Rejection: Fiction

Published in 2024, Rejection is a literary short story collection by American author Tony Tulathimutte. Tulathimutte originally conceived of writing a book of around the topic of rejection in 2011, a subject he viewed as seemingly undramatic and thus challenging to explore. Two of the book’s stories—“The Feminist” and “Ahegao, or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression”—were previously published in literary magazines N+1 and The Paris Review. The collection was longlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction.

The seven stories in the book revolve around the topic of rejection in different contexts, from romance to professional life. They probe themes such as the refusal to transform rejection into positive momentum, loneliness and online life, and the refusal to assume an imposed identity.

This guide is based on the 2024 William Morrow first edition hardcover.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of bullying, racism, gender discrimination, antigay bias, sexual violence, mental illness, disordered eating, death by suicide, suicidal ideation, animal cruelty, addiction, graphic violence and sexual content, cursing, illness, and emotional abuse.

Plot Summaries

The first three stories explore rejection in romance. The next two stories explore rejection on the Internet. The last two stories explore rejection in language and literature.

In “The Feminist,” a man, despite his best attempts to communicate the importance of feminist values to everyone around him, has never successfully entered a romantic relationship with a woman. Eventually, he concludes that women have failed feminism because they have chosen to reject him in favor of men who repeatedly disrespect or undermine their agency. The story ends with the implication that the man has turned to violence to resolve his frustrated feelings.

In “Pics,” Alison has a one-night stand with her best friend, Neil. When Neil shows interest in another woman, Alison alienates Neil, then spends the next two years finding ways to validate herself as Neil’s ideal partner. This leads to a period of prolonged isolation. At Neil’s wedding to the other woman, Alison tries to confront him about their past sexual encounter. She goes home feeling defeated when Neil insists on moving past it.

In “Ahegao, or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,” Kant, an Asian man in his thirties, comes out as gay and enters a relationship with Julian. Kant’s experiences as a victim of bullying have turned him into a sexual preference for sadism, so he is reluctant to have sex with Julian or open up about his fantasies. Kant’s failure to communicate destroys the relationship. The story ends with Kant attempting to commission a detailed custom porn video that articulates all of his fantasies. He accidentally sends the description of the video to his friends and family.

In “Our Dope Future,” serial entrepreneur named Max reaches out to an online community to elicit their emotional support. Max claims to be in a mutually beneficial relationship with Alison, promising to liberate her from her financial burdens if she collaborates with him on their shared life goals. It becomes clear, however, that Max is holding Alison against her will, manipulating her to create a family-centered organization aligned with his personal values. The online community retaliates against Max. When Max retreats to fulfill his life plans outside the United States, he is arrested for human trafficking.

“Main Character” explains a controversial online event known as Botgate. In an online post, Bee explains rejecting the markers of identity that other people attempted to impose on them, such as gender and race. Despite their best attempts to find a community, Bee is increasingly alienated, which forces their retreat into the Internet for social comfort. Bee eventually reveals that they orchestrated online conflicts using multiple social media accounts, blurring the line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. Bee’s story appeals to many online users, who resonate with Bee’s message of loneliness in the Internet Age.

“Sixteen Metaphors” is an abstract series of aphorisms and scenarios, all about the experience of rejection. The series mixes metaphors about different activities, from fishing to catching a ball, to depict the experience of an abstract “you” who tries everything to get into a relationship but never gets what they want. The story ends by explaining that mixed metaphors are, in themselves, metaphors that represent rejection.

“Re: Rejection” takes the form of an editorial rejection letter addressed to the book’s author, Tony Tulathimutte. The publisher criticizes each of the stories included in Rejection before revealing that this final story is a fabrication created by the author to call out the stories’ flaws before anyone else does. The letter ends with the publisher suggesting that Tulathimutte withdraw from the endeavor of writing if he continues to fear rejection.