What’s up with that?īeth Morgan: I think that in trying to communicate any kind of personal truth, it’s inevitable that we unconsciously create narrative. For example: “ is so overwhelmed by the sensation of disclosing something true that he forgets what he is saying is a distortion of the truth.” This sentence itself feels like a painful truth that haunts every “vulnerable” Instagram post I’ve ever made.

Except the more we live by these arbitrary categories, the less sure of ourselves we grow. Richa Kaul Padte: There’s this constant tension in A Touch of Jen between “authenticity” and “fakeness”, where inhabiting the former and exposing the latter feels like a kind of ethical imperative. Morgan’s debut book is, in many ways, the grimmest possible answer to that question-an exploration of how contemporary culture has made self-actualizing structuralists of us all. As Remy wonders: “What happens next? Do they just keep on talking about Jen forever, until she gets old? Then what?” All the while, “The Apple Bush” guides the characters’ journeys through its seductively vague platitudes for example: “details that might seem like trivial parts of your ordinary life are actually signs-Signifiers of Flow helping you to achieve that Consummate Result.”īut the result, or desire, is growing increasingly unclear. As the protagonists unexpectedly find themselves invited to a surfing trip in the Hamptons with Jen’s inner circle, they try hard to fit into a group of wealthy, beautiful people.įrom here on out, Morgan’s narrative develops a darkly spiraling pace, simultaneously exposing and blurring the distinction between fantasy and reality. Following the story of Alicia and Remy-a couple obsessed with the online persona of Remy’s former co-worker- A Touch of Jen invites readers into a world of extreme self-consciousness and class envy, where the “sensation of being on display” is both coveted and dreaded.

Beth morgan a touch of jen