This novel made me sad. It definitely captures the world of hyper-witty, literate, culturally immersed, young people who supposedly roam college towns and grad schools. I don't think these types of people are really as interesting as Martin makes Early Work seem. But I think Martin is making the point, the caustic point, that there is a kind of millennial moral hollowness, a basic selfishness, that is exemplified by Peter and Leslie. Julia is the counter example. A poet needs to be an empath, a fiction writer a narcissist?

Regardless, Early Work nails the Charlottesville vibe of listless, aimless smart people who get off on their ennui. Maybe that has changed with the development of greater C-Ville into a giant, Jeffersonian strip mall.