"Player vs. Environment," by May Berchon, Continues to Garner Fans as It Barrels Through the Literary Community and Festival Circuit
Summary
While moviegoers are clamoring to get a taste of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, savvy readers are making their way to author May Berchon’s steamy ode to gamer culture, skateboarding, and interracial romance.To date, "Player vs. It was both strange and flattering.”The hip literati and those looking for what’s new-now-next are loving Berchon’s debut novel for its audacious views on affirmative action, sex, and romance, as well as its incendiary rebuke of women losing agency when it comes to their bodies. However, in Berchon’s mind, she wouldn’t have it any other way:“I knew I was taking a massive risk addressing gender politics, race, and antisemitism the way that I do in the book. But all you hear nowadays is people talking about, ‘Let’s have a conversation,’ and then they proceed to fire off the same old tired perspectives while not offering any kind of realistically enforceable recommendation or resolution. PVE is a call to action to be more mindful about looking after each other.”Berchons love of cinema and her inspiration from it motivated her to revise a small-screen adaptation of the work.