In her debut novel, The Survivalists, Kashana Cauley describes Aretha, a young, perpetually single black lawyer, with the wit and persuasiveness she’s known for on social media. Firearms and doomsday readiness.
The novel opens with a believable and often relatable portrait of Aretha’s struggle to fill the gap left by her tragically deceased parents. But partying, an exhausting quest to find a partner at the law firm where she works, and occasional lackluster dates can only fill the void in her life. , falls in love with and is reluctantly attracted to Aaron, a coffee entrepreneur and fellow orphan. Aretha falls in love not only with a man named Aaron, but also with her life in Brooklyn’s Brownstone, which promises to be with him. Aretha, in her desire to be with Aaron and live an idealistic life where she feels distant, is Aaron’s strange roommate red flags, increasing every time she looks away. Ignore the guns, doomsday bunkers in the backyard that seem to be.
Aretha’s perspective is witty and engaging. She is determined to achieve her life goals and to overcome or adapt to any obstacles that stand in her way. Her two barriers such are Brooklyn, her brownstone Aaron, and eventually Aretha’s roommate, her two stubborns who dedicate their lives to preparing for countless global catastrophes. I am a survivalist. Like her survivalist, Aretha longs to take control of her own uncertain future, but in order to exercise her control, she will not avoid doom and steer in new directions. I’m here.
As the novel progresses, the structure begins to loosen in a disproportionate way, allowing more insight into the minds of the other protagonists. Has an unpredictable omniscience that jumps into the background of the characters and loses the reader along the way. It creates a sense of intimacy with
While the protagonist’s immediate thoughts are understandable, engaging, and often relatable, her character’s journey is less believable. The sudden shift to enthusiasm for participation is jarring. Rather than Aretha driving the plot of her novel, her inner monologue, while compelling, justifies the choices she needs to make for the plot to occur. This disconnect between the characters’ voices and actions steers readers away from the formerly relatable Aretha, moving away from Aretha playing with survivalists for her own benefit, to agreeing with their drastic lifestyle. The sudden shift in Aretha’s logic is jarring, but not unfamiliar. The phenomenon is reminiscent of the gradual descent into conspiratorial ideology that most have witnessed helplessly in her chosen acquaintances, friends, or online personalities.
The story and structure of The Survivalists still leaves much to be desired, but the novel’s strength lies in the relationships between its characters and the glorious moments Aretha realizes both about herself and her position as a cog in the corporation. I have. Aretha’s newfound fascination with roaming the city’s nooks and crannies gives readers a unique, roaming perspective of the Brooklyn district and surrounding neighborhoods. Aretha’s aspiring life in Brooklyn contrasts with the cold affluence of her neighborhood where Aretha works and visits. Themes of class and family wealth come up frequently throughout the novel, and for Aretha, Brooklyn is a land where her humble upbringing does not bode well for a modest future.
Cory’s voice and writing ability as an author shines through, and overall, her debut delusions into the notion that modern adulthood, class, race, life in Brooklyn, and the uncertainty of the future are lazy. It effectively portrays how to change to a healthy lifestyle.
About the Author: Kashana Cauley is a former Midtown antitrust attorney based in Brooklyn. She is a writer of her comedy The Great North for Fox, a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and a contributor to GQ. With Trevor Noah and her Pod Save America she has contributed to HBO’s The Daily Show, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, and has written fiction for Esquire, Slate, Tin House and The Chronicles of Now. is posted. Kashana currently resides in Los Angeles.
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