First published 2011
Roger Micheldene arrives at Budweiser University with official business for his English publishing house. He wastes no time abandoning his professional duties. Roger drinks heavily, eats without restraint, and pursues every woman who crosses his path. He insults his American hosts at every opportunity. His behavior creates enemies quickly. Irving Macher writes fiction that Roger finds both irritating and undeniably talented. Father Colgate confronts Roger about his spiritual condition. Helene, his former lover who is now married, represents unfinished emotional business. Each relationship pushes Roger closer to disaster. His appetites and arrogance blind him to the consequences building around him. The Americans prove less tolerant of his excesses than he expects. Roger's downfall becomes inevitable as his offenses accumulate. This satirical novel exposes the clash between English and American sensibilities through one man's spectacular self-destruction.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, british-literature, comedy, academic
Vibes: intimate, satirical, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Budweiser University
Period: 20th-century
ebook · Penguin