Mandibles LP The

With dry wit and psychological acuity this near-future novel explores the aftershocks of an economically devastating US sovereign debt default on four generations of a once-prosperous American family. Down-to-earth and perfectly realistic in scale this is not an over-the-top Blade Runner tale. It is not science fiction. In 2029 the United States is engaged in a bloodless world war that will wipe out the savings of millions of American families. Overnight on the international currency exchange the almighty dollar plummets in value to be replaced by a new global currency: the bancor. In retaliation the president declares that America will default on its loans. With Deadbeat Nation being unable to borrow the government prints money to cover its bills. What little remains for savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation. The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down when their 97-year-old patriarch dies. Once the inheritance turns to ash each family member must contend with disappointment but also - as the US economy spirals into dysfunction - the challenge of sheer survival. Recently affluent Avery is petulant that she can't buy olive oil while her sister Florence absorbs strays into her cramped household. An expat author their aunt Nollie returns from abroad at 73 to a country that's unrecognizable. Her brother Carter fumes at caring for their demented stepmother now that an assisted living facility isn't affordable. Only Florence's oddball teenage son Willing an economics autodidact will save this formerly august American family from the streets. The Mandibles is about money. Thus it is necessarily about bitterness rivalry and selfishness - but also about surreal generosity sacrifice and transformative adaptation to changing circumstances.