âInstead of 1984 , read this.â â 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 âalmighty dollarâ plummets in value, to be replaced by a new global currency, the âbancor.â In retaliation, the president declares that America will default on its loans. âDeadbeat Nationâ 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 alsoâas the U.S. economy spirals into dysfunctionâthe challenge of sheer survival. Recently affluent, Avery is petulant that she canât 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 thatâs unrecognizable. Her brother, Carter, fumes at caring for their demented stepmother, now that an assisted living facility isnât affordable. Only Florenceâs 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 selfishnessâbut also about surreal generosity, sacrifice, and transformative adaptation to changing circumstances.
