#3 Jessica M. Goldstein: The Absurdity of Office Culture, Nostalgia, and Tech Billionaires
7/2/20261 hr 14 min
Jessica M. Goldstein: The Absurdity of Office Culture, Nostalgia, and Tech Billionaires
The Everygirl Book Club hosts an interview with debut novelist and journalist Jessica M. Goldstein about her novel Retro—a speculative time-travel novel that kept us hooked from the moment we first read the synopsis—discussing “the sickening pain of nostalgia,” escapism, and why female friendships and platonic love are undervalued. Goldstein shares formative childhood reads and describes her affinity for vintage media and film craftsmanship. She explains building Retro’s grounded speculative world—an office-run time-travel agency using a Metro-like system—while setting clear limits, blending satire with serious themes of debt, corporate power, moral responsibility, modern dating, and the need to stay present. Goldstein also reflects on moving from journalism and McSweeney’s satire to speculative fiction, and on crafting an emotionally open ending meant to spark debate.
Chapters
- 00:26 Why Retro hooked us
- 01:15 The books that shaped Jessica as a writer
- 04:12 Developing her love of vintage media
- 10:37 Nostalgia and escapism
- 15:42 Building Retro's world
- 21:46 Offices are actually so weird
- 32:19 Moving from Journalism to Fiction
- 36:35 Laughing at reality
- 44:59 The nostalgia trap
- 46:58 Choosing hope amid uncertainty
- 53:57 Friendship as a lifeline
- 01:02:36 Balancing humor and heart
- 01:08:12 On the importance of staying present
Books Mentioned
- Retro
- Alice in Wonderland
- The Wizard of Oz
- The Phantom Tollbooth
- Peter Pan
- Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan Novels
- Yesteryear
Movies Mentioned
- Dog Day Afternoon
- The Red Shoes
- Before Sunset
- Clueless
- Independence Day
- Argo
- Forrest Gump
- Coco
- You've Got Mail
- When Harry Met Sally
- Sinners
- One Battle After Another
- La Chimera
- The Wolf of Wall Street
TV Shows Mentioned
- Euphoria
- Severance
- Party Down
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
Don't you wish everything was more rewarding? With Rakuten, almost everything is. You can earn cash back on those new shoes you've been wanting. You can save on the next trip you book. You can cash in on groceries. Just join, shop your favorite brands, and save. Sephora, Old Navy, Temu, Adidas, PetSmart, Expedia, the list is long. Save online at over 750 stores. And when it's time to redeem those rewards, get your money exactly how you want it. Choose Interac, PayPal, or check. So go ahead, take a trip, fill a cart, order dessert. Rakuten is a world of rewards. Join today for free. Go to rakuten.ca or get the app. That's R-A-K-U-T-E-N.
Lauren· Host0:42
[upbeat music] Welcome to the Every Girl Book Club. Come for the plots, stay for the thoughts. [upbeat music] Today we're sitting down with Jessica M. Goldstein to talk about her absolutely incredible debut novel, Retro, the sickening pain of nostalgia, why we need to celebrate female friendships, and so much more. Enjoy the episode.
Speaker 3· Host1:11
Lauren and I loved Retro. Like, we were so excited. One, we saw the concept pop up in our email, and we were like, "Oh, we need to read this and talk to her immediately. It sounds so good, up both our alleys." [laughs] And then we read it, and we were both just