Home Art & BooksNew Book Releases Molly McGhee’s Acclaimed Novel “Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind” Releases in Paperback

Molly McGhee’s Acclaimed Novel “Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind” Releases in Paperback

by Jonathan Currinn
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Molly McGhee’s debut novel “Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind”, originally released in hardcover last autumn, has now arrived in paperback, via Astra House. This much-anticipated release brings the novel’s speculative and satirical take on modern work culture to an even wider audience.

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The book has drawn comparisons to films like “Inception” and “Get Out”, as well as the TV series “Severance”, due to its inventive storytelling and its critique of capitalist systems. Described as a “speculative allegory” by The Washington Post‘s Rafael Frumkin, the novel approaches the culture of overwork in a creative, rather than heavy-handed, way. McGhee uses the surreal premise of a man who audits dreams to explore themes of debt, exploitation, and personal agency.

Official paperback cover of "Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind" by Molly McGhee which is green with a person riding a horse.

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Now available in a lighter paperback edition, the novel’s timely themes resonate even more deeply in today’s discussions about work-life balance. In her interview with Fast Company, McGhee discussed how her own experiences with debt and financial struggles shaped the novel, giving it a grounded emotional core despite its speculative elements.

Get your copy of Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee on Amazon by clicking here and dive into this captivating and timely debut novel today!

About “Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind” by Molly McGhee:

“Disturbing and darkly funny, McGhee’s surrealist debut is sure to keep readers up at night.” —People

Now in paperback, an Electric Literature and Chicago Review of Books best book of the year, the debut Xochitl Gonzalez called “wildly imaginative, tender and piercing critique of the squeeze of capitalism.”

Jonathan Abernathy is a self-proclaimed loser—he’s behind on his debts, has no prospects, no friends, and no ambitions. But when a government loan forgiveness program offers him a literal dream job, he thinks he’s found his big break. If he can appear to be competent at his new job, entering the minds of middle-class workers while they sleep and removing the unsavory detritus of their waking lives from their unconscious, he might have a chance at a new life. As Abernathy finds his footing in this role, reality and morality begin to warp around him. Soon, the lines between life and work, love and hate, right and wrong, even sleep and consciousness, begin to blur.

Molly McGhee touches on themes most people know all too well—the relentlessly crushing weight of debt, the recognition that work won’t love you back, and the awkwardness of finding love when you are without hope. A workplace novel, at once tender, startling, and deeply funny, Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind is a stunning, critical work of surrealist fiction, a piercing critique of late-stage capitalism, and a reckoning with its true cost.

Official author image of Molly McGhee sitting down, reading a book, wearing a white shirt, black trousers, and a pair of glasses.

“Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind” has received glowing praise from numerous outlets. The New York Times described the novel as feeling “like a dream that cannot be forgotten”, while The Guardian called it a “fierce debut” and “a shout of millennial protest”. Cory Doctorow, author of “The Lost Cause”, called it “gorgeous” and “brutally insightful”, noting its blend of humour and existential dread.

For readers eager to dive into McGhee’s world of workplace satire and millennial anxieties, the paperback release of “Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind” offers a convenient and accessible way to experience one of 2023’s most talked-about novels. McGhee’s deft handling of serious themes through speculative fiction makes this a book that’s hard to put down—and even harder to forget.

Molly McGhee id in this photo This photo sees Molly McGee walk outside wearing a brown coat and some combat boots.

To celebrate the paperback release, McGhee will be holding a launch event in Brooklyn, on October 24, 2024, at Miss Barb’s, giving fans a chance to meet the author and dive deeper into the world of Jonathan Abernathy. The new paperback has been officially published by Astra House and was made available on October 15, 2024.

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