I ONLY CRY WITH EMOTICONS

A socially awkward tech worker grapples with his impending divorce, his relationship with his young son, and his struggle to create human connections in a tech-driven world.

Saul works at a sophisticated technology company, and he has the potential to be quite good at his job. Unfortunately, he’s spending more and more time hiding in the bathroom working on a novel based loosely on the life of his late grandfather. That same novel is the obstacle that came between him and his soon-to-be-ex wife. While she felt he was never present, he felt she rejected the importance of his work. Now, he’s struggling to navigate the back-and-forth residency of their 7-year-old son, who seems to greatly prefer staying with his mom. When Saul is set up with a woman named Kitty, whose marriage has also fallen apart recently, he’s equally intrigued and repulsed by the idea of dating her. When he sees how well Kitty relates to his son, though, he finds himself drawn to her. Unfortunately, Kitty is struggling, too, and Saul might be unable to meet her needs. Told entirely from Saul’s perspective, the novel, like its protagonist, is full of endearing quirks. With many tongue-in-cheek references to current trends in technology and social media, including emojis periodically peppering the text, the novel is witty and fun. At the same time, the emotional struggles and social ineptitude from which Saul suffers lead to many surprisingly deep moments. Saul’s inability to connect with other characters is echoed by the arm’s-length tone of the narrative itself. For example, he constantly refers to his son as “my boy” rather than creating a deeper connection with the reader by revealing the child’s name. In the end, it is these very idiosyncrasies that make the novel a resounding success.

A refreshingly zany story about the pitfalls of modern technology and the importance of chasing dreams.