Tony Tulathimutte's 'Rejection' dissects incel culture and digital alienation

Tony Tulathimutte's short story collection 'Rejection,' published in 2024 by HarperCollins, has polarized readers with its unflinching portrayal of incels, misogynists, and internet-addled outcasts. The book, which Tulathimutte described as featuring 'worthy adversaries' during a Melbourne appearance at The Wheeler Centre on 19 May, consists of interconnected stories including 'The Feminist' (first published in n+1 Magazine in 2019), 'Pics,' 'Our Dope Future,' and 'Main Character.' 'Our Dope Future' takes the form of a Reddit post and follows a tech-bro grindsetter who treats relationships as data, intersecting with themes from Louis Theroux's documentary 'Inside the Manosphere.' Tulathimutte's characters are 'freely awful,' a parameter he set for his debut novel 'Private Citizens' (2016). The author spent six or seven years clarifying the themes of 'Rejection''s opening story, which began drafting in 2011. The book critiques the shift from mid-2000s 'sincere underdogs' like Ted Mosby to 2010s progressive heroes like Clay Jensen, exposing the bitterness when virtue fails to guarantee rewards. Tulathimutte is currently touring Australia with an appearance at Sydney Writers Festival on 22-23 May.