Either/Or
by Elif Batuman
Either/Or, Elif Batuman’s second novel, continues Selin’s story as she enters her second year at university. Selin ruminates over her summer in Hungary, the people she met, her teaching job, and, more importantly, Ivan. The humour that the reader appreciates in The Idiot, both in terms of observation and self-deprecation, imbues the novel. Selin gains confidence and tests boundaries. Despite the ambivalent title, Selin makes stronger resolutions.
Recommendations from our site
“It picks up where her previous novel, The Idiot, left off— following Harvard linguistics student Selin through a smart, witty, literary romp through her sophomore year. As the title suggests, Selin is much taken up with questions of how to live—specifically, whether ethics should trump aesthetics—but unlike Søren Kierkegaard (perhaps), she is even more concerned with parties, her college syllabus and whether or not she’s going to get laid.” Read more...
The Notable Novels of Summer 2022
Cal Flyn, Five Books Editor
