In Persuasion Nation
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Books that you buy while traveling always have a lil mystique attached. Not to sound too fabulous, but I bought this on a whim a few weeks ago from a cute bookstore in Greenpoint, Brooklyn called Word while exploring before my friend’s glam wedding overlooking the New York City skyline. So, unless this book comes alive and murders my loved ones, I’m probably going to love it given the pomp and circumstance.
Pro-tip: If you write in your books (which you should), write the month, year, and city where you read the book inside the cover as a little memento. IMO, it’s easier to remember a book several years later if you can reminisce on the setting where you read it. Make sure to write it in cute handwriting so that your heirs don’t judge you.
Anyway, the book. George Saunders is a gem. I love Tenth of December; it’s my go-to short stories recommendation. I love Lincoln in the Bardo; it’s so ambitious and innovative without sacrificing any of his talent. So, I’m not surprised to discover that I love In Persuasion Nation too. Do I love it as much? No. The bar was so high, it was almost impossible.
In Persuasion Nation is a satirical, science fiction short story collection. It mocks American consumerism, laughing its way through dystopian worlds marred with existential crises. As with all short story collections, some stories are better than others and as with all of George Saunders, there aren’t any stories that are bad. Everything is operating at a relatively high bar. My favorite story focused on the inner lives of objects in commercials and how the dynamic differed on screen vs. off.
This book is good because Saunders is good. If it’s your first foray into Saunders territory, read Tenth of December. I found that the stories in that collection had more sticking power; some of them haunt me to this day (in a good way!) If you’ve read that and you want more Saunders, check out In Persuasion Nation. It receives 4 out of 5 flames.
