S8 Ep. 26: Alex Higley on True Failure and Shark Tank

Novelist Alex Higley joins host V.V. Ganeshananthan to talk about his new novel, True Failure, in which a man fired from his job decides not to tell his wife what happened and attempts to change his fortunes by applying to join the cast of a Shark Tank-like show. Higley discusses how he experiences the news in Trump 2.0; lying as avoidance and as emotional refuge; and two big American lies (that an individual can succeed on his own and that we can’t collectively organize to make change). He also talks about Shark Tank as a curated and tidy presentation of entrepreneurship and capitalism, and his choice to have his protagonist focus not on what he will sell or invent, but on how he can bluff his way to what he wants. Higley reads from True Failure. To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/. This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell. Selected Readings: Alex Higley True Failure (2025) Old Open (2017) Cardinal and Other Stories (2017) Others: Choice by Neel Mukherjee Cue the Sun! by Emily Nussbaum Dana Spiotta Being There (Film, 1979)  Shark Tank The Apprentice  Big Brother  Organizing My Thoughts Today in Tabs Sally Franson and Emily Nussbaum on Reality TV Fiction/Non/Fiction Season 7, Episode 42 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices