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Synchronesia: A Depressing Existential Novel
Librarian's Note: Alternate-cover edition for ASIN B0173LHHP4
'Synchronesia' is an experimental satire about a melancholic and passive protagonist in a situation that demands great activity. It is a philosophical exploration of the differences between meaningless chance and potent coincidence.
A kind of dystopian Catcher in the Rye, the novel follows our unnamed protagonist as he saunters about a crumbling city looking for meaning, purpose, and the fabled 'Big Man Upstairs'.
'Synchronesia' is a magically realistic portrait of the alienation of modern life and the quest for purpose in a world without anything to believe in but the constant promise of a panacea.
A melancholic, melodramatic satire of the modern condition, Synchronesia will both delight, amuse, and depress you.
'Synchronesia' is an experimental satire about a melancholic and passive protagonist in a situation that demands great activity. It is a philosophical exploration of the differences between meaningless chance and potent coincidence.
A kind of dystopian Catcher in the Rye, the novel follows our unnamed protagonist as he saunters about a crumbling city looking for meaning, purpose, and the fabled 'Big Man Upstairs'.
'Synchronesia' is a magically realistic portrait of the alienation of modern life and the quest for purpose in a world without anything to believe in but the constant promise of a panacea.
A melancholic, melodramatic satire of the modern condition, Synchronesia will both delight, amuse, and depress you.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2016
17 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
About the author
Oli Anderson
10 books35 followersOli Anderson was born in East London in 1982. At this rate, he will probably die sometime around 2050 - 60 (if he's lucky).
He works as a performance coach and service designer, helping individuals and businesses to design themselves around their real human values and to find purpose and community in this cold, empty world.
Oli's real passion is writing and he is an author of transgressive literary fiction and philosophical 'personal development' books with an emphasis on understanding reality and getting in touch with one's own realness.
When he's not coaching or writing, you can usually find him in the hills of Yorkshire somewhere, rock climbing, doing yoga, or pretending he can play the guitar.
Feel free to get in touch at any time if you have any questions about anything you read in 'Personal Revolutions: A Short Course in Realness' (or anything else, really).
Email: hello@olianderson.co.uk
Twitter: @olijanderson
Instagram: @olijanderson
OliAnderson.co.uk / Truthbomb.co.uk
He works as a performance coach and service designer, helping individuals and businesses to design themselves around their real human values and to find purpose and community in this cold, empty world.
Oli's real passion is writing and he is an author of transgressive literary fiction and philosophical 'personal development' books with an emphasis on understanding reality and getting in touch with one's own realness.
When he's not coaching or writing, you can usually find him in the hills of Yorkshire somewhere, rock climbing, doing yoga, or pretending he can play the guitar.
Feel free to get in touch at any time if you have any questions about anything you read in 'Personal Revolutions: A Short Course in Realness' (or anything else, really).
Email: hello@olianderson.co.uk
Twitter: @olijanderson
Instagram: @olijanderson
OliAnderson.co.uk / Truthbomb.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 11, 2021
Gifted Work
This book was slow to get going for me, and its nihilistic posture was bitter, especially when reading it at the height of a pandemic . Or maybe not, maybe it was a totally apt reading choice. The protagonist is an unlikable fellow, an admixture of anger and resentment almost Impossible to stomach. Except for one thing. He’s right. He lives in a world of wage slavery, a kind of anti~utopian universe where not one patch of blue is visible. Even his sexual encounters are reduced to their basest elements. It’s downright dreary, and into the drear, the writer introduces a strong current of surrealism. The protagonist is almost hoodwinked into solving a mystery, which leads him to murder a pathetic, dubious foe. The god of his tightly proscribed universe. There’s enough here to keep the reader engaged, although the work maintains a sense of distance, as if the writer is holding his creation at bay and resists engaging with it. Understandable given the paucity of emotion in his world, but something the writer should address in future work. Nonetheless, a courageous and talented effort.
This book was slow to get going for me, and its nihilistic posture was bitter, especially when reading it at the height of a pandemic . Or maybe not, maybe it was a totally apt reading choice. The protagonist is an unlikable fellow, an admixture of anger and resentment almost Impossible to stomach. Except for one thing. He’s right. He lives in a world of wage slavery, a kind of anti~utopian universe where not one patch of blue is visible. Even his sexual encounters are reduced to their basest elements. It’s downright dreary, and into the drear, the writer introduces a strong current of surrealism. The protagonist is almost hoodwinked into solving a mystery, which leads him to murder a pathetic, dubious foe. The god of his tightly proscribed universe. There’s enough here to keep the reader engaged, although the work maintains a sense of distance, as if the writer is holding his creation at bay and resists engaging with it. Understandable given the paucity of emotion in his world, but something the writer should address in future work. Nonetheless, a courageous and talented effort.
July 3, 2016
Really hard to read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews