The Novelist: A Novel

"Jordan Castro is a novelist, and also a supporting character in The Novelist, a novel about a would-be novelist trying to write a novel. Got it? Sure, Castro’s fiction debut is as meta as it gets, but that’s part of its immense charm. The narrator of the book, which takes place during one morning, is determined to work on his novel but keeps getting distracted by making tea, the Internet, and his need to go to the bathroom. Castro’s book is odd – that’s undebatable – but it’s also sweet, funny and beautifully written."