Speedboat

A fragmented, experimental portrait of 1970s urban life, journalism, and intellectual drift.

Told in sharp, aphoristic bursts, Speedboat eschews traditional narrative in favor of impressionistic snapshots from the life of Jen Fain, a journalist navigating an increasingly disjointed New York.

Renata Adler’s prose is electric and incisive—every sentence is a mini-essay on alienation, politics, sex, and the absurdities of contemporary life. The novel captures the postmodern disorientation of its time and still resonates with anyone feeling adrift in the chaos of modern media and relationships.