First published 1972
Chauncey Gardiner appears from nowhere and becomes the most fascinating figure in American media. Television adores him. Newspapers chase his every move. His face fills living rooms across the country. Everyone discusses him constantly, yet no one understands what he actually means when he speaks. His origins remain a complete mystery, but his rise to wealth, influence, and romantic entanglements is undeniable. The beautiful wife of a powerful, dying Wall Street mogul may have guided his ascent. Or perhaps Chauncey navigates this world entirely on his own, floating through society like a television signal, carried by invisible currents he neither recognizes nor comprehends. The central question haunts every interaction: does this enigmatic man possess secret wisdom, or will his inexplicable journey eventually collapse? His future happiness hangs in the balance as readers witness his strange odyssey through American power and celebrity.
Genres: fiction, satire, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: America
Period: 20th-century
118 pages · Paperback · Bantam Books