Rejection: Fiction

Rejection is a novel-in-stories by Tony Tulathimutte, author of Private Citizens. The book follows seven interconnected stories centered on characters whose lives are disrupted by rejection. The narratives explore the personal crises and comic tragedies of modern life, touching on sex, relationships, identity, and the internet. In "The Feminist," a young man's commitment to allyship transforms into nihilism over thirty years. "Pics" follows a young woman whose unrequited crush escalates into obsession and self-destruction. "Ahegao; or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression" depicts a late bloomer's first relationship attempt ending in a life-altering mistake. As characters encounter each other through dating apps, social media, and in person, they demonstrate how delusions distort the desire for connection. The stories function as satires that examine rejection's sorrows, presenting a mosaic that explores what it means to be rejected by lovers, friends, society, and oneself.