Richard Yates
by Tao Lin · first published 2010
83% recommend17% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short novel written in Tao Lin's plain, transparent prose style. Its discussion mostly appears in passing, and the praise it draws centers on Richard Yates's own fiction rather than this book.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"In a startling change of direction, cult favorite Tao Lin presents a dark and brooding tale of illicit love that is his most sophisticated and mesmerizing writing yet. Richard Yates is named after real-life writer Richard Yates, but it has nothing to do with him. Instead, it tracks the rise and fall of an illicit affair between a very young writer and his even younger-in fact, underaged-lover. As he seeks to balance work and love, she becomes more and more self-destructive in a play for his undivided attention. His guilt and anger builds in response until they find themselves hurtling out of
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…Hemingway) My personal favorite (along with his short stories, which I highly recommend), but if it's your first time reading Hemingway, might be better to go with The Sun Also Rises. Revolutionary Road (Richard Yates) On the Road (Jack Kerouac) *One of my personal favorites, but most people either love or hate it, so maybe save this towards the end. On my own reading list: Speedboat (Renata Adler) Money (Martin…
on “Ask HN: I have no commitments for the next 6 months – what books should I read?” ↗…Vanourek (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787988626/ref=ox_ya_oh_pro...) - applying and expanding the principles of entrepreneurship to your life as a whole, not just your business. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307454622/ref=ox_ya_oh_pro...) - I thought the movie was great, and this book is great too, in a different way. The writing is clean and evocative, the dialogue is…
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗…like having a conversation with someone super smart and super relatable. You'll get hooked once you find something that fits your subconscious, but don't settle until you do. (I've been really digging Richard Yates and Thomas Mann lately, so maybe start there if you need inspiration. Murakami is also a famously great read if you need a companion.)
on “The decline of the family has unleashed an epidemic of loneliness” ↗I agree. I love reading books from around the mid 20th century – Chaim Potok and Richard Yates being my favourites. There are lots of things in Yates that could today be considered sexist or insensitive, but they're such a wonderful way to get a sense of the attitudes and culture of the past. Plastering…
on “Steven Spielberg: ‘No film should be revised’ based on modern sensitivity” ↗"Revolutionary Road", by Richard Yates. Because it uncovers the greatest conspiracy of our time. Also "The Moviegoer" by Walker Percy, for the same reason. The real so called "mindfuck" comes when what you read unravels the reality around…
on “List of books that will induce a mindfuck” ↗…Tao Lin uses this "transparent" style to write fiction. I haven't read any of his stuff because it seems like such a tedious, vapid way to write a story, but check out some of the reviews on his book Richard Yates on Amazon: I read 'Richard Yates' on a work night in the beginning of the week alone in my room. I had heard that 'Richard Yates' was a true account by the author, which was primarily my motivation to…
on “Apple-sans-adjectives – A font that redacts Apple-esque superlatives from text” ↗