"Instead of 1984, read this." --Washington Post
From New York Times bestselling author Lionel Shriver, a near-future
novel that explores the aftershocks of an economically devastating U.S.
sovereign debt default on four generations of a once-prosperous American
family
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. "Deadbeat Nation" being unable to borrow, the government prints
money to cover its bills. What little remains to savers is rapidly eaten
away by runaway inflation.
The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable fortune filtering down
when their ninety-seven-year-old patriarch dies. Once the inheritance
turns to ash, each family member must contend with disappointment, but
also--as the U.S. 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 seventy-three
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.
