Yet, after the early chapters, these faults seem to trail off: not only does a zingy plot emerge, but a tension does in fact become apparent between the world of highbrow literature that the characters move in, and the work of genre fiction in which they have their being. This might be a risky game to play with Bad Words‘ potential readership, but Robinson does not shy from mocking chatty and crowd-pleasing innovations on supposedly serious websites, or from having Parker muse on the purpose of criticism.