First published 2014
Bardamu survives the brutal trenches of World War I, but the war leaves him hollow and disgusted with human nature. He flees to colonial Africa, where disease and exploitation await him in the sweltering jungle. From there he makes his way to New York and then Detroit, working at a Ford factory among the industrial machinery and immigrant workers. The constant travel cannot cure his revulsion at what he sees as society's fundamental stupidity and cruelty. He returns to Paris and tries to build a life as a doctor, but his practice fails and his cynicism only deepens. Throughout his journey, Bardamu observes the violence and absurdity around him with bitter humor, his voice colloquial and unsparing. Each new place promises escape but delivers only fresh examples of human folly. The novel follows his physical and spiritual wandering as he searches for meaning in a world that seems designed to crush hope and dignity.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Africa, New York, Detroit, Paris
Period: World War I
468 pages · Kindle Edition · New Directions
Content warnings: violence, war