In Man Hating Psycho, Iphgenia Baal deftly identifies the unexpected humor, absurdism, and surreality of online encounters, demonstrating how the indifferent depravity that rules the internet has spilled over into our everyday, face-to-face interactions. In these stories, set among the uncertainty of post-Brexit London, the horror of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and the confusion of the Covid-19 pandemic, young people stage rooftop confessions, group shows, and bowling-alley brawls, fumbling toward a hazy sense of self-knowledge in a world growing increasingly unfamiliar. 

These stories meander like late-night conversations toward moments of unexpected vulnerability and depravity. In “Pain in the Neck,” a woman’s misguided act of generosity toward an old friend leads to one of the worst nights of her life. A group of teenagers in “Pro Life” disintegrates over a shocking secret that proves their inability to see one another clearly. And in “Destination Wedding,” a privileged acquaintance’s preening social media posts send a new mother into a spiral of loathing. Provocative, hilarious, and startlingly original, this collection distinguishes Baal as one of the most resolute and daring voices in contemporary literature.