An electrifying novel-in-stories that follows a cast of intricately linked characters as rejection throws their lives and relationships into chaos.

Sharply observant and outrageously funny, Rejection is a provocative plunge into the touchiest problems of modern life. The seven connected stories seamlessly transition between the personal crises of a complex ensemble and the comic tragedies of sex, relationships, identity, and the internet.

In “The Feminist,” a young man’s passionate allyship turns to furious nihilism as he realizes, over thirty lonely years, that it isn’t getting him laid. A young woman’s unrequited crush in “Pics” spirals into borderline obsession and the systematic destruction of her sense of self. And in “Ahegao; or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,” a shy late bloomer’s flailing efforts at a first relationship leads to a life-upending mistake. As the characters pop up in each other’s dating apps and social media feeds, or meet in dimly lit bars and bedrooms, they reveal the ways our delusions can warp our desire for connection.

These brilliant satires explore the underrated sorrows of rejection with the authority of a modern classic and the manic intensity of a manifesto. Audacious and unforgettable, Rejection is a stunning mosaic that redefines what it means to be rejected by lovers, friends, society, and oneself.

I loved something about every short story. There were lines in each one that are embedded in me and moments that I have thought about almost daily since finishing this title. I think my favorite short story was Pics. Few men can write a woman well, but Tula can! His writing is sharp, poignant, and purposeful as though you are swimming through each character's stream of consciousness. 

Tula plays with format throughout the collection involving text conversations which grounds his characters as you see how they interact with others and what their friends are like. Building characters comes with building their environment through their relationships, belongings, and sense of self, and each character we hear from is very developed, as though you would pass them on the street.

Main Character was another story that stuck with me and the longer I've had to let this marinate, the more confident I am that Bee is my favorite character in the novel. Bee is so visceral and I couldn't help but speculate they would have been in our circle in high school and college. Tula writes a tender, yet revolting account of growing up isolated, rejected, and online that is so honest it teleported me to 2014 tumblr at 3am.

Rejection has opened a rabbit hole for me as it was listed on Time's 100 Must Read Books of 2024. I'm looking forward to diving into more literary fiction and I'm grateful to have experienced this as a gateway to a, fingers crossed, brilliant fiction run. <3