George Cochrane
Human See, Human Do
The Vegan
By Andrew Lipstein
Weidenfeld & Nicolson 240pp £18.99
Andrew Lipstein’s debut novel, Last Resort (2022), was a story of literary theft that began as an intelligent satire of millennial mores but devolved into a humdrum thriller as it went on. The Vegan, Lipstein’s quick-to-appear follow-up, is altogether more consistent and impressive.
Its narrator, 38-year-old Herschel Caine, is co-manager of Atra Arca, a hot new hedge fund that has devised an algorithm that predicts market trends before they become trends. All that’s needed for it to work is data – ‘an immense trove’ of it. For this, the company is depending on the promised $220 million investment of Colin Eubanks. Only, Colin is getting cold feet.
Set against surprisingly exciting office scenes are vignettes of Herschel’s home life. This too is at a critical juncture. Newly arrived in a dauntingly exclusive part of Brooklyn, Herschel and his wife, Franny, invite neighbours Philip and Clara Guggenheim (‘yes, that one’) to dinner, and extend a third
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
Twitter Feed
Richard Flanagan's Question 7 is this year's winner of the @BGPrize.
In her review from our June issue, @rosalyster delves into Tasmania, nuclear physics, romance and Chekhov.
Rosa Lyster - Kiss of Death
Rosa Lyster: Kiss of Death - Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
literaryreview.co.uk
‘At times, Orbital feels almost like a long poem.’
@sam3reynolds on Samantha Harvey’s Orbital, the winner of this year’s @TheBookerPrizes
Sam Reynolds - Islands in the Sky
Sam Reynolds: Islands in the Sky - Orbital by Samantha Harvey
literaryreview.co.uk
Nick Harkaway, John le Carré's son, has gone back to the 1960s with a new novel featuring his father's anti-hero, George Smiley.
But is this the missing link in le Carré’s oeuvre, asks @ddguttenplan, or is there something awry?
D D Guttenplan - Smiley Redux
D D Guttenplan: Smiley Redux - Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway
literaryreview.co.uk