A novel that takes on our absurd, predatory student loan system with a zany sense of humor ... The Payback is Cauley’s second book, a twisted, cathartic romp that imagines a world so extraordinary—with systems so evil, punishment so extreme, people so apathetic—it could almost be real life ... Cauley offsets the terror with silliness ... Jada has an acidic sense of humor that softens the story’s sharp edges, like a squeeze of lime in a shot of Kirkland tequila ... Cauley especially nails the fragrant notes that bring the mall alive...but other descriptions in the book are weighed down with one simile too many ... There’s an undercurrent of Luigi Mangione-like disquiet in this story: We’re rooting for the brave antihero, the political martyr, the rebel with a rightful cause. One gunshot and the story would have gone too dark, too murky. Mercifully, Cauley keeps us in the light.
