Lauren Oyler Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Collections

About Lauren Oyler

Lauren Oyler is an American writer of literary fiction best known for her ability to craft characters and complex worlds with enthralling narratives. Oyler’s stories offer readers a heightened sense of realism and an immersive experience in the worlds she creates. Oyler has an affinity for bringing even her most abstract characters and ideas to life, providing a deeply moving story with nuanced characters.

She also has a talent for creating protagonists that readers love and learn from. The mundane aspects of everyday life, combined with the deep emotions and thought-provoking themes, make Oyler’s stories particularly engaging.

Oyler’s work has earned her recognition in publications such as The New Yorker, London Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, New York magazine’s The Cut, The Guardian, Bookforum, and The New Republic, among others. Her engaging stories, in-depth characters, and her gift for creating narratives that entertain and educate readers have also earned Oyler a cult following within the literary realm. Her ability to capture the essence of good storytelling and craft compelling stories that stay with her readers is unbound. Her works explore the intricacies of life, bridging the gaps between life and art that leave readers in awe.

At the heart of Oyler’s stories are her dynamic characters, filled with intricate details that draw readers in and create immersive stories. In her works, Oyler combines her own experiences with detailed descriptions, inspiring the readers to live and think beyond their senses. Every character may not have the same voice or background but Oyler manages to make them all symphonically connected. Each character’s story often serves to inform the story of another in a larger narrative that adds to the richly complex world of Oyler’s works.

By combining her own stories with fictional tales, Oyler blends the realms of fact and fiction. She is unafraid to discuss topics that are personally significant in a way that is both sincere and entertaining. Oyler’s idealistic and realistic approach to these topics allows her to create unique and intelligent stories that readers can appreciate. With her blend of memoir, narrative and fiction, Oyler has managed to craft a stylistically unique and witty memoir of her own.

In addition to her characters, Oyler has a gift for propelling her stories forward with engaging narratives that keep readers wanting to learn more. She is capable of painting pictures of a world outside of the normal confines in an especially vivid manner, making her stories impossible to put down. Oyler’s stories blend factual events and emotions in ways that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. By using moments from her own life as a backdrop for her larger narrative, Oyler ensures that readers stay hooked, hoping to understand more of her world.

Early and Personal Life

Lauren Oyler was born and raised in Hurricane, West Virginia, with the world around her shaping her imagination and sparking her interest in stories and words. As she grew, this love for the written word nurtured her innate capacity for crafting captivating writing, and she began to express herself through journaling and creative writing. She studied at Hurricane High School and went on to attend Yale University, graduating in 2012 with an English degree from her National Merit Scholarship.

As an adult, Lauren relocated to New York and Berlin, and embarked on a career in copy editing. This allowed her to be around words and hone her writing skills while contributing to a larger project. Between 2015 and 2017 she was also the editor for the now-defunct website Broadly, based at Vice, giving her the opportunity to work on bigger, collaborative pieces.

During her time editing, Lauren also moved into ghost writing and co-authored two books with Alyssa Mastromonaco. Her career has presented a full range of writing and editing opportunities, enabling her to delve deep into the creative process and constantly challenge her abilities. In this way, Lauren has grown from a local writer to an established author with a remarkable career.

Writing Career

Lauren Oyler’s writing career spans a variety of outlets. She has been published in a plethora of magazines including the New Yorker, the New York Times Book Review, the New York Times Magazine, Harper’s, The Guardian, Bookforum, New York Magazine’s The Cut, and the Baffler. Moreover, her essays on books and culture are featured regularly in the New Republic. She also published many reviews, one of which temporarily crashed the London Review of Books website in 2020 with her cutting analysis of Jia Tolentino’s ‘Trick Mirror.’

In 2021, Oyler published her debut novel Fake Accounts. This work achieved much critical praise and has catapulted her to new heights within the literary world. Given her early success, it is likely that Oyler will contribute much more work to the literary space in the years to come.

Fake Accounts

‘Fake Accounts’ by Lauren Oyler was published on February 2, 2021 by Catapult. It was met with widespread acclaim and was nominated for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize in 2021. The novel celebrated for its insightful commentary on contemporary dialogue, ultimately met the standards of literary excellence set by the long-running award.

On the cusp of Donald Trump’s inauguration, an unnamed woman uncovered a bewildering truth; her boyfriend was a discrete conspiracy theorist on the internet. The revelation provided her with no dismay, but a defense for why he had been distant recently. She made a decision to end their neglected relationship while visiting the Women’s March in Washington D.C. This bizarre event unveiled a false reality confined in online dimensions.

Spurred by this knowledge, the woman abandoned her life in New York and moved to Berlin, where she gained insight on the importance of applying caution in each new experience. From job platforms to conversations with strangers, everything that seemed too good to be true undoubtedly was. Our protagonist resolved that no one was to be trusted and the sentiment had to be mutual.

Many found Fake Accounts an enlightening novel that addressed pertinent topics in the internet age. Readers and critics alike were endlessly enthralled and captivated by the ideas moving between different layers within the online world. Fake Accounts is sure to leave a powerful and lasting impression.