''Shoplifting from American Apparel'' is

Tao Lin Tao Lin (; born July 2, 1983) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, short-story writer, and artist. He has published four novels, a novella, two books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a memoir, as well as an extensive assortment of ...

's first novella, fifth book, and first published fiction since the May 15, 2007 simultaneous publication of his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''Eeeee Eee Eeee'', and debut story-collection, ''

Bed A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many beds ...

''. ''Shoplifting'' is based on a short story first published in

Vice Magazine ''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. Founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, the founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, ...

's second annual fiction issue. The book is a largely autobiographical

slice-of-life Slice of life is a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment. In theater, slice of life refers to naturalism, while in literary parlance it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence of events in a character ...

about a young aspiring author and occasional shoplifter named Sam. ''Shoplifting'' was published September 15, 2009 by

Melville House Publishing Melville House Publishing is an American independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 and is run by the husband-and-wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey. T ...

and has received mixed reviews. A film adaptation was released in select theaters on December 7, 2012 through Ilikenirvana Productions]. Foreign editions include
Norwegian edition
(Cappelen Damm) translated by

Audun Mortensen Audun Mortensen (born 24 November 1985) is a Norwegian writer and artist. Mortensen has published ten books with Flamme Forlag, and, as an artist, has been included in several exhibitions, including at the Gagosian Gallery in New York City. Mor ...

, and forthcoming Spanish (Alpha Decay) and French (Au Diable Vauvert) editions.

References

External links

Review
in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

Review
in

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

Review
in

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

Shoplifting from American Apparel: The Movie
nthWORD Magazine Shorts
Review
in ireadoddbooks.com 2009 American novels American novellas Melville House Publishing books Works by Tao Lin {{2000s-novel-stub