Richard Yates
"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 control and afraid to let go. Lin's trademark minimalism takes on a new, sharp-edged suspense here, zeroing in on a lacerating narrative like never before-until it is almost, in fact, too late."--Publisher's website.
Stats for nerds
5recommend
6mentions
6people
2010–2024years
83% recommend17% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- "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 you, not when it sends you in some utopia with the promise of a metaphor built to solve a great mistery you actually don't give a f... about.
P.S.This is just one of the HN threads which is more valuable than the article it refers to.
Thank you for all the good books mentioned here, HN!
- 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 over it to appease people who don't even really read (or watch movies in the case of Spielberg) is just immature in my view.
It's a side note, but I also dislike the notion of sensitivity readers and such for new publications too. All it can lead to in my view is a dulling of writing.
- Guys, just start reading fiction. It's 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.)
- Slouching Towards Bethlehem (Joan Didion)
Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (Paul Zindel)
The Things They Carried (Tim O' Brien)
This Side of Paradise (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ray Bradbury) Essentially a children's sci-fi novel, but it doesn't read that way.
A Moveable Feast (Ernest 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 Amis)
Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. by Mark Haddon (http://www.amazon.com/Curious-Incident-Dog-Night-Time/dp/140...) - engaging story written from the point of view of an austistic teenager. One of my favorite characters in any book I've ever read.
Crashing Through by Robert Kurson (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812973682/ref=ox_ya_oh_pro...) - inspiring story of sight restoration to a lifelong blind man. Fascinating exploration on vision, learning, and a lot of other stuff we take for granted.
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140067477/ref=ox_ya_oh_pro...) - Taoism and Winnie the Pooh. 'nuff said.
Life Entrepreneurs by Christopher Gergen and Gregg 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 provoking and realistic. I'm a fan of Richard Yates after reading this book.
- A young author named 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 read it. I had only ever read 'Shoplifting' prior to reading 'Richard Yates.'
The content made me feel, at first, shame and resentment for my own teenage mistakes. I also felt uneasy and inadequate that I didn't find it as humorous as other people did. So, at first, I felt negatively towards `Richard Yates,' as it made me feel poorly.
I didn't want my initial reaction and past experiences to shape my opinion of the book. After a week's worth of thought, I realized that I had received exactly what I wanted from `Richard Yates;' a literal retelling of events from a narrator unmotivated and unconcerned with my or anyone else's opinion of them. Behind the seemingly fake method of building a familiar brand is a product that is unusually authentic. It is likeable at times and unlikable other times. The book satisfied my curiosity about the author's life. This thought made me feel calm about the book. Things that I perceive to be authentic make me feel good about society and culture. I feel good. Thank you for `Richard Yates.'
https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Yates-Novel-Tao-Lin/dp/193555...
