Pastoralia

"Saunders is an astoundingly tuned voice - graceful, dark, authentic and funny - telling just the kind of stories we need to get us through these times" – Thomas Pynchon

In Pastoralia elements of contemporary life are twisted, merged and amplified into a slightly skewed version of modern America. A couple live and work in a caveman theme-park, where speaking is an instantly punishable offense.

A born loser attends a self-help seminar where he is encouraged to rid himself of all the people who are "crapping in your oatmeal". And a male exotic dancer and his family are terrorized by their decomposing aunt who visits them with a solemn message from beyond the grave. With an uncanny combination of deadpan naturalism and uproarious humour, George Saunders creates a world that is both indelibly original and yet hauntingly familiar...