''The Making of Incarnation'' is a 2021 novel by English writer

Tom McCarthy Thomas McCarthy (also Tom and Tommy) may refer to: Academia *Thomas A. McCarthy (born 1940), American professor of philosophy *Thomas J. McCarthy (born 1956), American professor of polymer chemistry at the University of Massachusetts *J. Thomas Mc ...

Conception and writing

The novel involves a search for a fictional missing item—Box 808—from the archive of

Lillian Gilbreth Lillian Evelyn Gilbreth (; May 24, 1878 – January 2, 1972) was an American psychologist, industrial engineer, consultant, and educator who was an early pioneer in applying psychology to time-and-motion studies. She was described in the 1940s ...

. Gilbreth was a real-world figure known for her work on

time and motion studies A time and motion study (or time-motion study) is a business efficiency technique combining the Time Study work of Frederick Winslow Taylor with the Motion Study work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth (the same couple as is best known through the biog ...

, applying that work to accelerate the rate at which industrial workers could accomplish tasks. In an essay for the ''

London Review of Books The ''London Review of Books'' (''LRB'') is a British literary magazine published twice monthly that features articles and essays on fiction and non-fiction subjects, which are usually structured as book reviews. History The ''London Review of ...

'', McCarthy referred to Gilbreth as a "fascinating figure". McCarthy has said he is "most ascinated by " ..the role literature played in her thinking."

Reception

The novel received mixed reviews, earning a cumulative "Mixed" rating at the literary review aggregator site

Book Marks Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter. Conten ...

, based on 11 reviews published by critics. In a review published by the ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', Sam Sacks compared the work unfavorably to those of

postmodern Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...

American novelist

Don DeLillo Donald Richard DeLillo (born November 20, 1936) is an American novelist, short story writer, playwright, screenwriter and essayist. His works have covered subjects as diverse as television, nuclear war, sports, the complexities of language, per ...

, writing that ''The Making of Incarnation'' " ..lacks Mr. DeLillo’s humor, his pleasure in absurdity". In his review, Sacks noted the superficial characterization of the book's protagonists, referring to them as " ..nothing more than proper names". In a review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Giles Harvey referred to the characters similarly, writing: "They are manic ciphers, fixated on their intellectual quarry but devoid of inner life". In a review for ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', Bill Kelly praised the novel's "Pynchonian asides filtered through a Joycean love of language."

References

2021 British novels Jonathan Cape books Novels set in the United States {{2020s-novel-stub