#3 Jessica M. Goldstein: The Absurdity of Office Culture, Nostalgia, and Tech Billionaires

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

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