โA compulsively readable collectionโ of short fiction from the author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (Publishers Weekly).
With deadpan humor and originality, Charles Yu spins Kafkaesque tales of modern identity and insecurity in this whip-smart debut. In 401(k), a couple living in the Luxury Car Commercial subdivision are disappointed when their exotic vacation turns into a Life Insurance/Asset Management pitch. The author struggles to write the definitive biography of his mother in Autobiographical Raw Material Unsuitable for the Mining of Fiction. And would-be superhero Moisture Man must come to terms with the darkness in his heart.
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Throughout the collection, Yuโs characters run up against the limitations of their artificial story lines while tackling the terrifying aspects of existence: mothers, jobs, spouses, and perhaps most terrifying of all, the need to express feelings. Heartbreaking and hilarious, Third Class Superhero marked the debut of an author who has been a PEN award finalist, and whose novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe was named one of Timeโs best books of the year.
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โThe post-collegiate braininess of many of Yuโs stories is like the music of the Talking Heads, making the familiar seem off-kilter.ย .ย .ย . Takes a Kafkaesque turn in its comic examination of the essence of identity.โ โKirkus Reviews