Current Reading: No One Is Talking About This

I am enjoying reading Patricia Lockwood's No One Is Talking About This. It is a difficult book to summarize. Goodreads has the following publisher supplied summary of the book:

A woman who has recently been elevated to prominence for her social media posts travels around the world to meet her adoring fans. She is overwhelmed by navigating the new language and etiquette of what she terms "the portal," where she grapples with an unshakable conviction that a vast chorus of voices is now dictating her thoughts. When existential threats--from climate change and economic precariousness to the rise of an unnamed dictator and an epidemic of loneliness--begin to loom, she posts her way deeper into the portal's void.  

I would say that the book is an experimental book and the plot is more or less superfluous. The book is more of a commentary on the role that the Internet has taken in the lives of many people -- specifically, text-based internet -- Lockwood does not have anything to say about Netflix, artificial reality, or other, less text-based internet communities. I would say that the thing that is important and worth noting about the book is the language. The humorous language. Here are a few linguistic gems I noticed while reading: 

The first is the event that launches the plot, in so far as the book has a plot.

She had become famous for a post that said simply, Can a dog be twins? That was it. Can a dog be twins? It had recently reached the stage of penetration where teens posted the cry-face emoji at her. They were in high school. They were going to remember "Can a dog be twins?" instead of the date of the Treaty of Versailles, which, let's face it, she didn't know either.

I will, briefly, note that the Treaty of Versailles is important because it marked the end of the first World War. Or, rather, it marked the end of hostilities between Germany and the allied powers.

Moving along.

I spotted this poem or pastiche of a poem in Lockwood's book:

I have eaten

the blank

that were in

the blank

and which

you were probably

saving

for blank

Forgive me

they were blank

so blank

and so blank

This sort of poem, of course, is a reference to a poem written by William Carlos Williams. Below is the original version of the poem. Many of my friends -- I am looking at you Ted Murphy and Rand Bellavia -- are intimately familiar with this poem.

This Is Just To Say By William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

Finally, consider this commentary on the proper way to watch and understand television.

Frightening, too, was her suggestibility. Back in 1999, she had watched five episodes of The Sopranos and immediately wanted to be involved in organized crime. Not the shooting part, the part where they all sat around in restaurants.

Overall, I recommend this book to people who enjoy experimental literature and to people who pay close attention to language when they read. And those who like to laugh while reading silly jokes.