American Absurd: A Work of Fiction

Mr. David Madden lives in L.A. Hes an ordinary man. Every day he gets up and drives to work. Only he never gets there. Instead he drives from here to there from Westwood to Santa Monica Santa Monica to Venice . . . and so on. It seems hes always just going from point A to point B. Of course driving from point A to point B--thats pretty much what people do in L.A. But then one day a mishap occurs a breakdown of sorts on Santa Monica Boulevard. Soon the media takes notice and overnight Mr. Madden is transformed into a pioneering cultural figure as his A-to-B thing goes viral and becomes the defining issue of our time. Questions are asked solutions offered and blame assigned as therapists academics police and lawyers all get involved. Safe to say no one escapes unscathed in this caustic irreverent and hilarious social satire.Pierre Schlag is University Distinguished Professor and Byron R. White Professor of Law at the University of Colorado. He lives in the foothills of Boulder with his wife the author Elisabeth Hyde. His three children have grown up and escaped relatively unharmed.