Okay, so you might be thinking: T.S. Eliot? Isn't he the guy who wrote that super serious poem about a cat? (Or, you know, 'The Waste Land' which sounds very gloomy.) But Eeldrop and Appleplex is not gloomy. It's actually playful and a little sneaky, like finding a wise old friend having a joke at a café.

The Story

This is less a traditional story and more a mash-up of a character study and a experiment in style. Meet Eeldrop, a quiet philosopher who's stuck inside his own head, and Appleplex, a scientific-ish bloke who thinks he can explain everything—even people—with meters and numbers, but he's probably wrong. They hang out in London, people-watch from a café, and trade strange observations. They run into two other characters: The Volka who wiggles through conversation like an insecure flood, and a shady 'désillusioné' who tells them long jokes about other people. The plot is really a series of wise-crack sketches mixed with tiny true moments (loneliness in a crowd, looking goofy in love). It ends with no clean resolution—just life going on, loud and ordinary.

Why You Should Read It

First off, Eliot wrote this when he was pretty young—barely known—and you can feel the wild, untamed voice trying to break free of tradition. It’s unpolished. Some parts drone like an inside joke, but others cut sharp: for example, wincing remarks about how we don’t bother boring them, the ones we secretly envy or pity. There’s something about noticing the tiny lies people tell to smooth over their daily regret. I read <'Eeldrop and Appleplex' in an afternoon and laughed out loud more than I expected. It’s also fantastic reading this as a peek into Eliot’s head before his Bishops and God stuff took over. There's an eerie, outsider insider perspective—Eeltrop’s bitterness mirrors the frustration most of us feel when caught inside a crowd.

Final Verdict

This story is not for everyone—and that’s fine. Perfect for: brilliant college philosophy kids, your uncle who loves modernist chaos and says 'the system is broken,' people recovering from a reading slump who need something weird and short (and nobody else has recommended). But miss it: if a logical through line is essential to your happiness, or you hate charm mistaken for condescendion. I walked away lowkey obsessed. Go read it online—twenty years later I am still chewing on that café dude's sly smile. Four imaginary stars and a proposal to invite Eeldrop to free conversation night.