The Atmospherians

April 1, 2021
A cult sets out to reform men. Sasha Marcus built a career as a wellness influencer, but she loses everything--her followers, her connections, her job--when a troll livestreams his suicide and publicly blames her. The day she receives an eviction notice, just after her 29th birthday, her oldest friend, Dyson Layne, a struggling actor, shows up unannounced at her front door with a wild idea: "Mindfulness is the swamp of aspiring quacks...me and you: we're starting a cult." They plan to use land Dyson inherited from his grandparents to host and reform 12 middle-aged White men. The world of the novel is hyperreal, presenting a familiar reality studded with uncanny details. For example, there's the problem of "man hordes": a growing phenomenon in which groups of men lose consciousness temporarily, sometimes causing destruction but other times doing things like gardening or saving pets. Dyson insists they are "a sign of something deeply wrong in the souls of men today." The Atmosphere, Sasha and Dyson's cult, is supposed to be the solution: "The Atmosphere: where men become human." McElroy's debut is as uncomfortable as it is thought-provoking. It takes on toxic masculinity, eating disorders, influencer culture, and the violence inherent in power dynamics without dragging or overreaching. Edgy, addictive, gruesome, and smart.

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April 1, 2021
Sasha Marcus is an influencer whose brand is rapidly expanding. However, after being blamed for a tragic event, she is doxed, harassed, and left trapped in her apartment. She is rescued by Dyson, a failed actor who has been her best friend since third grade. He whisks her away to a house in southern New Jersey where he plans to start a cult, the Atmosphere, a rehabilitation program for men. With no plan or clear purpose, they improvise tasks for Dyson's 12 recruits. As well as obvious connections to Fight Club in exploring image culture and containing an ambitious third act, McElroy's first novel is also reminiscent of Jennifer Egan's Look at Me (2001). Like Egan, McElroy imagines a world just beyond reality, as "man hordes"--groups of men unconsciously congregating and completing bizarre acts--are terrorizing neighborhoods. Framed as Sasha's memoir and switching between the cult's development and Sasha's earlier years, the novel's pacing is beautifully unhurried. Exploring the complexities of friendship, a culture of toxic masculinity, and the perils of constantly being online, this is an ambitious, timely, and dazzling debut.

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Starred review from May 1, 2021

DEBUT McElroy's debut takes place in a convincing present where man-hordes (inexplicable, unconscious gatherings of men, that engage in both positive and negative acts) have become a social nuisance. In this strange setting, internet influencer Sasha Marcus makes an offhand comment online and soon finds her life wrecked; she's being vilified for the suicide of internet troll Lucas Devry. Sasha is rescued by her childhood friend Dyson, who recruits her to be a part of his new men's cult, called the Atmospherians. Sasha is famous for her ABANDON program, which advocates doing nothing to improve health or beauty; she'd been inspired by growing up with Dyson, who had severe eating disorders. He and Sasha develop a creative routine to address men's issues in unorthodox ways, but when Sasha is lured away by a lucrative job offer, the Atmospherians seem to be doomed. Dyson makes a surprising, radical change that bears concrete results; the local shopping mall is used to great effect. VERDICT A droll tale of self-examination and self-help run amok, culminating in an unexpected conclusion. Highly recommended.--Henry Bankhead, San Rafael P.L., CA

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