by Dave Eggers
First published 2012
In a booming Saudi Arabian metropolis, Alan Clay, a former tech exec, faces financial ruin. Desperate to provide for his estranged daughter, he travels to the desert kingdom for a high-stakes meeting with the king. Battling jet lag, a failing body, and the chaos of a rapidly developing country, Alan fights to land a lucrative contract that could change his life. But as the meeting is delayed day after day, he's forced to confront his past failures and the creeping disappointments of middle age.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, midlife-crisis
Setting: United States, Saudi Arabia, Foreign Countries
Period: 21st Century
352 pages · Paperback · Vintage