Choke

Victor Mancini works as a colonial reenactor at a historical theme park while running a high-stakes scam to fund his mother’s Alzheimer’s care. He intentionally chokes on food in upscale restaurants, allowing strangers to save his life so they feel an permanent, heroic bond that compels them to send him money. Between these orchestrated emergencies, Victor attends sex addiction meetings and seeks a sense of divinity in his lineage. The plot centers on his attempt to translate his mother’s hidden diaries, which he believes contain the secret of his father’s identity.

This book serves readers who appreciate transgressive fiction and dark, cynical satire. It appeals to those interested in the intersections of habitual self-destruction, consumerism, and the desperate search for modern connection. Readers gain a perspective on how people manufacture artificial crises to feel noticed in a detached society. They walk away with a caustic view of institutionalized history and a specific look at the mechanics of biological and psychological inheritance.