On page 362 of 445 of Taffy Brodesser-Ackner’s new novel Long Island Compromise, the evils of patriarchy finally made their inevitable appearance. I’m shocked that the writer held out as long as that before unleashing her patriarchy obsession on us.
However, the book is still very much worth it. There’s a whole chapter on the travails of graduate union organizers at Yale, and it’s priceless. I was one of those organizers but not top braas, like Brodesser-Ackner’s characters, but the lowest-rung. The description of that union in the novel is spot-on. At some point, the union decides to go on a hunger strike for some leftist cause. Soon, however, the students realize that going hungry is no fun, so they decide to do it in 12-hour shifts. That turns out to be onerous, as well, so they switch to 6-hour shifts.
These characters are so real, I practically know them in person.
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