Los Angeles Times editor Lapidos’ literary prowess is evident in this brilliantly witty and humorous debut. The novel’s layers explore the dangers of interpretation and the varying perceptions of one’s, and others’, intentions, all of which come together to make a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Lapidos has created a funny, ironic, and witty first novel whose main character is a parody of every graduate student ever. Alternating between Anna and the contents of the Langley notebooks, the multilayered stories keep readers guessing, appealing to general fiction readers, especially those with any background in academia.
... sardonic, witty campus novel, which resembles Bright Lights, Big City in its speed and pithy tone ... The novel’s pace is a delightful and funny contrast to the indolence of Anna, who is nearing the eighth year of her PhD ... Because of Anna’s cynicism, Talent is a novel of cartoons...Like neon bumpers in a pinball machine, the characters impel the narrative into chaotic thrill ... Rather than force the Anna-Helen affair into a single classification, Lapidos appropriates the language of all of these arrangements to break through the definitions and limitations we expect when encountering them.
