Unilever: a novel

Abstract: Unilever is a novel that deals with commercials, commercialism, consumerism, and their roles in American culture. The tension in this story hinges on the attractions and allures of commodities versus the desire not to be made an object of advertising (or to be objectified in general). Two main characters include an advertising agent who feels disillusioned by his career, and a precocious middle-schooler who becomes more involved in his drug use while solving the dilemma of a heavy debt. Some of this novel's biggest influences include David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, Don DeLillo's White Noise, Dave Eggers's The Circle, and Jonathan Lethem's Chronic City.