“The Kakutani Two-Step. It works roughly like this: belittle a novelist’s finest work to date – preferably by tossing around unsupported adjectives…say, “arbitrary,” “flimsy,” and “unfinished.” Then, five or six years later, when the novelist in question brings forth his next book, or the one after that, complain loudly about how lame it is compared to his previous masterwork, which, it is to be inferred, you adored.”
Over at The Millions, Garth Risk Hallberg discusses the epidemic of short memory among famous book reviewers, including everyone’s favorite: Michiko Kakutani.
