Jack Gladney is a professor of Hitler studies at a Midwestern college, living with his fourth wife, Babette, and their brood of children from various marriages. Their lives are defined by a steady stream of consumer goods, brand names, and the constant hum of television static. This domestic routine is shattered by the "Airborne Toxic Event," a chemical spill that forces a mass evacuation and forces Jack to confront his paralyzing fear of death. While navigating the fallout of the cloud, Jack discovers Babette has been trading sexual favors for an experimental drug called Dylar, which claims to chemically suppress the terror of mortality.
Readers interested in the intersection of postmodern technology and domestic life turn to this novel to see the strange absurdity of American consumerism. It appeals to those who want to examine how media saturation and pharmaceutical reliance shape human identity and family dynamics. The reader finishes the book with a sharp awareness of the artificial layers built between humans and their physical reality. They gain a perspective on how symbols, slogans, and corporate noise function as a buffer against the inevitability of the grave.
Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1985
- Language
- EN
