Interviews › Page 2
Ben Purkert On Masculinity, The Ad World, and The “Train Wreck” Aspect Of His Sensational Debut Novel
Ben Purkert’s riotous debut novel The Men Can’t Be Saved explores what happens when someone who stakes their identity on their occupation suddenly loses their job. Seth is a young copywriter with a copious amount of self-regard, all too eager to tell anyone within earshot the origin story of his infamous tagline for adult diapers. When Seth becomes a victim of corporate downsizing, he scrambles to stay afloat while still clinging to the hope that he will be rehired. He secures a job at a local coffee shop and soon becomes entranced with a co-worker with a seemingly limitless access to prescription medication. Meanwhile, his former co-worker, Moon, an ad executive steeped in the frat boy lifestyle, seeks to pull Seth into his Bacchanalian exploits. Seth counters Moon’s excess with a deep dive into his spirituality, which includes a friendship with an over-eager Orthodox rabbi and a memorable Birthright trip. Critics have heaped praise on the book, with Publishers Weekly calling it “great fun” and The Washington Post singling out Purkert as “a sharply funny observer of male foibles, 20-something angst and the modern workplace.” An acutely perceptive examination of masculinity and the workplace, The Men Can’t Be Saved will be sought after by readers who have enjoyed the works of Gary Shteyngart and Sam Lipsyte.
