Trick Mirror

Reflections on Self-Delusion

By: Jia Tolentino

A Times book of the year A Guardian book of the year ‘Magnificent’The Times ‘Dazzling’ New Statesman ‘It filled me with hope’ Zadie Smith

We are living in the era of the self, in an era of malleable truth and widespread personal and political delusion. In these nine interlinked essays, Jia Tolentino, the New Yorker’s brightest young talent, explores her own coming of age in this warped and confusing landscape.

From the rise of the internet to her own appearance on an early reality TV show; from her experiences of ecstasy – both religious and chemical – to her uneasy engagement with our culture’s endless drive towards ‘self-optimisation’; from the phenomenon of the successful American scammer to her generation’s obsession with extravagant weddings, Jia Tolentino writes with style, humour and a fierce clarity about these strangest of times.

Following in the footsteps of American luminaries such as Susan Sontag, Joan Didion and Rebecca Solnit, yet with a voice and vision all her own, Jia Tolentino writes with a rare gift for elucidating nuance and complexity, coupled with a disarming warmth. This debut collection of her essays announces her exactly the sort of voice we need to hear from right now – and for many years to come.

Critic reviews

‘A masterclass in how to think about the world’ Samantha Irby

‘Thoroughly enjoyable’ Vogue

‘There is one guarantee with this book: it will make you stop and think … Tolentino’s writing will leave you feeling a bit more humble, and a bit more intelligent’ Independent

‘Hardcore modern intellectualism with a side of memes’ Daily Telegraph

‘A page-turning holiday read’ Elle

‘An astute and exciting new voice’ Financial Times (Books of the Year)

‘A bold and playful collection from a hugely talented writer’ Guardian

‘The best young essayist at work in the United States’ Rebecca Solnit

‘The millennial Susan Sontag, a brilliant voice in cultural criticism. . . She remains engaged with her subjects even as she scratches her head and wonders why we do what we do. Even better: She writes like a dream’ Washington Post

‘Jia Tolentino could be the Joan Didion of our time’ Vulture

‘She is the kind of writer who is talked about with a mixture of rapturous admiration and pained envy … dazzling’ New Statesman

‘The Book of the Moment’ Vice

‘Magnificent … her position as the pre-eminent genius among the millennial intellectuals is self-assured’ The Times

‘This is electrifying, vital writing’ Louise O’Neill

Needed

It was like the book I’ve been searching for but didn’t know it. Especially love the chapter the I in the Internet.

Every single woman should read this book

I listened to this book in its entirety over the course of 3 days. With only 2 hours left of the audio, I pre-ordered 3 copies from my local retailer. I plan on giving a copy to my mum and friends. This is the single best book I’ve ever read and I’m so happy to have stumbled upon it via the Fresh Air podcast in which it featured. Thank you Jia for writing this. It’s hard to put into worse what this book means to me but the closest I have is, Jia took what was very real in my heart and psyche and put it into words better than I could have imagined. I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book in my grubby phelanges so I can read parts out loud to my boyfriend and any man who will listen.

A great and unique look into the being a woman

A memorable elaboration on being a woman in throughout history and the present day and the structures of Capitalism that permeate throughout.

Transformative

This book has opened my eyes to so much. I am in awe. Amazing!