Publisher's Synopsis
"Strikingly original...an innovative literary experiment that supplies a thoughtful commentary on the 'discourse virus' of our age...Witherspoon's eclectic work effectively documents the feverish public reaction to the impending publication of his latest book as a "compendium" of the "Online Outrage Fiesta" which gives the novel its title. He tackles a broad spectrum of media, including comically scathing excerpts from tweets, podcasts, blogs, and even academic journals and also keenly exposes the ways in which Strobe, the character, is implicated in his own online assault, due to his obsessive attachment to public life." - Kirkus Reviews"Sometimes sad and sometimes hilarious, Witherspoon's timely metafictional novel explores the ways (mis)information can shape public discourse in the digital media age... the wildly entertaining result illuminates the dark side to fame, circa 2021..." - Booklife by Publishers Weekly"an impressive achievement of unflinching honesty from a noteworthy talent, as resonant and relevant as it is entertaining ...OOF tugs at the threads that connect American cynicism with radical extremism and weaves a character-rich tapestry of insight ...Each voice, whether of a New Yorker journalist or an Internet influencer, is rendered with uncanny fidelity. Perhaps most masterful is that key events are not depicted but merely alluded to, occurring off-camera between entries, allowing the text to provide an elegant framework for a more personal story painted almost invisibly in the negative space." - BlueInk Review"a work of pure creative genius, engaging and thought-provoking...You know that you are in for a treat when an author makes fun of himself, as Witherspoon wears two hats as an inquisitor general and heretic at the same time" - Readers' Favorite Five Star Review"Those interested in "the low art of chronicling human stupidity" will not be able to put this book down... Fans of works like Dear Committee Members will immediately find a new favorite in this book, as well as a new type of unlikely hero in Strobe Witherspoon" - US Review of Books Award-winning novelist and cultural critic Strobe Witherspoon interrogates his own profession. OOF explores the role of satire in a society lurching from one ridiculous crisis to the next, where media outlets rely on clicks to stay alive and everything is filtered through a lens of anger and misinformation.Strobe Witherspoon just sold his latest satirical novel for just under a million dollars. The book in question, FLOTUS: A Memoir, is a fictitious autobiography about a former first lady of the United States reflecting on years of misery at the hands of her POTUS husband. When a chapter is leaked in advance of the book's publication, an Online Outrage Fiesta (OOF) ensues via mainstream news outlets, blogs, Twitter, troll farms, and everything in between. Witherspoon has his life placed under a microscope. It doesn't go well.
