Caleb Caudell released his first book of autofiction, Hardly Working (Bonfire Press, 2024) detailing his daily struggles as a low-wage worker, and how the drudgery of that grind adds up to larger existential commentary. Caleb is chronically unhappy, pessimistic, and hopeless when it comes to the future. I don't want to sugar coat it. This book is hard to read. Unrelenting in its documentation of society crumbling before our very eyes, should we ever bother to look. But Caleb's acknowledgement of his own pain and baser instincts keeps Hardly Working from becoming a beatification of the writer in the face of ruthless capitalism. By focusing on his own failings – whether erectile dysfunction or a shitty resume – Caleb brings the reader so close to the magnifying glass, you can smell the ants fry.

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