My Letter in New York Times Book Review; Seven clues protagonist of one of their 10 Best Books of 2019 has unacknowledged multiple personality

To the Editor:

When you named Ben Lerner’s “The Topeka School” one of the 10 Best Books of 2019 (Dec. 15), one good thing about the novel was not mentioned: its alarmed consideration of fast-talking, confusing, data-filled techniques like “the spread.” The implication is that many people, including writers, have fallen into the trap of using this style, and that they need to learn “how to speak again.”

Kenneth A. Nakdimen

New York

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/27/books/review/letters-to-the-editor.html

I had read and discussed two of Ben Lerner’s books for this blog: his nonfiction, “The Hatred of Poetry,” and his novel, “The Topeka School.”

My posts on “The Topeka School” cite at least seven clues that the protagonist has unacknowledged multiple personality:

1. “multiple tracks in his mind”

2.  his mind has “parts”

3.  he feels like a “flickering presence, rapidly changing ages”

4.  his episode of dissociation of identity as a child

5.  anonymous voice in italics: his agitated alternate personality

6.  protagonist feels that “a speech was delivering him”

7. “…his tongue feels like it belongs to someone else…”

Search “Ben Lerner” to read those posts. Search “unacknowledged multiple personality” for prior discussions regarding other writers.

Comment

Editors of The New York Times Book Review are in a difficult position. If their reviews were to mention unacknowledged multiple personality, readers might be fascinated, but authors and publishers might be frightened away.