Almost universally lauded by critics and a Pulitzer finalist, I had high hopes for The Topeka School. Have no doubt, this is a very good novel and one I would willingly reread (in order hopefully to get more) were there ever time, but I was not quite as blown away by it as I felt I ought to have been. Lerner is clearly very bright, erudite and educated, but almost too much so. The Topeka School is a novel of ideas, but similar to the concept of — "the spread" — a debating term which he introduces — the work is diminished in my mind by onboarding too many ideas at the same time, such is the effect as almost to feel overwhelmed. There is a clear law of diminishing returns effect at work here. Further, such is the pitch/intensity of the work that some readers (myself included) might also feel a sense of inadequacy at not being able quite to appreciate Lerner's full genius. Lerner embraces debating, psychotherapy, gender politics, right-wing violence and more. Set in 1997, it is possible to see how some toxic combination of the above (particularly language manipulation for nefarious ends) may have created the backdrop for the emergence of Trump. But such a view — endorsed by many critics — seems to embrace/require large amounts of causality. Lerner is trying perhaps to write a "great American novel", per Updike/Roth — neither author is one I have specifically enjoyed — but someone such as Franzen (or Marra, writing about Russia) does it arguably better, but with less effort or show. I am keen to try more Lerner, but he could be better if he made more with less. 7.5/10.
By Ben Lerner