True Failure

by Alex Higley

A twisting examination of life under late capitalism and the deceptions we inhabit to invent our own success stories.

Ben just lost his job, but he won't fess up to his wife Tara. Instead, while he claims to be going to work, he's actually devoting his time to auditioning for the wildly popular reality TV show Big Shot, where he'll be able to pitch his unique entrepreneurial idea. Meanwhile, Tara is lying to the parents of the children at her day care, turning in fabricated accounts of the kids' daily activities. And Marcy, the producer of Big Shot, has told her coworkers she's taking some time to "unplug," the better to avoid explaining her real reasons for getting away from the office . . .

Lies are the air True Failure's characters lies to themselves and lies to others, lies that comfort and confound. In this extraordinary novel, worthy of a place alongside the work of Joy Williams and Charles Portis, Alex Higley pokes a hole in the greatest and most perfidious lie of our time—that we are all either successes or failures in life—with warmth, wit, and wounding observation.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, 21st Century

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2025

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good.

[Grace]

I reviewed this for Necessary Fiction (https://necessaryfiction.com/reviews/...)

[Ian]

At what point do we give up on our dreams? Not everyone ends up fulfilling their life’s aspirations, and at some point we simply need to let things go. Or at the very least, change the rules of the game. In Alex Higley’s True Failure, we’re introduced to a medley of characters on the cusp of striking out.

Read the rest at Chicago Review of Books
https://chireviewofbooks.com/2025/02/...

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious, sneakily dark, and surprisingly emotional story about exasperated characters skirting the truth and lobbing power back and forth, all in pursuit of ever-greener pastures. Charming, snarky, and freakishly observant.

[Patrick Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four people who desperately yearn for unemployment. Highly relatable.

[D.J. Desmond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Going into it, I wanted more from the reality show aspect of the plot. Any reader should be made aware that the central focus is more on the relationship between Ben and Tara. I felt the most impact during a pretty standard dialogue section, which is the sign of strong writing, but I think it was too little too late for me. There are some fun ideas, but yeah it didn't hit the notes I was looking for

[Daniel Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up feels like an absurdly specific rating befitting an book about our specifically absurd way of modern American living. A funny, smart, perplexing novel about the thin membrane between lying and dreaming. I especially liked the way it mirrors the absurdity of its plot with the absurdity of its narrative structure and POV.

[Brandon Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The final third just fizzled out for me a bit. I found myself just wanting to finish it instead of enjoying it.

[h kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf ~page 40. the only time i really have "reading slumps" are when i get stubborn about finishing a book i clearly dislike and this was one of those cases. it's a really intriguing concept but the writing reminds me of my classmates in creating writing classes trying desperately to be zola. descriptive writing that serves no purpose other than to prove to the writer that they can write it. fine for a debut but i dont think this is a debut?

i was also unconvinced on why ben wants to be on big shot at all. this may be influenced by my utter disinterest in shows of the sort, but the author did not convince me that this was a believable desire of the character. yeah blah blah capitalism and avoidance but concepts and ideas dont make up a novel. writing convincingly does. why is it big shot in particular that ben's avoidance focuses on? it feels like a gimmick that the novel is conceptualized around- aka this doesnt seem like anything a writer or reader worth anything would believe, but cant be given up because otherwise there is no book to publish. considering that the novel revolves around this idea, i didn't see myself enjoying the rest of it very much. maybe im wrong and higley reveals ben's motivations, but i was not willing to trudge through mediocre writing and uninspired characters to find out. also, why is nguyen only referred to by last name while ben and tara get first names? random nitpick that bothered me. not a one star bc i love chicago books

[Sid · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s well written and some of the absurdist humor lands in an amateur Vonnegut type way, but there’s some glaring issues here that made this a lukewarm read for me. 1) The main character’s motivations and actions are so inexplicable and detached that it weighs down the main plot. This man is deeply unlikeable because he doesn’t make any sense. 2) there’s so many characters and narrative threads here that it becomes impossible to understand what central themes the author is trying to convey. The description on the back of this book does not match with what I read. 3) the author takes the easy way out and doesn’t really explore the concept that he establishes in the beginning of this novel, which is a bummer because this is really a great idea.

[Greg Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five characters, one dog named Jet, and a whole bunch of lies; lies of omissions, lies of exaggeration, flat-out untruths. These lies, and each character’s rich interiority during which they often justify these lies to themselves, are the scaffolding for this plot about a mediocre suburban Chicago fella named Ben who just wants to be on a Shark Tank-like game show called Big Shots.

Higley is astute, and often very funny. We may not like these characters too much, but for some reason, we root for them all to find a way out of their individual maelstroms of malaise.

[Ives Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was supposed to be a statement on the effects of late stage capitalism have on Americans, driving us to desperate acts to make money and claw our way towards the American Dream, but I did not get that. It felt like I was reading your average married couple sitcoms with the incompetent husband and tired wife, pared down to the barest core of that trope and modernized for today's audience. With some domestic violence thrown in for comedic effect.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So mind numbingly boring .
Not clever or witty as blurbs want you to think

I was skimming from chapter 2 till 7 then I gave up . Just lots of repetitive rambles about nothing

Ben is a pathetic moron
Tara is a rude passive aggressive wanker

And the other characters are comatose inducing boring.

Will not be attempting this scribbler again

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very funny, smart, and original novel - different POV characters who are at once strange and wholly recognizable. Still thinking about this book and hope Alex Higley is well into the writing of another novel or story collection.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and (dare I say) hip sorta story of a bunch of dissatisfied friends who lie to others and themselves, often to good comic effect. Nothing earth shattering except for the tv show big shot, which has an interesting premise that drives the narrative. Comes together well enough.

[Daniel Hornsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

True Failure is hilarious and moving, the work of a true master of the sentence. Get your hands on this one as soon as it drops.

[Mabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3.5 stars. This bizarre, humorous tale is about a bunch of liars who live their self-absorbed lives in hopes of finding some semblance of success.

[ainsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good read but the ending was unsatisfying. Whole lot of build up to nothing.

[Alex Gleason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unexpected postmodernism.

[Andrew Coonin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why get a new job, when you can go on a Big Shots with an April fools prank pitch? Very funny and terrifyingly relatable modern novel.

[Cameron Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read the damn kindle edition

[Jonmayes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe this one is genius in a way I don’t get. I did finish it, though.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I’ve read all year.

[Jack Bullion · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a chapter late in Alex Higley’s brilliant novel True Failure titled “Mariska” that made me literally sit bolt upright, with an immediate understanding of how thoroughly and profoundly the book had gripped me its thrall. I do not anticipate reading a funnier or better novel in 2025—True Failure is a masterclass in witty chaos, with a pocket universe of characters adrift in Chicago and Los Angeles, all of whom are stumbling through “the shaggy mishap of real life,” unable to resist making choices that are as calamitous as they are inevitable. Higley’s prose, as always, is sharp, funny, and unflinching, and if that wasn’t enough, the novel also boasts one of the most unforgettable depictions of a dog I’ve come across in recent literature. In short, you have to read this book. So does Mariska Hargitay.