The Subtweet: A Novel

(Paperback)

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'A beautifully crafted novel about race, music, and social media...in this timely novel,Shraya speaks to a modern audience with bold cultural insight, confronting the difficulties of being a brown artist and the drastic impact social media can have on pop culture.' Booklist

Everyone talks about falling in love, but falling in friendship can be just as captivating. When Neela Devaki's song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini, the two musicians meet and a transformative friendship begins.

But as Rukmini's star rises and Neela's stagnates, jealousy and self-doubt creep in. With a single tweet, their friendship implodes, one career is destroyed, and the two women find themselves at the center of an internet firestorm.

Celebrated multidisciplinary artist Vivek Shraya's second novel is a stirring examination of making art in the modern era, a love letter to brown women, an authentic glimpse into the music industry, and a nuanced exploration of the promise and peril of being seen.

'Biting and beautiful.' Jonny Sun, author ofeveryone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too

'So engaging. I can't think of anything I've read that has captured Twitter culture so well. There is something that really touches on the absurdity and pressure of social media and art. I can't put it down.' Sara Quin, of Tegan and Sara

'With the freedom that fiction provides, Shraya tookThe Subtweetdeep into the topics of hate-liking, social media friendships, and Internet celebrities. And the plot, as fast-paced as life on the Internet, shows clearly the way that jealousy and obsession can take shape within the open borders of the online world.' NPR Books

'It is clear that Shraya is pouring everything she's learned from years of writing and making music into a text that combines rhythm and deft technique in bitingly original ways. It is equally clear inThe Subtweetthat Shraya is using the vehicle of fiction to hash out many of the valid frustrations she's accumulated over years of navigating the Canadian culture scene...Shraya skilfully shows this complexity by depicting characters who are frequently ridiculous, petty, and even malicious, while simultaneoulsy pushing readers to understand the underlying systemic factors driving their frustrating actions.' Quill & Quire

'Vivek Shraya'sThe Subtweetis a sharp, encompassing story...A piercing satire played out against diverse creative energies,The Subtweetis affecting, unnerving, empowering, and often truly LOL.' Foreword Reviews

Reviews

"A beautifully crafted novel about race, music, and social media ... In this timely novel, Shraya speaks to a modern audience with bold cultural insight, confronting the difficulties of being a brown artist and the drastic impact social media can have on pop culture." -- Booklist
"It is clear that Shraya is pouring everything she's learned from years of writing and making music into a text that combines rhythm and deft technique in bitingly original ways. It is equally clear in The Subtweet that Shraya is using the vehicle of fiction to hash out many of the valid frustrations she's accumulated over years of navigating the Canadian culture scene ... Shraya skilfully shows this complexity by depicting characters who are frequently ridiculous, petty, and even malicious, while simultaneously pushing readers to understand the underlying systemic factors driving their frustrating actions." -- Quill & Quire
"Vivek Shraya's The Subtweet is a sharp, encompassing story ... A piercing satire played out against diverse creative energies, The Subtweet is affecting, unnerving, empowering, and often truly LOL." -- Foreword Reviews, starred review
"With the freedom that fiction provides, Shraya took The Subtweet deep into the topics of hate-liking, social media friendships, and Internet celebrities. And the plot, as fast-paced as life on the Internet, shows clearly the way that jealousy and obsession can take shape within the open borders of the online world." -- NPR Books
"Writing with all the zippy thrill of good gossip." -- O, Oprah Magazine

Author Bio

Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theater, and film. Her bestselling book Im Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as cultural rocket fuel, and her album with Queer Songbook Orchestra, Part-Time Woman, was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. She is one half of the music duo Too Attached and the founder of the publishing imprint VS. Books. A five-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, Vivek has also received honors from the Writers Trust of Canada and the Publishing Triangle. She is a director on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation and an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Calgary.