White People on Vacation

Nate the nihilist is depressed and thinks everything will be better in Hawaii, a vacation he scored by freeloading off his rich girlfriend (Daddy’s credit card pays for it all). The whole book is a hilarious rambling narrative of his existential trip to Hawaii, a place where white tourists, himself included, mar the landscape and culture with their garbage and arrogance. I loved this sardonic tale of capitalism and climate change, class war and race, and a young twenty-one-year-old just trying to figure out who he is, and which girl to love. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! Nate’s voice rings true and you might love him or hate him, or both. For fans of Ottessa Moshfegh’s MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION (it’s that kind of bleak-funny).