‘Transcription’ by Ben Lerner Review: No Phones

Ben Lerner’s latest novel, Transcription, marks a departure from his previous sprawling autofiction like The Topeka School, opting instead for a spare, three-part structure set during the COVID-19 pandemic. The narrative unfolds through three pivotal conversations involving the protagonist, his aging mentor Thomas, a curator, and Thomas’s son Max. Central to the plot is the protagonist’s failure to record a final interview with Thomas due to a broken phone, forcing a reliance on fallible memory and reconstruction.