Fiction Advocate (2020) - literary criticism
“On display is a rigorous mind, a fiery intellect, a curious and engaged reader.” —The Boston Globe “Adrian ruthlessly interrogates the work and the literary world at large, especially the misogyny that she finds in both places.” —Publisher's Weekly
“If you’re seeking a heady, thoughtful response to a heady, thoughtful multi-volume work — well, we have a recommendation for you.” —Vol. 1 Brooklyn
"Kim Adrian's loving struggle with Knausgaard is the kind of criticism I most enjoy — personal, wonderfully engaged, intense but somehow simultaneously light-footed, and extremely intelligent. The brilliance of her feminist critique is that it acutely exposes vulnerabilities in Knausgaard's male universalism while affectionately acknowledging the scope and appeal of his inevitably gendered voice. A delight from start to finish." —James Wood, literary critic for The New Yorker
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I mean, I try to live a good life. I try to be a good person. But do I examine these ideas as carefully as I should? What does "good" actually mean? And do I really want to be real, like you? Like Lisa? Is being real even a good thing? Or is it selfish? Is selfishness necessary to live in the deepest way possible, to touch life as intensely and truthfully and courageously as possible?