@UGMAN
“A chilling, flawlessly executed, and emotionally taxing portrayal of a broken psyche.” - Kirkus Reviews
“… recalls the captivating obsessives created by the
late great Thomas Bernhard.”
- NPR
#DIGITALWASTELAND
Tap into the tumultuous world of award-winning author Mark Sarvas’ poignant third novel, @UGMan, where disillusioned protagonist UGMan wastes his days spewing on pre-Musk Twitter. But don’t be fooled by his online persona. Beneath the surface lies a sensitive man consumed by social media’s alienation and the world’s brokenness.
Mark Sarvas, acclaimed author of Harry, Revised and Memento Park, delivers an urgent narrative that puts a necessary spotlight on the psychological damage of social media. Readers will be drawn in by UGMan’s unsettling monologue, which skillfully weaves together references to history, pop culture, poetry, Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground, and UGMan’s lifelong obsession with the Beatles. Yet amidst the intellectual allure they’ll be confronted with the horrifying reality of the man himself.
@UGMan is a tour de force exploration of obsession, disillusionment, and the dark humor that accompanies them. Prepare to be riveted, shocked, and ultimately moved by this unforgettable tale of a man lost—perhaps forever—in the digital age.
NOW AVAILABLE FROM ITNA PRESS
“Sarvas certainly earns respect for the stunning complexity of his protagonist—UGMan’s narration achieves great highs of wit and literary reference before plummeting down to the most basic references and internet-speak. That same rollercoaster is reflected in his fractured psychology; as UGMan ricochets from self-aware to complete delusion and paranoia, the reader also starts to question reality. The novel boldly avoids following any of the more predictable plot threads developing on the periphery of UGMan’s perspective—Sarvas has made UGMan’s acerbic mind the primary focus. It is a striking creation …”
- Kirkus Reviews
“Don't be fooled by the triumphalist lie trumpeted by those Billy Goats Gruff: The troll never really died, he just traded his underbridge lair for the less literal — and more insidious — darkness of social media. And he has a lot to catch you up on. In this disquieting novel, Sarvas' third, a protagonist known better by his online handle (@UGMan, natch) allows readers into the barbed tangle of his thoughts in an multiform monologue that recalls the captivating obsessives created by the late great Thomas Bernhard.”
- NPR
“This is the rare novel of social media that moves, challenges, and illuminates.”
- Publishers Weekly, Editors Pick
