Matt Roth is not happy. Both his marriage and his kids are failing, and his job is going nowhere. When he is told to work on the presidential campaign of an incredibly average but electable candidate, he nears his breaking point. But then he makes two pivotal discoveries: groundbreaking technology that will convert Midwestern corn into cold fusion fuel and a plot to sell the Midwest to China.

Matt is a marketing executive who is young enough to remember his youth and old enough to regret it. Much like his personal life, Matt lives in a fading America, a society devoid of ambition or purpose. His torment about his duty to an apathetic nation and his reluctance to take personal risks is much too tempting for his outrageous colleague, Lee Laugerfeld, to leave alone. Lee is a third generation movie producer with a questionable work ethic. He is the complete opposite of Matt. Not only is Lee entirely comfortable with the status quo, he takes ownership of it. He can justify pandering to an ignorant electorate on behalf of an irresponsible political machine with witty observations, “You see deep down we all know we cannot live off our past achievements forever. But in true American fashion we procrastinate, look wistfully into the camera and say, ‘Tomorrow is another day!’ We use the opiate of our trivial pursuits to sedate our nagging conscience. And you and I, my dear boy, are the drug dealers.”

These astute, sardonic barbs irritate Matt but help him uncover personal truths about his family, his marriage, himself and his country. Through the story, Matt regains his lost sense of self and acquires the courage to control his destiny. Whether the nation follows suit remains to be seen.

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.