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A “brilliant and hilarious” novel of the end times in America and one psychiatrist’s quest to save mankind, from a New York Times–bestselling author (Dallas Morning News). The United States seems to be on the brink of catastrophe. From the abandoned cars littering the highways (no one remembers how to fix them) to the endless hours spent on the golf course (now open twenty-four hours for those who can’t bother to wait until daylight to putt) to the starkly polarized political and religious factions dividing the country (which are increasingly difficult to tell apart), it is startlingly evident that the great experiment of the American Dream has failed. The only problem is that no one has noticed. No one, that is, except Dr. Thomas More. Dr. More, an alcoholic, womanizing, lapsed-Catholic psychiatrist, has invented the lapsometer: a machine capable of diagnosing and curing the spiritual afflictions that are speeding society toward its inevitable collapse. If used correctly, the lapsometer could make anxiety, depression, alienation, and racism things of the past. But, in the wrong hands, it could propel the nation even more quickly into chaos. Hailed as “vividly entertaining” by the Los Angeles Times and “profoundly moving” by the Milwaukee Journal, Love in the Ruins is a towering, mind-bending work of satirical speculative fiction by the National Book Award–winning author of The Moviegoer.
Reviews with the most likes.
Short Review: I liked this about as much as I liked Second Coming. The main characters seemed pretty similar, although the settings were very different as was the style of the book. Percy can write and he brings sharp critique of culture and the world couched in humor. But there are also some meandering parts. The sex, language and racism, all part of the satire, can still be a bit draining, even while you appreciate what he is trying to do.
I really liked the main character Tom More, although I can see why some did not. This is a book I mostly listened to, but I think I want to read it again in print. Grover Gardner was a good narrator.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/love-in-the-ruins/
Written before The Thanatos Syndrome, but I read it on the strength of Thanatos which I'd read 2 years previously. I like the main character. Interesting chap.