I’m not crazy about Trump-centric plots in fiction. I suppose the unpleasantness of living through it in reality quite recently means it’s not especially appealing to revisit.

Still, I like Teddy Wayne’s writing a lot and thus decided to give this a shot anyway.

It’s an interesting portrait of a man unraveling, and the slow build toward the protagonist’s descent into some form of madness is very well done. Structurally, it’s an excellent novel, even if it becomes apparent what is going to happen fairly early on.

Still, all the Trump stuff just feels tired and tiring, and I much preferred the sections of the book focused on the protagonist’s family and workplace issues.

It doesn’t help that he’s a supremely unlikable person who is happiest when he’s scolding and lecturing those who would be his allies and loved ones. The dripping sanctimony he exhibits takes away any moral high ground he might occupy on various issues.

And of course, like many folks like him in real life, he seems more interested in control and indulging his own rage than he does in actually trying to make a difference in any meaningful or positive way.

The book translates well into audio format, and the narrator did an exceptionally good job.

I enjoyed this book! I really liked the use of short chapters, which made it feel like I was flying through it. The main character is pretty insufferable, and I found myself rolling my eyes at him a lot, but at the same time I still felt bad for him and was pulling for him in the end.

I'm officially a Teddy Wayne fan. I've loved everything he has written, and The Great Man Theory is no exception. I love the way he skewers both the radical right and the radical left. My heart ached for Paul at times, and at other times, I wanted throttle him. A great character.

I'm surprising myself by giving this five stars, but it was SO GOOD. This is like watching a well-written car crash, a perfect combination of satire and cringe, culminating in an edge-of-your-seat twist.

The book follows Paul, a man you've certainly met before: he's a divorced writer and academic on the lowest rung of a mid-tier college's totem pole. He's writing a book he hopes will skyrocket him to fame - "The Luddite Manifesto" - and is one of those white male liberals who hates Trump and Republicans, but also believes that technology, political correctness, and snowflake Gen Z-ers are ruining the world. You watch his life crumble further and further, starting with his demotion from senior lecturer to visiting adjunct and going downhill from there.

The writing is what you will stay for. There is plot - and the ending is excellent - but Teddy Wayne completely nails the detestable, holier-than-thou, sad sack personality of his main character, also adding in sharp observations about the world from Paul's perspective and how others see Paul. Highly, highly recommend this - and I'll certainly be picking up other titles on Teddy Wayne's backlist to get more of this fantastic writing. Thank you to Dreamscape for the audio ARC via Netgalley.

This one's worth reading. There is a lot going on here, which means that it would be great for book clubs.


Review copy provided by publisher.