Tell Me I'm an Artist
Chelsea Martin
(Author)
Description
"Portrait of the artist as a broke and brilliant, hungry and funny young woman" (Lynn Steger Strong, author of Want), this hilarious and incisive coming-of-age novel about an art student from a poor family struggling to find her place in a new social class of rich, well-connected peers is perfect for fans of Elif Batuman's The Idiot and Weike Wang's Chemistry At her San Francisco art school, Joey enrolls in a film elective that requires her to complete what seems like a straightforward assignment: create a self-portrait. Joey inexplicably decides to remake Wes Anderson's Rushmore despite having never seen the movie. As Tell Me I'm An Artist unfolds over the course of the semester, the assignment hangs over her as she struggles to exist in a well-heeled world that is hugely different from any she has known. Miles away, Joey's sister goes missing, leaving her toddler with their mother, who in turn suggests that Joey might be the selfish one for pursuing her dreams. Meanwhile, her only friend at school, the enigmatic Suz, makes meaningful, appealing art, a product of Suz's own singular drive and talent as well as decades of careful nurturing by wealthy, sophisticated parents. A masterful novel from an author known for her candid and searching prose, Tell Me I'm An Artist examines the invisible divide created by class and privilege, ruminates on the shame that follows choosing a path that has not been laid out for you, and interrogates what makes someone an artist at all.Product Details
Price
$27.00
$25.11
Publisher
Soft Skull
Publish Date
September 20, 2022
Pages
368
Dimensions
5.8 X 8.3 X 1.2 inches | 1.3 pounds
Language
English
Type
Hardcover
EAN/UPC
9781593767211
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About the Author
CHELSEA MARTIN is the author of the essay collection Caca Dolce and the novella Mickey, among other books. She lives in Spokane, WA with her husband and child.
Reviews
A NYLON Most Anticipated Book of the Year "Chelsea Martin has quietly become one of our most prolific and hardworking contemporary writers--always fresh yet understated, calmly insightful, mumbling profundity so casually that one questions whether she recognizes its brilliance. Tell Me I'm An Artist is another home run, impossible not to devour immediately. Never before have I read such a precise encapsulation of the under-addressed ennui of family dysfunction and mother-daughter relationships." --Darcie Wilder, author of literally show me a healthy person
The funniest, smartest, Chelsea-est novel you could only dream of. I savored every page, and when I finished, I wanted to begin again. In the form of lists, internet searches, fragments, and impeccable pacing, Chelsea Martin tackles the notion of being an 'artist' in this unpredictable and colorful novel for our times. --Chloe Caldwell, author of The Red Zone: A Love Story "Tell Me I'm An Artist perfectly renders the high-drama of artistic procrastination--the anxiety, the doubt, the hesitation, the momentary flights of confidence, the will I/won't I. It's warm, it's deadpan, it's absurd. I loved this book." --Halle Butler, author of The New Me Anyone who has ever tried to do meaningful work in spite of a growing suspicion that nothing matters will find a home in this hilarious, heart-piercing book, and a memorable companion in its young but wise narrator. Chelsea Martin is a born storyteller." --Emily Gould, author of Perfect Tunes Deft and exquisite and singular, Chelsea Martin's Tell Me I'm an Artist urges us to consider what we owe--a lot or a little or zilch--to our families, our friends, our ambitions, ourselves. Funny and crushing, lithe and deep, this novel is that rare combination of pleasure and profundity, a portrait of the artist as a work-in-progress. --Sharma Shields, author of The Cassandra and The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac
The funniest, smartest, Chelsea-est novel you could only dream of. I savored every page, and when I finished, I wanted to begin again. In the form of lists, internet searches, fragments, and impeccable pacing, Chelsea Martin tackles the notion of being an 'artist' in this unpredictable and colorful novel for our times. --Chloe Caldwell, author of The Red Zone: A Love Story "Tell Me I'm An Artist perfectly renders the high-drama of artistic procrastination--the anxiety, the doubt, the hesitation, the momentary flights of confidence, the will I/won't I. It's warm, it's deadpan, it's absurd. I loved this book." --Halle Butler, author of The New Me Anyone who has ever tried to do meaningful work in spite of a growing suspicion that nothing matters will find a home in this hilarious, heart-piercing book, and a memorable companion in its young but wise narrator. Chelsea Martin is a born storyteller." --Emily Gould, author of Perfect Tunes Deft and exquisite and singular, Chelsea Martin's Tell Me I'm an Artist urges us to consider what we owe--a lot or a little or zilch--to our families, our friends, our ambitions, ourselves. Funny and crushing, lithe and deep, this novel is that rare combination of pleasure and profundity, a portrait of the artist as a work-in-progress. --Sharma Shields, author of The Cassandra and The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac
