Lightning Rods (novel)
Lightning Rods by Helen DeWitt was published in October 2011. Published by New Directions, it was edited by Jeffrey Yang and the cover art was by Rodrigo Corral.[1]
It was DeWitt's second novel, following The Last Samurai.[1] This novel tells the story of a salesman named Joe who tries and fails to sell vacuums and Britannica Encyclopedias. As he continues to struggle, he realizes that the main issue is not with him, it is with other people. He needs to sell things people already know they need. With this in mind, he begins a business in which he contracts female workers to have anonymous sex with male employees in an office through a hole in the bathroom wall. He convinces the entire office that this is a good form of sex and that it prevents sexual harassment in the work environment. This novelty becomes extremely popular and catches on nationwide. [2]
Reception
Jennifer Szalai, writing in The New York Times, wrote "DeWitt points to problems that are recognizable and real — how men’s desires can differ from women’s, how harassment can upend a workplace — and offers up a modest proposal using the familiar rhetoric of our time."[3] This article praises DeWitt's blunt but good work, "To find fault in DeWitt’s broad strokes, in the novel’s brusque disregard for any depth of feeling, would be like denouncing Mel Brooks for having made 'The Producers' instead of 'The Pawnbroker.'"[3]
The Guardian described it as a "tightly disciplined and extremely funny satire on office politics, sexual politics, American politics, and the art of positive thinking, culminating with a sad, dry attack on the very basis of constitutional democracy."[4]
Garth Risk Hallberg (author of City on Fire), reviewing the book in The Millions, writes, "DeWitt’s idiosyncratic intellect has always gravitated toward the gap between messy reality and the logical Ideal, it’s no surprise to find her choosing the narrower path, and succeeding brilliantly."[5]
A review in Slate called it a "demented comic masterpiece."[6]
Bibliography
- Novels From the Edge: For Helen DeWitt, the Publishing World Is a High-Stakes Game, Michael H. Miller, 12/20/01[2]
References
- ^ a b "Helen DeWitt". Helen DeWitt. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- ^ a b Miller, Michael H. (2000-11-29). "Novels From the Edge: For Helen DeWitt, the Publishing World Is a High-Stakes Game | The New York Observer". Observer.com. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- ^ a b Jennifer Szalai. "Helen DeWitt's Immodest Proposal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
- ^ Turner, Jenny (2012-10-03). "Lightning Rods by Helen DeWitt – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
- ^ "Genius At Work: Helen DeWitt's Lightning Rods". The Millions. 2011-10-25. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
- ^ Kois, Dan (2014-12-01). "This Demented Sex Comedy Features No Real Characters or Conflict, and Is a Masterpiece". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2019-08-12.