ayn is a viciously funny and precisely observed satire of creative ambition under capitalism. It made me laugh, wince, and want to quit society. I loved it."—Isabel Kaplan, author of NSFW

"The rarest type of book—smart, hilarious, and audacious. A rebuke to both cynicism and self-righteousness that takes aim at pretty much everybody."—Erin Somers, author of Stay Up with Hugo Best

The main character is unlikable to the insufferable end...

I feel violated by The Daily Show having the author on... leading me to believe there was something good about this book. Jordan Klepper said he loves this book?! GTFOOH!

Terminally Shallow

Another New York meta-writing kvetch that isn't particularly insightful or funny. The reader can't tell if they are in on a joke or just being laughed at.

How boring it was

There was not one redeeming thing about this book. I couldn’t believe I wasted all this time on a book I disliked.

Satire is difficult

When you get it satire is incredibly amusing, and insightful.
For me the satire wasn’t accessible. Maybe if you lived in New York and were surrounded by people like this it would be amusing.
For me, you might as well be satirizing citizens of mars.
It is an inside joke

Keep shit to yourself.

The word “shit” is overused. I had to stop listening when she actually described taking one.