Shoplifting from American Apparel by Tao Lin is a short novel with the protagonist Sam who goes into vague relationships with several girls and travels to different places giving readings. Sam chats on gmail with his friend Luis about unnecessary things. No matter the circumstances surrounding him he treats everyone the same . He does not get connected with people and seems to be very confused with his life. This is evident according to page 11 and 12 when Sam has been talking to Luis but still felt bored and finally he decided to masturbate and sleep. From Sam's narration, I can perceive the theme of loneliness, the responsibility of being a writer and also the meaning of internet relationships. There is something awkward and funny about the characters in this book by the way Lin uses simplistic and unstructured approach in written form.
"Four months later Sam was living in his brother's studio apartment in Manhattan sleeping on a mattress pad. He had not seen Sheila who now lived in Brooklyn about two months. They emailed each other and then met one night at the film forum to see a documentary"(14). His use of diction may seem simple but yet it conveys a powerful meaning about Sam's emotions. It is impossible to describe him as happy or sad. Perhaps imagine how one would feel into the situations he experiences. Sam experiences life through a series of loosely connected and random conversations. The feeling of isolation despite being surrounded by everyone you love is the feeling that most people can relate to. It is portrayed that  Sam is hopeless about life, but he is more interested in material things. He spends most of his time on his laptop and stealing from stores. In a way Sam  represents teenage Americans  obsession with brand names after insisting he stole because he wanted the expensive earphones and not the cheap ones(57).Tao Lin share similar writing style with Andy Warhol  and K. Silem Mohammed because all three works of literature  are not structured. These writers are expressing their feelings  about American culture. Their writing is a form of art that is genuine and sincere.