Desuetude

Nicholas Whitcomb’s 2024 novel presents a dystopian landscape where cultural decay and mechanical stagnation define the human experience. The narrative focuses on the concept of desuetude—the state of falling into disuse—as both a physical reality for crumbling infrastructure and a psychological condition for the remaining population. Characters navigate a world stripped of artistic vibrancy, struggling to reconcile their historical heritage with a present defined by scarcity and technical failure. The story traces the erosion of social institutions and the specific ways that language and creative expression disappear when a society stops valuing its own intellectual continuity.

Readers of transgressive fiction and speculative sociology will find a detailed study of societal collapse that avoids typical action tropes. Those interested in the philosophy of aesthetics and the long-term effects of cultural neglect read this book to understand how human identity shifts when the tools of civilization are abandoned. The text provides a somber look at the fragility of artistic traditions, leaving the reader with a clear perspective on the connection between material upkeep and the preservation of the human spirit.