Novelist, short story, and non-fiction author. Grammy-winning audiobook producer/director.
Published by Larkin Books
A Division of Alison Larkin Presents |
Terms of Engagement:
stories of the father and son Paul Alan Ruben portrays father and son as intimate enemies, each yearning to be understood, acknowledged, and validated by the other. These nine stories take place in collision territory—where father and son engage one another in uncertain terms, both desperately trying to repair the emotional damage that has led to their alienation. “A quiet lyricism emerges from these stories and it serves to underscore their emotional impact. Ruben can touch you deeply--and he can break your heart.” —T. C. Boyle, New York Times bestselling author of over twenty-six books of fiction |
PAUL ALAN RUBEN’S latest novel:
LIKE
👍
When you’re 22 years old and the sum and substance of your life’s experiences amount to, been there, done that; the definition of shame is sex with boys; there are no best days behind me, so why go on, maybe it's time for a life-saving change. A radical one. That changes the world, too! Hey, why not? Considering winner isn’t in your vocabulary, what have you got to lose?
LIKE
👍
When you’re 22 years old and the sum and substance of your life’s experiences amount to, been there, done that; the definition of shame is sex with boys; there are no best days behind me, so why go on, maybe it's time for a life-saving change. A radical one. That changes the world, too! Hey, why not? Considering winner isn’t in your vocabulary, what have you got to lose?
Bri (pronounced Bree), is a college dropout and would-be influencer who lives in Astoria, Queens and For Likes.
Contrary to her badass posts that project fierce-Bri, the flesh and blood Bri—who makes ends meet as a dog walker—is consumed by a horde of soul-ravaging anxieties, most notable: a Pogo Stick body with tits that seem to have fully matured before puberty; and her addiction to social media, whose myriad platforms and 5 billion users assure her that she will forever measure down. Never up.
Bri cannot escape devouring hopelessness each time she peers through her cell phone’s portals that fantastically depict who she will never be. Not even granny, her worldy-wise saint and savior, whom we never meet, but constantly hear about (including her plucky, 60s laden, slang) can keep her from believing she is little more than her hyper-intolerant parents’ serial sinner. Without her granny, Bri would have long ago tested the edge.
Bri’s topsy-turvy story of accidental self-discovery emerges from the improbable braiding of encounters with Gen Z Andy (Smoothie King’s most valuable underachiever) and millennial Jen (Google’s data analytics superstar). Throughout Jen and Andy’s individual relationship with Bri, each unique and powerfully intimate, they both haltingly confront their unrequited passion for her, just as she does for them. Why? What’s standing in the way?
LIKE.
There is no love without Like first.
In forward-backward steps that spasm self-affirmation, Bri’s LIKE-epiphanies suture her tattered resolve to imagine a world based solely on LIKE: I Like Me. You Like You. I Like you. You Like me. No reason. No why. No judgment. She comes to realize two worlds:
The LIKE OF WAS. Created by Zuck. The world of social media into which she was born, cruelly ruled by Like’s judgmental cudgel.
The LIKE OF IS. Bri’s new world: A one-sided coin that requires no opposite side, because no one judges it must have one.
With Jen’s unbridled help, and Andy’s compliant helplessness, aspiring influencer-Bri just might change the world. Or, she might not.
And maybe that’s okay. Because, as she hears her granny croon, all you need is Like…
For some context, see Links and check out: When Beauty Standards and Body Positivity Collide by NY Times columnist, Amanda Hess.
To introduce yourself to Bri and Andy, see Links for the novel’s opening pages.
Contact me: [email protected]
Contrary to her badass posts that project fierce-Bri, the flesh and blood Bri—who makes ends meet as a dog walker—is consumed by a horde of soul-ravaging anxieties, most notable: a Pogo Stick body with tits that seem to have fully matured before puberty; and her addiction to social media, whose myriad platforms and 5 billion users assure her that she will forever measure down. Never up.
Bri cannot escape devouring hopelessness each time she peers through her cell phone’s portals that fantastically depict who she will never be. Not even granny, her worldy-wise saint and savior, whom we never meet, but constantly hear about (including her plucky, 60s laden, slang) can keep her from believing she is little more than her hyper-intolerant parents’ serial sinner. Without her granny, Bri would have long ago tested the edge.
Bri’s topsy-turvy story of accidental self-discovery emerges from the improbable braiding of encounters with Gen Z Andy (Smoothie King’s most valuable underachiever) and millennial Jen (Google’s data analytics superstar). Throughout Jen and Andy’s individual relationship with Bri, each unique and powerfully intimate, they both haltingly confront their unrequited passion for her, just as she does for them. Why? What’s standing in the way?
LIKE.
There is no love without Like first.
In forward-backward steps that spasm self-affirmation, Bri’s LIKE-epiphanies suture her tattered resolve to imagine a world based solely on LIKE: I Like Me. You Like You. I Like you. You Like me. No reason. No why. No judgment. She comes to realize two worlds:
The LIKE OF WAS. Created by Zuck. The world of social media into which she was born, cruelly ruled by Like’s judgmental cudgel.
The LIKE OF IS. Bri’s new world: A one-sided coin that requires no opposite side, because no one judges it must have one.
With Jen’s unbridled help, and Andy’s compliant helplessness, aspiring influencer-Bri just might change the world. Or, she might not.
And maybe that’s okay. Because, as she hears her granny croon, all you need is Like…
For some context, see Links and check out: When Beauty Standards and Body Positivity Collide by NY Times columnist, Amanda Hess.
To introduce yourself to Bri and Andy, see Links for the novel’s opening pages.
Contact me: [email protected]