I concede

Dear Mr. Hage:

I will not be reading De Niro’s Game. I hope you’re not too disappointed. I know you won the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and I hear the prize for that is €100,000, so maybe that will help salve the wound if not absolutely everyone can tackle your book.

I really did try to read it, twice. But then I had this conversation:

Me: I’m trying to read it, again, so I can give your copy back sometime this century. I’m finding it very… male.

Carl: It is very male.

Me: The main character is difficult to like.

Carl: Yes, he’s unlikeable. But you really get to see how living in a place like Beirut changes you into something else.

And after that bleak conversation, I decided not to bother. I hereby concede that living in Beirut would change me.

Best of luck with your career,
Tanya

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