“i hate the internet.” by Jarett Kobek is a bad novel written on the backbone of sarcasm in which Kobek addresses the issues with the internet and tech companies. Throughout the book we follow Adeline’s progression as an artist and her struggle with the internet and its users’ up against her.
In this novel, Kobek jumps from one topic to the next, and all his ideas do not exactly come together cohesively. There is a storyline to follow but there is so much random information in between. The things he writes about are interesting but, it’s hard to tell what his objective was for writing this book other than calling people out.
He utilizes listing and bulleting throughout his writing, which makes it easier for the reader to follow. Personally, I found it much easier to read rather than reading long paragraphs, although this novel does have its fair share of those.
Kobek is a very blunt writer, every one of his opinions presented in this novel are straightforward. They can be slightly abrupt and outspoken but many of them came off in a comical manner.
“Dumb assholes who offer bogus opinions for money don’t need to be right. They only need to be loud.”
Kobek points out very valid opinions about the internet and tech companies that I, personally, had never thought about. The bluntness of his opinions made me laugh while reading this novel. Kobek is a very comical writer.
“…renewed their intentions of calling someone an ugly fucking slut deserving of death, Google served more advertisements and earned more money.”
“They are the cupcake and the pastry. Because one tastes sour and one tastes sweet…It depends on your personal preference.”
I personally have a love hate relationship with this novel, while it was hard to read because there did not seem to have a structure, it was very interesting and funny. Kobek seemed to have a surprise on every page.
Literature & the Internet 