Structure

This novel is divided into nine chapters, each an independent essay that addresses a different way of understanding how our current society operates under a veil of self-delusion. Each chapter is approximately the same length, explaining a different way in which our current society is extremely susceptible to self-delusion. In each essay, Tolentino interweaves her personal experiences relevant to the topic with historical or social context of how that phenomenon came to be. For instance, chapter one focuses on the social media revolution and the ways in which it creates a performative ecosystem for users. Tolentino provides personal anecdotes of when she has similarly contributed to this reality by being active on popular social media platforms such as Instagram, while providing information about the start of Web 2.0 and how it slowly catalyzes a chain reaction in which each individual becomes increasingly obsessed with the potential to become...