Either/Or by Elif Batuman

Another brilliant read by my new favorite Elif Batuman, whose brain I find very compelling. She writes what I often think (in dark moments, to myself); nothing escapes her sharp wit and humor. She is incredibly cerebral, and makes references to pop culture and art and Russian authors and travel, among many other things. Yes, her two novels are a riff of Kierkegaard’s Either/Or (and her previous, The Idiot, a play on Dostoevsky’s The Idiot.) I find her search for the aesthetic life (which I am striving for) versus the ethical life (which I am currently in) to be fascinating. Don’t know what I am talking about? Begin to read her fascinating body of work. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next. A brilliant 5 out of 5 bocks.
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