See this paperback book? (((finger points upward)))
The one with two blurbs on the front cover from The New York Times and Newsweek about how "haunting" and "impressive" the book is?
That same book has five more blurbs on the back cover hyperextending a shoulder joint congratulating itself. Four lines are also devoted on the back to various awards won.
There are also twenty-four (twenty-four--24!!--for emphasis) rave reviews published on the immediate pages inside the book, everything from Kirkus Reviews to fellow authors.
You know what's not mentioned? Not on the front, the back, or the inside?
A description of the book.
Keep looking. It's not there. I'll wait if you want to check.
Which makes me wonder: Do people only buy books based on the number of self-obsessed reviews it has, and not whether they might like it themselves?
Because why read a book you like when you can just have others tell you what to like?
Before you ask: I had to read the book for work. Otherwise, I'd have refused simply on the grounds of the book's narcissism and inability to share its feelings. It's like going on a blind date with someone who lets all their friends tell you how great they are--but you never hear it from them. They just make you buy dinner.
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