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Man Hating Psycho
Man Hating Psycho is the caustic new collection of stories from visionary writer Iphgenia Baal. Interrogating the disconnect between our public identities and real-life selves, Baal exposes the inherent duplicity of online communication.
Text messages relaying deep personal crisis are nothing more than an annoyance, WhatsApp takedowns of wide-eyed left-wingers unfold at breakneck speed, friendships that seem set in stone disintegrate at the first hint of sex, the language of love degraded as life becomes more and more transactional.
With black and disquieting humour, thirteen playful texts disparage the highly-profitable superstitions that are the scaffolding of our current social order.
Man Hating Psycho lays bare the trappings of modern life, whilst putting the short story form through a literary mincer.
Text messages relaying deep personal crisis are nothing more than an annoyance, WhatsApp takedowns of wide-eyed left-wingers unfold at breakneck speed, friendships that seem set in stone disintegrate at the first hint of sex, the language of love degraded as life becomes more and more transactional.
With black and disquieting humour, thirteen playful texts disparage the highly-profitable superstitions that are the scaffolding of our current social order.
Man Hating Psycho lays bare the trappings of modern life, whilst putting the short story form through a literary mincer.
252 pages, Paperback
First published April 22, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 7, 2022
There is no man hating psycho in this book. The stories are about social media, uneasy relationships, difficult periods of youth, race, and underlying truths. While the stories were mostly palatable, I did find many of them to be a bit tedious.
3.5 *
3.5 *
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April 5, 2021Biting short stories of life in London: dating, protests, house parties, art and writing; missed connections and failed relationships. A bit like
Boy Parts
in that it’s really good at depicting what it sets out to depict, really good at portraying characters and cultural scenes but my god, I am SO fucking glad I don’t know any of these people. Highlights are the opening story, ‘Change :)’, in which a WhatsApp group quickly descends into chaos; ‘Pain in the Neck’, the hilarious tale of a gathering gone wrong and an unfortunate injury (loved the narrator’s switches from rage to resignation and back again); and ‘Pro Life’, about a group of 90s teenagers being awful, as teenagers are.
I received an advance review copy of Man Hating Psycho from the publisher, Influx Press.
TinyLetter | Linktree
I received an advance review copy of Man Hating Psycho from the publisher, Influx Press.
TinyLetter | Linktree
June 28, 2021
I read a chapter of this a day. I was very excited about this based on some tweets I had seen about this book, and the author. While it started out brilliantly I thought it faded away in the last few stories. At least some of these stories are fictional but some of them may be true... not sure. Certainly this is a love letter to London - one story in particular which highlights Grenfell makes that perfectly clear. Definitely an interesting read, but not sure who I would recommend it to...
December 31, 2022
Great short story collection. Can't believe this book isn't more famous.
September 9, 2021
This was the second short story collection from Influx Press I read in August, after Gemma Seltzer's brilliant 'Ways of Living'. I hadn't heard of either author before I picked them up in my local bookstore, but my local bookstore doesn't disappoint. Don't be scared by the title, this collection is hilarious, but nothing like I've ever read before (Whatsapp group chats about left-wing politics, ...). I'll be keeping an eye out for more Influx Press.
June 5, 2021
This is why I subscribe to Influx. Fantastic, innovative contemporary writing.
January 20, 2022
That’s what I get for buying a book because I liked the cover smh. This one feels like being stuck talking to the most annoying person at some terrible squat rave omg I avoid hackney wick for a REASON
September 10, 2021
Iphgenia Baal doesn't care what I think. I feel like that's important to state right off the bat here. She'll probably never see this review, and if she does, she'd probably just laugh and call me a twat for bothering to write it. But in, like, a funny/mean way. Not a mean/mean way (at least I hope not). And I, in turn, would take that response as a compliment. Because she's awesome, and reading her scathing, off-kilter, and often hilarious Man Hating Psycho has made me care a little bit less about what other people think too.
(Though knowing that she read this would absolutely make my week).
Anyway. Sorry. Enough of all that. About the actual book, which is a collection of short pieces (and one fantastic longer one) that draw heavily on the author's own life as a down-and-out writer, activist, and inveterate shit-stirrer in and around post-millennial London. While there are a handful of stories that tinker playfully with structure and form (the opening chapter is a 30-page group text, for example), the bulk of Baal's work here feels firmly in the realm of autofiction. And what's more, as she messily blurs the lines between conjecture and memory, past and present, online life and real life, her book takes up the mantle of a broader investigation into what it even means to write autofiction in an age when we're all doing it to a degree - editing ourselves, displaying our lives, writing our stories - via text and social media every day.
In contrast with, and perhaps even in direct opposition to our society's current, curatorial bent, these stories are far too nimble and unfettered to feel anything but (mostly) real. Issues of sexism, racism, and especially classism, float atop the surface of Man Hating Psycho like dropped-anchor dreadnoughts, but beneath their looming shadows Baal's prose flows like a bitch session at an underground pub with your raddest friend (you know the one). If you want a point of comparison, maybe down a bottle of wine, watch half an episode of I May Destroy You with no intention of ever finishing it, and then go drive around until you find a fun reason to get yourself arrested. For much like that ill-advised proposition, this is a book wholly uninterested in tidy endings, and one whose tales have a way of dipping out at a moment's notice without providing anything so polite as climax or closure or even a cursory ttyl. Instead, Baal fearlessly leaves you to draw your own conclusions (and pay the tab), but if you're like me, you'll feel more than happy to do so, likely chuckling to yourself as you hand over your last few quid and bask in the glory of having gotten to spend some time with a true original.
(Though knowing that she read this would absolutely make my week).
Anyway. Sorry. Enough of all that. About the actual book, which is a collection of short pieces (and one fantastic longer one) that draw heavily on the author's own life as a down-and-out writer, activist, and inveterate shit-stirrer in and around post-millennial London. While there are a handful of stories that tinker playfully with structure and form (the opening chapter is a 30-page group text, for example), the bulk of Baal's work here feels firmly in the realm of autofiction. And what's more, as she messily blurs the lines between conjecture and memory, past and present, online life and real life, her book takes up the mantle of a broader investigation into what it even means to write autofiction in an age when we're all doing it to a degree - editing ourselves, displaying our lives, writing our stories - via text and social media every day.
In contrast with, and perhaps even in direct opposition to our society's current, curatorial bent, these stories are far too nimble and unfettered to feel anything but (mostly) real. Issues of sexism, racism, and especially classism, float atop the surface of Man Hating Psycho like dropped-anchor dreadnoughts, but beneath their looming shadows Baal's prose flows like a bitch session at an underground pub with your raddest friend (you know the one). If you want a point of comparison, maybe down a bottle of wine, watch half an episode of I May Destroy You with no intention of ever finishing it, and then go drive around until you find a fun reason to get yourself arrested. For much like that ill-advised proposition, this is a book wholly uninterested in tidy endings, and one whose tales have a way of dipping out at a moment's notice without providing anything so polite as climax or closure or even a cursory ttyl. Instead, Baal fearlessly leaves you to draw your own conclusions (and pay the tab), but if you're like me, you'll feel more than happy to do so, likely chuckling to yourself as you hand over your last few quid and bask in the glory of having gotten to spend some time with a true original.
June 12, 2021
Man Hating Psycho is a collection of short stories that in many ways are the anti-short story, or at least anti-something. From a Labour activist group chat gone wrong to a take on an apparently "'inverted' psychogeography', the thirteen texts look at modern London, technology, relationships, and people trying to be subversive.
The chaotic cover and blurb drew me into the collection, despite being someone who doesn't always gravitate towards short story collections unless they're doing something a bit different or telling a wider story. I'd say in some ways Man Hating Psycho fulfils both of these categories, with stories that feel like a fresh take on the form and an overarching sense that it's saying something biting about modern life and London. It certainly kept me gripped throughout, never sure what the next piece might bring, and enjoying the fact most of the stories didn't end with a clever conclusion, as it feels a lot of short stories have to, but something more like a freeze frame or fade out.
The first piece, 'Change :)', is an ideal opener, a story in group chat form that depicts a modern political moment and an amusing technological fail. Other stories that stood out to me personally were 'Pro Life', a slice of teenage life going off the rails, and 'Married to the Streets', the previously mentioned take on psychogeography and changing London. One or two of the others were a bit long and meandering for my tastes, but I enjoyed the narrative voices and style throughout, and the little cutting barbs directed at various topics.
For fans of short stories and also people who are more ambivalent towards the form but want to try something different, Man Hating Psycho is a gleefully spiky collection that shows the mostly downs of modern London.
The chaotic cover and blurb drew me into the collection, despite being someone who doesn't always gravitate towards short story collections unless they're doing something a bit different or telling a wider story. I'd say in some ways Man Hating Psycho fulfils both of these categories, with stories that feel like a fresh take on the form and an overarching sense that it's saying something biting about modern life and London. It certainly kept me gripped throughout, never sure what the next piece might bring, and enjoying the fact most of the stories didn't end with a clever conclusion, as it feels a lot of short stories have to, but something more like a freeze frame or fade out.
The first piece, 'Change :)', is an ideal opener, a story in group chat form that depicts a modern political moment and an amusing technological fail. Other stories that stood out to me personally were 'Pro Life', a slice of teenage life going off the rails, and 'Married to the Streets', the previously mentioned take on psychogeography and changing London. One or two of the others were a bit long and meandering for my tastes, but I enjoyed the narrative voices and style throughout, and the little cutting barbs directed at various topics.
For fans of short stories and also people who are more ambivalent towards the form but want to try something different, Man Hating Psycho is a gleefully spiky collection that shows the mostly downs of modern London.
May 15, 2021
This is a shameless collection of short stories, and I cannot recommend it enough; why yes, I mean ‘shameless’ as a compliment. This book is unapologetic, dark, daring, yet extremely funny. If you’re a Londoner and/ or interested in London & how it affects its denizens, you’ll find so much (sickly) truth in this book… These innovative short stories cover a wide range of characters & dilemmas, from transactional friendships & political rage to toxic lovers to creepy dysfunctional activists et cetera. I esp love the opening piece & I Just Want to Pull Down Your Panties And Fuck You. But really all the 11 stories are a treat to read. I recommend this book highly.
August 20, 2021
My rating is very personal.
Man Hating Psycho gave me nostalgia for a life I haven't lived. I've always felt that my adolescence arrived late, and this book gave me a possible explanation.
Like the author (considering these stories are autobiographical), I have thrusted myself headlong into one of Europe's history-soaked capitals. Lisbon was the hole I fell into, while Iphgenia's was London.
London is a city I've always looked forward to visiting. As a friend of mine said, jokingly, "you don't visit London, you visit (pause for thought) eight Londons. yeah, eight of them". That mental calculation must be off but I've lived here at least long enough to recognise the several Londons she was thinking of: the chi-chi London, the suburbanite London, the dirty London, the touristy London, the multicultural London, the raw, art-is-in-your-face-and-all-over-the-place London, the let's-just-chill-and-look-at-the-Thames London, the serious business London...
There are several Lisbons as well, but they are extremely close together. Close enough to simply be personality traits instead of the schizophrenia London presents when you simply move from one neighbourhood to the other. There's an obvious clash happening in London. You have to be on your toes to adapt to your surroundings. While in Lisbon you just smile at the changes and treat it like someone with mild Tourette's.
So of course my adolescence was gentle, late. I'm a white male in a city that has held me softly, accepting me along the way. There were no big clashes.
The author's London seemed much rougher and uncaring - although extremely attractive -, a quick growth fertiliser.
Activism is much stronger in London because you really feel a part of the vaster world out there. In the ass of Europe, activism in Portugal (before the americanisation of our worries) was focused solely on our problems. That's also a cause for my stunted mental growth.
One thing which I believe she has in her favour is the differences time has made in our cities. A change in London may go unnoticed, or be noticed only to the people local to a certain neighbourhood that are directly affected by it. A small change in Lisbon destroys whole swats of my childhood. Tourism in London is concentrated in the usual spots, while in Lisbon it is spread out almost uniformly. Some years ago, the last time I visited Lisbon, I stood on one of its streets, with what seemed like thousands of faces around me, and the only Portuguese came from a radio somewhere that was playing Fado. I felt bellic. Spurred by the radio to launch myself at the invading horde. Instead, I left again. I can't wait to come back, but I'm now aware of the layers of foundation that have been applied to its face. I'll visit it like I visited London or other European cities in the past before I lived in them: as a stranger.
So yeah, hard to be nostalgic and grow out of my adolescence when there's nothing physical for me to reminisce about.
What a stupid rant.
About the book: nice stories that have resonated with me, maybe too much. Can't really recommend it due to this personal effect. If you feel like me and like to experience someone else's life story through a strong psychogeographical link between the author and London, go for it. If, like me, you live in the surroundings described by the author, go for it. If you live abroad and receive every bad piece of news of your home city as a cancerous growth inside you, go for it. There's a lot to like, there's a lot to hate. I, personally, liked it a lot.
Man Hating Psycho gave me nostalgia for a life I haven't lived. I've always felt that my adolescence arrived late, and this book gave me a possible explanation.
Like the author (considering these stories are autobiographical), I have thrusted myself headlong into one of Europe's history-soaked capitals. Lisbon was the hole I fell into, while Iphgenia's was London.
London is a city I've always looked forward to visiting. As a friend of mine said, jokingly, "you don't visit London, you visit (pause for thought) eight Londons. yeah, eight of them". That mental calculation must be off but I've lived here at least long enough to recognise the several Londons she was thinking of: the chi-chi London, the suburbanite London, the dirty London, the touristy London, the multicultural London, the raw, art-is-in-your-face-and-all-over-the-place London, the let's-just-chill-and-look-at-the-Thames London, the serious business London...
There are several Lisbons as well, but they are extremely close together. Close enough to simply be personality traits instead of the schizophrenia London presents when you simply move from one neighbourhood to the other. There's an obvious clash happening in London. You have to be on your toes to adapt to your surroundings. While in Lisbon you just smile at the changes and treat it like someone with mild Tourette's.
So of course my adolescence was gentle, late. I'm a white male in a city that has held me softly, accepting me along the way. There were no big clashes.
The author's London seemed much rougher and uncaring - although extremely attractive -, a quick growth fertiliser.
Activism is much stronger in London because you really feel a part of the vaster world out there. In the ass of Europe, activism in Portugal (before the americanisation of our worries) was focused solely on our problems. That's also a cause for my stunted mental growth.
One thing which I believe she has in her favour is the differences time has made in our cities. A change in London may go unnoticed, or be noticed only to the people local to a certain neighbourhood that are directly affected by it. A small change in Lisbon destroys whole swats of my childhood. Tourism in London is concentrated in the usual spots, while in Lisbon it is spread out almost uniformly. Some years ago, the last time I visited Lisbon, I stood on one of its streets, with what seemed like thousands of faces around me, and the only Portuguese came from a radio somewhere that was playing Fado. I felt bellic. Spurred by the radio to launch myself at the invading horde. Instead, I left again. I can't wait to come back, but I'm now aware of the layers of foundation that have been applied to its face. I'll visit it like I visited London or other European cities in the past before I lived in them: as a stranger.
So yeah, hard to be nostalgic and grow out of my adolescence when there's nothing physical for me to reminisce about.
What a stupid rant.
About the book: nice stories that have resonated with me, maybe too much. Can't really recommend it due to this personal effect. If you feel like me and like to experience someone else's life story through a strong psychogeographical link between the author and London, go for it. If, like me, you live in the surroundings described by the author, go for it. If you live abroad and receive every bad piece of news of your home city as a cancerous growth inside you, go for it. There's a lot to like, there's a lot to hate. I, personally, liked it a lot.
June 13, 2021
Really great stuff here. Short stories about life as a woman in London today (to put it succinctly while also cutting out most of its charm).
The standout for me is the opening story, which conveys the very specific brand of creep that inhabits leftist spaces online and in the world in such a fun and innovative way. Also, 'I want to pull your panties down and fuck you' is a great story, and feels like something Sally Rooney might write if she wasn't too busy being a toff.
Great stuff!
The standout for me is the opening story, which conveys the very specific brand of creep that inhabits leftist spaces online and in the world in such a fun and innovative way. Also, 'I want to pull your panties down and fuck you' is a great story, and feels like something Sally Rooney might write if she wasn't too busy being a toff.
Great stuff!
September 29, 2022
Really enjoyed this. A fast furious funny read. Devoured it in a couple of days. Adventures in London bohemia. Although it is short stories they work as a fragmented whole. Would appeal to anyone female (or male) who has lived on the edge in a big city. Or even anyone who hasn't and just wants to experience such a life vicariously.
June 2, 2021
Influx (the publisher) says 'Baal is the voice of the London gutter' but I asked around and it turns out that she's a very privileged Chelsea girl (private school, millionaire parents etc). It reads as such, to be honest, IE it seeks to be literary but it's desperate and hypocritical.
May 22, 2021
3.5 rounded up 🌟
September 22, 2021
Simply outstanding. Brilliant exploration of modern identity
January 4, 2022
fucking brilliant.
January 13, 2022
A series of shorts that made me fall in love with such experimental modern literature and pity heterosexual women in their 20s in London. Really worth anybodies time
December 28, 2021
Iphegnia Baal's short story collection Man Hating Psycho is a funny and sharp-eyed look at London life, from Grenfell to gentrification to dealing with the Met to the leftwing fuckboys that you meet there by the dozen.
My favourite story, Pain In The Neck, had me howling with laughter, while others like Pro Life made me ache remembering the brutality of teenage girls. I also loved the creativity of a story told as a pre-election group WhatsApp chat, and the horror vibes of Middle English Bestiary and vodaphone.co.uk/heeelp. All really creative and astute takes on modern London life (that reminded me why I don't live there anymore!)
My favourite story, Pain In The Neck, had me howling with laughter, while others like Pro Life made me ache remembering the brutality of teenage girls. I also loved the creativity of a story told as a pre-election group WhatsApp chat, and the horror vibes of Middle English Bestiary and vodaphone.co.uk/heeelp. All really creative and astute takes on modern London life (that reminded me why I don't live there anymore!)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews