The Material

Offering a twist on novels set in MFA creative writing programs, Bordas (How To Behave in a Crowd) follows a group of students attending an MFA program for stand-up comedy in Chicago. Over the course of a single December day, the students and professors grapple with their craft, from debates about using personal stories to working with potentially offensive material. The central conflict is that a new visiting professor—Manny Reinhardt, a professional comedian who recently landed in hot water—is about to arrive. Narrator Megan Tusing takes listeners into the characters’ psyches, which brim with anxiety, unrequited love, and musings on the meaning of humor. Though the meandering glimpses into the characters’ minds and the small events that make up the day are intriguing, listeners seeking a plot-driven novel may be disappointed. Instead, Bordas urges the story toward philosophical dilemmas about writing, creating, and what it means to be funny. Tusing’s narration is skillful, but it might not be enough to keep even the most diehard comedy lovers fully engaged.