a powerful (and hilarious) novel about love and strife between mothers and sons, the addictive power of sex, the terrors of aging, the ugly truth about historical theme parks, and much else.
Anchor
June 2002
304 pages ISBN: 0385720920 Trade Size (reprint) Add to Wish List
Victor Mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for
our deranged times. Needing to pay elder care for his
mother, Victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to
choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants.
He then allows himself to be “saved” by fellow patrons who,
feeling responsible for Victor’s life, go on to send checks
to support him. When he’s not pulling this stunt, Victor
cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action,
visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a
colonial theme park. His creator, Chuck Palahniuk, is the
visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.