Delusions: Of Grandeur, of Romance, of Progress

As her 20s come to an end, actor and screenwriter David (No One Asked for This) reflects on the absurdities of contemporary adulthood in this hilarious essay collection. Feeling the pressure to have life figured out by 30, she spends her 29th year trying (and failing) to end a decade-long situationship, find a hobby that gets her off her phone, cure her neuroses through self-care rituals, make friends who are emotionally mature, and finally decide if she wants kids. Throughout, she pokes fun at herself for being a nepo baby (her dad is comedian Larry David) and shows how the internet has exacerbated her anxiety and depression. Frustrated by the obligation to find “the right partner,” she skewers the “romantic-advice-industrial complex” of influencers who dole out unhelpful, conflicting relationship guidance. When someone tweets she looks like “Nathan Fielder with a wig on,” she spirals and obsessively researches nose types online. She attempts to get out of the house and escape the internet’s grip, only to find herself at an “influencer gym” surrounded by people driven by their social media following. Sardonic and self-deprecating (“My body is not a temple. It is more like a loan shark, constantly holding my mind by the ankles, over a balcony”), David reveals how modern society has made growing up a harrowing, all-consuming worry. This is relatable company for anyone afraid they wasted their 20s. (Mar.)