Apartment by Teddy Wayne

Perhaps because of my fixation on plotting, I'd long been uncomfortably aware of how little it would take to derail one's course in life...

Apartment

Teddy Wayne

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I am going to call this little gem "literary, literary fiction” because Apartment is the story of two Columbia MFA students and their relationship navigating both NYC and the competitive MFA world. And at a mere 195 pages, it’s a book that can easily be devoured in an afternoon or a flight, but you’re not spared anything in the reading experience.  This little book does a lot well and left me wondering where I could find more like it.  

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The narrator is unnamed , which is such an interesting plot device, think Rebecca.  It creates a unique distance and curiosity around the person telling the story, and the aura of “can they be trusted?”   He lives in a rent stabilized NYC apartment while also being supported financially by his father. On the first day of the MFA workshop he befriends fellow classmate Billy, a student from the midwest who is in need of a place to live. The narrator offers him the extra apartment bedroom free of charge and the story begins to unfold.

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The great tension in this novel is that Billy is a gifted writer - stories come naturally to him and it becomes apparent in the first when students share their writing.  Our narrator struggles to create a piece that others don’t find fault with, but Billy assures him he can help him to improve. What starts as a "You need me, I can help you" narrative evolves into a story of jealousy and competition, but it is so subtle and well crafted that it reads like a psychological thriller. I found myself turning the pages waiting for something sinister to happen, and the arc of this tiny novel is just about perfect.  

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Apartment is delicious literary fiction that contained two of my favorite things - an NYC setting and a writing plot. It had the perfect amount of tension and for a short read, was very satisfying. I don't know why I didn't see more of this book - possibly because it debuted in 2020? It was shortlisted for the Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize, so not totally ignored.  And the reviews are very strong.  Character driven, great writing, well paced and under 200 pages! Good things come in small packages.