Reward System: Stories

"After the first coronavirus lockdown, a lot of us developed love-hate relationships with our smartphones. That’s the case for many of the characters in Jem Calder’s excellent debut book, a collection of short stories about millennials whose lives have been reduced to bad jobs, uncertain identities and constantly checking their apps. Calder can be funny and wrenching, often on the same page; he does a wonderful job depicting millennial anomie and rootlessness. This book is beyond promising – but maybe don’t read it on your smartphone."