America Fantastica is a wild, satirical ride across modern American life, packed with quirky characters, biting humor, and a sharp commentary on disinformation and our collective search for meaning. Tim O'Brien's storytelling is both heartfelt and irreverent, offering up a blend of comedy, tragedy, and road-trip mayhem. If you enjoy dark comedies, thought-provoking social satire, or novels by writers like Vonnegut or Hiassen, this book will keep you entertained and guessing.

Who May Not Like This Book:

Some readers found the book too long and sprawling, with a stream-of-consciousness style and a cast of eccentric characters that were hard to get attached to. The heavy-handed political satire and focus on America's current divisions didn't click with everyone. If you prefer tight narratives with sympathetic heroes or want a plot-driven crime thriller, this might not be your cup of tea.

A zany, timely satire that skewers our love affair with lies and myths - brilliant for those who appreciate offbeat humor and keen observations about America, but may feel too chaotic or political for some tastes.

About:

'America Fantastica' by Tim O'Brien is a wild adventure following Boyd Halverson, who decides to rob a bank and takes a bank employee, Angie, as a hostage. The book takes readers on a trip cross country, from Mexico to Minnesota and California, introducing them to a variety of unsavory characters. It is a humorous and satirical tale that touches on political and current events of 2019, portraying a mad world of liars and offering a scathing indictment of the Magaverse.

The writing style is captivating, thought-provoking, and filled with beautiful prose, as described by readers. The book combines humor and sadness, creating a captivating story with breathtaking descriptions of the landscape. Despite the over-the-top wackiness, the clever writing keeps readers engaged in this tall tale of a novel.

Characters:

Characters are complex and flawed, often disconnected from reality, and encompass various perspectives within the narrative.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style features intricate prose with humor and satire, often reflecting a stream-of-consciousness approach.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around Boyd Halverson robbing a bank and taking the teller hostage, leading to a chain of events that uncover character connections and disinformation in society.

Setting:

The setting spans various locations across America, reflecting contemporary societal landscapes, primarily during the Trump era.

Pacing:

The pacing of the story is generally perceived as slow, with critiques regarding its length and numerous character perspectives.

secretly transferred to a federal prison in upstate Wisconsin. Reptiles manned the IRS phone banks. Locusts ate the truth. Walls went up along the Rio Grande. Alt-Right fellow travelers, women include...

Notes:

The protagonist, Boyd Halverson, robs a bank and takes a teller, Angie Bing, as a hostage.

Boyd is a compulsive liar and a former journalist who lost his job due to corporate greed.

The bank he robs is already being embezzled by its owners, making his robbery go unreported.

The story critiques modern American life, particularly in the context of disinformation and corruption.

The book features multiple perspectives, including those of various characters related to Boyd's journey.

Themes of tragedy and comedy run throughout the narrative, with characters that evoke both humor and despair.

It draws comparisons to works of writers like Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain, and Jack Kerouac.

Some readers found the narrative too long and filled with unlikable characters, while others appreciated the satire and clever prose.

The plot travels across various states including California, Minnesota, and Mexico, highlighting Boyd's chaotic journey.

The writing style is often described as over-the-top or wacky, necessitating a particular taste in humor and narrative form.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of crime, disillusionment, mental health struggles, and dark humor.

Has Romance?

There is a medium level of romance present, particularly involving the protagonist and the hostage.

From The Publisher:

"Tim O'Brien is the one American author whose works I look forward to the most. His new novel's ironic depiction of a post-Iraq war, mid-COVID, and mid-Trump world is piercing and razor-sharp." -HARUKI MURAKAMI

An American Master returns: the author of The Things They Carried delivers his first new novel in two decades, a brilliant and rollicking odyssey, in which a bank robbery sparks "a satirical romp through a country plagued by deceit" (Kirkus, starred review)

Named one of Fall 2023's most anticipated books: New York Times, Associated Press, Esquire, Kirkus, Goodreads, LitHub, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and more

At 11:34 a.m. one Saturday in August 2019, Boyd Halverson strode into Community National Bank in Northern California.

"How much is on hand, would you say?" he asked the teller. "I'll want it all."

"You're robbing me?"

He revealed a Temptation .38 Special.

The teller, a diminutive redhead named Angie Bing, collected eighty-one thousand dollars.

Boyd stuffed the cash into a paper grocery bag.

"I'm sorry about this," he said, "but I'll have to ask you to take a ride with me."

So begins the adventure of Boyd Halverson-star journalist turned notorious online disinformation troll turned JCPenney manager-and his irrepressible hostage, Angie Bing. Haunted by his past and weary of his present, Boyd has one goal before the authorities catch up with him: settle a score with the man who destroyed his life. By Monday the pair reach Mexico; by winter, they are in a lakefront mansion in Minnesota. On their trail are hitmen, jealous lovers, ex-cons, an heiress, a billionaire shipping tycoon, a three-tour veteran of Iraq, and the ghosts of Boyd's past. Everyone, it seems, except the police.

In the tradition of Jonathan Swift and Mark Twain, America Fantastica delivers a biting, witty, and entertaining story about the causes and costs of outlandish fantasy, while also marking the triumphant return of an essential voice in American letters. And at the heart of the novel, amid a teeming cast of characters, readers will delight in the tug-of-war between two memorable and iconic human beings-the exuberant savior-of-souls Angie Bing and the penitent but compulsive liar Boyd Halverson. Just as Tim O'Brien's modern classic, The Things They Carried, so brilliantly reflected the unromantic truth of war, America Fantastica puts a mirror to a nation and a time that has become dangerously unmoored from truth and greedy for delusion.

October 2023

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457 pages

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America Fantastica

Tim O'Brien

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