Buckle up! Corey Fah Does Social Mobility is a head-spinning, mind-bending roller coaster of fun, horror, and subversion. I love it.”—Kamila Shamsie
“The pure fun and sheer weirdness of Isabel Waidner’s mind cannot be matched; with each book, they get better and better. . . . This is that rare thing: An authentically radical novel that is joyful and hilarious.”—Merve Emre
“When Corey Fah does social mobility, they make room for all the rest of us.”—John Domini, The Brooklyn Rail
"Rare . . . a novel with real stylistic and political ambition"—Zadie Smith, The Guardian
"Corey Fah has been named the winner of a major literary award that turns out to be a UFO... and things get weirder, much much weirder, from there in this bizarre and hilarious look at internet fame and literary success. Waidner’s last novel (Sterling Karat Gold) won the Goldsmiths Prize, which is awarded to fiction that 'extends the possibilities of the novel'—and Corey Fah promises even more gonzo imagination and structural strangeness."—Drew Broussard, Literary Hub
"Waidner’s new book Corey Fah Does Social Mobility features time loops, wormholes, and a literary trophy that behaves like a UFO—all things that pique my interest dramatically."—Tobias Carroll, Tor.com
“This is a deeply funny and unrelentingly bizarre look at the vagaries of literary success, and although Waidner loads it with their trademark absurdity, it’s still grounded by the author’s straight-faced (but lively) prose. It’s beginning to look like there’s nothing the immensely talented Waidner can’t do. Another smart, entertaining dispatch from Waidner's bizarro world.”—Kirkus (starred review)
“The novel is an allegory that argues, effectively, that admission is not the same thing as access. . . . And as the narrative comes to its wild end, Waidner conveys, quite poignantly, that a person has no other choice in this life but to be true to themself.” —Ainslie Hogarth, The New York Times Book Review
“Corey Fah Does Social Mobility is a flashy, punchy whirlwind: Waidner has caught lightning in a bottle.”—Eric A. Ponse, BookPage
"Particularly superb in its portrayal of the personal connection many feel with celebrities, this is a short, delightful, and singular novel from one of the most profoundly different writers around, a worthy follow-up to Waidner's prize-winning Sterling Karat Gold."—Alexander Moran, Booklist
"An emerging writer, on a surreal quest to claim a literary prize, encounters wormholes, time travel and reality TV." —The New York Times Book Review
"A quick read and a real mind-bender, Corey Fah Does Social Mobility is inspired satirical lunacy that delves deeply into social class, how marginalized creators are made to chase after cultural capital with no hope of catching it, queer and nonbinary visibility, capitalism, meat production, and the nature of love. If it doesn't become a cult classic, there's no justice in this—or any other—reality."—Rufus Hickok, Bust Magazine
“Waidner’s original prose spins fantastical imagery with social commentary.”—Frieze (UK), Editor’s Pick
“A dazzlingly original satirical novel about a writer on the edge of glory but struggling to get their hands on the prize.”— Harper’s Bazaar (UK)
“In Corey Fah Does Social Mobility, Waidner gifts us with another wild and radical tale.”— Hero (UK)
★ 2023-10-06
Nothing is as it seems in this bizarre satire of the literary life by London-based author Waidner.
When Corey Fah is named the winner of the Award for the Fictionalisation of Social Evils, they’re a bit nonplussed. The author attended the online prize announcement wearing a T-shirt and joggers, and is sent to Koszmar Circus, somewhere in the “international capital” where they live, to pick up their trophy. They soon find themself eyeing a UFO: “Circa half a metre tall, it hovered directly in my eyeline. It radiated neon beige, what a concept. I just stood there, one hand on my head, the other on my hip, considering the likelihood.” They discover they’re not alone: Also present in the circus is a fawn, with “four spider’s legs” and “multiple sets of eyes, like that seraph-filtered kitty on Instagram.” The deer, which they name Bambi Pavok, follows them home, and Corey soon learns that the UFO was their trophy and the prize committee is annoyed that they didn’t retrieve it. Meanwhile, Corey and their long-suffering partner, Drew Szumski, an interpreter, become alarmed when the wormhole-obsessed host of their favorite television series, St Orton Gets to the Bottom of It, has a small meltdown on air. Add to this “a one-toothed rabbit with a white chest, flushed cheeks, and a set of behavioural problems,” a possibly time-traveling playwright, and Corey’s own ambivalence about their newfound notoriety and you get another gleefully anarchic novel from Waidner, who was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize (the real-life Award for the Fictionalisation of Social Evils, one supposes) for Sterling Karat Gold (2023). This is a deeply funny and unrelentingly bizarre look at the vagaries of literary success, and although Waidner loads it with their trademark absurdity, it’s still grounded by the author’s straight-faced (but lively) prose. It’s beginning to look like there’s nothing the immensely talented Waidner can’t do.
Another smart, entertaining dispatch from Waidner's bizarro world.
