Tell Me I'm An Artist
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- 11,99 €
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- 11,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
"Portrait of the artist as a broke and brilliant, hungry and funny young woman" (Lynn Steger Strong, author of Want), this hilarious and incisive coming-of-age novel about an art student from a poor family struggling to find her place in a new social class of rich, well-connected peers is perfect for fans of Elif Batuman’s The Idiot and Weike Wang’s Chemistry
At her San Francisco art school, Joey enrolls in a film elective that requires her to complete what seems like a straightforward assignment: create a self-portrait. Joey inexplicably decides to remake Wes Anderson’s Rushmore despite having never seen the movie. As Tell Me I’m An Artist unfolds over the course of the semester, the assignment hangs over her as she struggles to exist in a well-heeled world that is hugely different from any she has known.
Miles away, Joey’s sister goes missing, leaving her toddler with their mother, who in turn suggests that Joey might be the selfish one for pursuing her dreams. Meanwhile, her only friend at school, the enigmatic Suz, makes meaningful, appealing art, a product of Suz's own singular drive and talent as well as decades of careful nurturing by wealthy, sophisticated parents.
A masterful novel from an author known for her candid and searching prose, Tell Me I’m An Artist examines the invisible divide created by class and privilege, ruminates on the shame that follows choosing a path that has not been laid out for you, and interrogates what makes someone an artist at all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Martin's youthful, character-driven latest (after Caca Dolce) digs into imposter syndrome and class differences among a crew of San Francisco art students. Joelle Berry, a sophomore, has decided to create a remake of the film Rushmore, despite having never seen it. Meanwhile, her emotionally abusive mother and crack-addicted sister attempt to drag Joelle back into their problems. Her new friend Suz is a font of consolation and networking opportunities, but Joelle can't relate to the ease of Suz's more privileged life, or the surety with which Suz treats her place in the world. As the school year progresses, Joelle struggles to find confidence. With a series of short, one-to-five-page scenes spliced by Joelle's Google searches and handwritten journal entries, Martin captures her protagonist's youthful insecurity and desire for creative direction. Though the momentum can sometimes feel as stalled as Joelle's development, Martin's humor shines with Joelle's Rushmore drafts, which cleverly reflect her anxiety: "Jason Schwartzman: When you knew me in the future, was I still living in Sacramento? Older woman: Yes. Jason Schwartzman, destroying his apartment in a rage: That's so fucked up! I'm supposed to move to LA! The whole plan is to move to LA! This blows!" Despite the fits and starts, Martin's writing holds the reader's attention.
