Paradise Logic
Her name—Reality Kahn. Her goal—to become the greatest girlfriend ever. The reader’s job—to understand a novel written from the point of view of a main character who is taking a heavy dose of hallucinogenic drugs and has the mental acuity of a loyal Labradoodle.
Whether or not the reader will embrace the rat-a-tat-tat writing style of novelist Sophie Kemp likely depends on whether they are under 25 years old and living in one of the new hip neighborhoods of Brooklyn. It will help even more if said reader is studying for an MFA.
Yes, Paradise Logic is that kind of novel. Very aware of itself and its core audience who likely are all in on the joke. Reality is not grounded, get it? She likes to read Girlfriend Weekly magazine and ruminate on heavy topics. Early on, Kemp writes: “If you do not know what a boyfriend is, I will remind you that the main function of a boyfriend is to unlock goodness of the soul.”
Reality meets the man-bun of her dreams Ariel Koffman at a Brooklyn warehouse venue where he hangs out with his band and fellow man-buns. Ariel to his credit seems bewildered by Reality’s attention and very odd manner but ultimately succumbs and agrees to be her boyfriend after she more or less bullies him into it.
Reality is hard to explain. She is naïve, insatiable for sex, and has no understanding that she is being used or spoken down to. Many have described the novel as funny, but I guess it depends on how much madness you can take or how old you are.
This is Holly Golightly on steroids and acid. Reality floats through the Brooklyn scene clueless about seemingly everything. Her former roommates cannot fathom what’s going on with her. She was always a little flighty but now she’s taken off for the moon without a helmet:
“Soo-jin looked at me and said, ‘Girl, who dressed you? You look absolutely insane. In a bad way. Are you OK? You smell like alcohol and also a locker room. Is that guy you’re dating abusing you? He looks like a school shooter.’”
Even in the Brooklyn milieu of sex, drugs and parties, those who encounter Reality, question whether she is “special needs.”
The funniest parts of the book surround Reality’s thoughts about sex such as, “Surely you know what I speak of? Surely you, too, have come home from the deli only to be f*&*ed in the ass by an Ariel or a Mike or a Timothy?”
This line of thought goes on and on with puerile, X-rated descriptions about what it’s like to engage your boyfriend in whatever type of sex he desires.
The story becomes increasingly detached from reality but that seems to be the point. Whether you’ll accept the joke enough to read 240 pages, is up to you to decide. You know who you are, girlfriend.