Rosenberg brilliantly probes the dialectic between a mother’s often cruel judgments and actions toward her adult child ... In the tradition of Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint, Night Night Fawn is a rant — and it’s a rant of comedic genius ... As grounded as the novel is in earthy humor, Night Night Fawn can also be mystically surreal ... Rosenberg’s departures from reality are archetypal and perceptual ... The reader is compelled to reflect on the many truths a single human being can contain: so frequently wrong, but sometimes delightfully so.
A striking, darkly comic portrait of a mind narrowed by disappointment ... ... Rosenberg isn’t only upending the rules of autofiction; he’s also pushing back against prevailing trends in trans writing ... As difficult as its main character is, Night Night Fawn succeeds thanks to her compelling, singular voice. Barbara isn’t a caricature but a deeply human portrait ... A pleasure to read ... For Barbara, impending death does not inspire a moral awakening, and Rosenberg never gives the reader an origin story that would excuse her cruelty. She is simply not a nice person ... The greatest expression of care comes at the very last moment, in a final, glorious moment of surreal grace at the end of the novel.
Occasionally exhausting but ultimately rewarding ... Night Night Fawn is relentless ... Despite this, largely due to the propulsive voice Rosenberg gives to Barbara, the book remains entertaining and never descends into gratuitously punishing territory ... There isn’t much conventional dramatic tension to pull readers through ... Rosenberg doesn’t eschew the standard pleasures of a novel for no reason, though ... As Night Night Fawn twists toward its end and some blurry elements come into focus, Rosenberg leaves the right questions unanswered.
Readers familiar with any intergenerational family friction will find catharsis here. And that’s the gift of Rosenberg (Confessions of the Fox, 2018), the author: funny, readable prose inviting everyone into the thrill of relatable satire.
Night Night Fawn is comic fiction as political firepower. Its narrator’s takedowns are relentless and her observations iconic ... Rosenberg’s novel is a bright streetlight illuminating one strip of a dark street: The dangers are still nearby, but it’s a place to stand and laugh loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear.
Rosenberg somehow secretes the hints of genuine emotion that runs beneath the book’s generally broad approach in these pointillist descriptions. This nonlinear narrative is part rant, part rave, part extended Jewish joke, part queer, Marxist fever dream.
