Dear Mr. Tulathimutte,

The pronunciation of your name presented the first challenge when Babble-on, our long-standing self-proclaimed eclectic book club, tackled your story collection titled “Rejection.”

As it turns out, your name was the easiest part. With the help of Mr. Google, I realized that it is pronounced exactly as it is spelled, as many transliterated names are. One just needs to pronounce every letter. Tu-la-tim-u-tee. Easy. I once had a student from Thailand, Kittawat Watcharachatchawan, whose name was also pronounced exactly like it’s English spelling. However, most people gave up on a name that contained 26 letters, 8 a’s, three ch’s and a slew of w’s so Kittiwat Watcharachatchawan, became Kevin W, like I imagine you became Tony T.

While your name becomes clear with careful reading, I can not say the same for your stories. I am impressed by your writing, particularly your ability to hold humor and despair in such close proximity. It seems that they, like matter and antimatter, should simply annihilate each other. But, in your writing they do no such thing. They grow stronger side by side, as if nourished by each other, ultimately merging so that I can no longer distinguish misery from satire.

I have questions. So many questions. What are you saying in the opening story, “The Feminist?”—that supporting women and standing up for feminism somehow emasculates men, rendering them undesirable, resulting in rejection, then involuntary celibacy, and ultimately misogyny and even violence? What? And what’s the deal with your strange obsession with narrow shoulders?

About “Ahegao, or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,”—what can I say? I have been around the sun more than a few times and am not easily shocked, but the explicit carnality and violence was… well… shocking. With Mr. Google’s assistance (again!) I learned that Ahegao is a Japanese word that means something like “moaning face” or “orgasm face.” I assure you, that does not describe the look on MY face as I read this story. MY face was more like WTF?

I did laugh out loud (LOL, smiley face) repeatedly at “Our Dope Future.” I lost track of how many slang terms and acronyms I had to google. IJBOL! No cap. Whatevs.

But, look. I know I am not your intended audience. I am not sure who is, but I am old enough to be your mother. Just out of curiosity, what does your mother think about your stories? Does she understand them any better than I do? Is this just generational mis-match?

I may be of another generation, but I am deeply invested in yours, the generation you share with my children. I yearn to understand the zeitgeist that you all live in. Is it as lonely, ironic, disconnected, frustrated, obsessed, and tragic as you portray?

Did my generation fail yours?

Still, your writing is, as you are, brilliant, funny, bold, and daring. I admire that in a writer. Keep it up. Ok, I know where your mind just went, so let me rephrase that, keep at it. No, that’s no better. Just keep writing.

Looking forward to your next book, well, sort of, and with trepidation.

-djrh

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