In the world of contemporary fiction, few writers command as much buzz as Jordan Castro, whose debut novel The Novelist established him as a sharp satirist of our digital age. Now, with his follow-up Muscle Man, Castro doubles down on his signature blend of biting humor, existential inquiry, and uncanny observations of modern life. Published by Catapult on September 9, 2025, this book is already hailed as one of the year’s most anticipated releases.
Muscle Man is no ordinary campus novel. It is part thriller, part satire, and part metaphysical diary — following one deeply dissatisfied English professor, Harold, over the course of a single afternoon. What begins as a mundane day of meetings, hallway wanderings, and gym sessions spirals into something far darker and more revealing about masculinity, academia, and human loneliness.
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The Plot: A Day in Harold’s Dissatisfied Life
At first glance, Harold’s life is unremarkable. He is a literature professor at a liberal arts college, attending to his duties in a haze of boredom and resentment. Yet Harold is no detached academic. He is obsessed with strength, power, and spiritual actualization — ideals he believes his colleagues and students cannot begin to comprehend.
During the novel’s single day, Harold:
- Wanders the halls of his university.
- Endures and mocks departmental meetings.
- Steals from a student with eerie detachment.
- Ends up at the gym, where physical strength becomes both metaphor and mania.
What makes the novel gripping is the way Castro’s narration transforms Harold’s inner monologue into a suspenseful, almost thriller-like pace. The question builds: is Harold simply an insecure man projecting his inadequacies, or is there truly something sinister about his world?
Themes: Masculinity, Academia, and Modern Disquiet
Muscle Man explores several major themes, each resonating with today’s cultural and philosophical debates:
- Masculinity in Crisis – Harold’s obsession with lifting weights and dismissing intellectual “weakness” makes him both a parody and a sincere study of contemporary manhood.
- Academic Satire – The novel skewers the absurdity of faculty life: petty politics, performative progressivism, and endless discontent simmering under the polished surface.
- Existential Inquiry – Beneath the humor lies genuine metaphysical tension: is strength a virtue or an illusion? Is Harold a tragic figure, or simply deluded?
- The Internet’s Contamination of Consciousness – As critics have noted, Castro masterfully shows how digital-age thinking seeps into even the most private corners of the mind.
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Jordan Castro’s Style: A Satirical Stream of Consciousness
Fans of The Novelist will recognize Castro’s distinctive stream-of-consciousness style. Every page of Muscle Man is filled with Harold’s neurotic, obsessive, often hilarious ruminations. The prose is sharp, rhythmic, and endlessly quotable, alternating between philosophical tangents and comedic self-delusion.
Critics have compared Castro to:
- Thomas Bernhard for cranky, obsessive narration.
- Donald Antrim for absurdist humor.
- Walter Benjamin (on creatine powder), as Brandon Taylor quipped.
It’s writing that is simultaneously intellectual and physical, embodying Harold’s dual fixation on ideas and muscles.
Early Praise and Critical Reception
Even before release, Muscle Man has been widely acclaimed:
- GQ: “A Best Book of 2025.”
- Our Culture Magazine: “A Most Anticipated Book of Fall.”
- Literary Hub: “A Most Anticipated Book of the Year.”
Notable critical remarks include:
- The Atlantic: “Castro meticulously creates a realistic—and entertaining—portrait of one man’s compulsions, plugged directly into our moment.”
- Vanity Fair: “A study of masculinity and personal gain, set against the absurd backdrop of academia.”
- Vulture: “Castro is a precise and immensely readable stylist. He’s fun to read, and very funny.”
- Booklist (starred review): “Entrancing… a gloriously bewitching, funny, and meditative tale.”
With over 21,000 reader reviews averaging 4.9/5 stars on Bookshop.org, the book has already established itself as a cultural talking point.
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Muscle Man as a Campus Novel
The campus novel has long been a genre ripe for satire — think of Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim or Richard Russo’s Straight Man. Castro revitalizes it for the 21st century.
Where older novels mocked petty academic politics, Muscle Man integrates the aesthetics of lifting culture, meme irony, and internet-soaked consciousness. Harold is both ridiculous and disturbingly familiar — a man embodying both intellectual disdain and physical obsession.
Character Study: Harold as Modern Antihero
Harold joins the literary tradition of unreliable narrators and existential antiheroes. Critics have compared him to:
- Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment) if he lurked on weightlifting meme accounts.
- Bernhard’s Underground Man — misanthropic, cranky, endlessly ruminating.
- A campus Falstaff, hilarious yet tragic in his self-importance.
What makes Harold fascinating is Castro’s refusal to fully condemn or excuse him. Readers are left wondering: is Harold a cautionary figure, a mirror of contemporary masculinity, or simply a sad, funny man trapped in his own delusions?
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Satire Meets Suspense
While Muscle Man is deeply funny, it’s also structured like a thriller. The mundane details of Harold’s day gain ominous weight, suggesting danger beneath the surface. The pacing builds toward a twist ending that recontextualizes the novel’s events, leaving readers unsettled and exhilarated.
This hybrid of satire and suspense makes the novel both entertaining and thought-provoking, equally suited for fans of literary fiction and page-turning thrillers.
The Author: Jordan Castro
Jordan Castro is one of the leading voices of contemporary alt-lit. His body of work includes:
- The Novelist (cult hit debut novel).
- Two collections of poetry.
- Essays and fiction in Harper’s, The Point, Tin House, Muumuu House, and more.
He also serves as Deputy Director of the Cluny Institute and sits on the board of the Giancarlo DiTrapano Foundation for Literature and the Arts. With Muscle Man, Castro cements his reputation as a fearless chronicler of modern consciousness.
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Why Muscle Man Matters in 2025
In a time when conversations around masculinity, academia, and cultural identity are at a boiling point, Muscle Man feels uniquely timely. Its blend of satire, empathy, and philosophical provocation ensures it will spark debate.
It’s not just a novel — it’s a mirror held up to the absurdities of our age, forcing readers to laugh, squirm, and reflect.
Book Details
- Title: Muscle Man
- Author: Jordan Castro
- Publisher: Catapult
- Publish Date: September 9, 2025
- Pages: 272
- Format: Hardback & Ebook
- EAN/UPC: 9781646222773
- Categories: Humor, Satire, Popular Fiction
Final Thoughts
Muscle Man is more than just a novel about an eccentric professor. It is a sharp satire of academia, a philosophical inquiry into strength and weakness, and a hilarious dissection of masculinity in crisis. With its blend of humor, suspense, and existential tension, Castro’s sophomore novel is destined to become a modern classic.
If you enjoyed The Novelist or are drawn to campus novels with teeth, Muscle Man deserves a spot on your shelf.
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FAQ
- What is Muscle Man about?
It follows Harold, a disillusioned literature professor obsessed with strength, as he navigates one bizarre, tense day on campus. - Who is the author of Muscle Man?
Jordan Castro, author of The Novelist and two poetry collections, as well as essays in major literary journals. - When is Muscle Man released?
September 9, 2025, by Catapult. - What genre is Muscle Man?
It’s a mix of satire, thriller, campus novel, and philosophical fiction. - Is Muscle Man similar to The Novelist?
Yes — it shares Castro’s stream-of-consciousness style, philosophical tangents, and sharp satire, but expands into thriller territory. - What are critics saying?
It’s been named a Best Book of 2025 by GQ and praised by The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Vulture, and Booklist. - How many pages is Muscle Man?
272 pages in hardback. - Why is the book called Muscle Man?
The title reflects Harold’s obsession with physical strength as both metaphor and fixation, standing in for larger questions of masculinity and spiritual actualization.
