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The Mandibles

The Mandibles

A Family, 2029-2047

by Lionel Shriver
Publication Date: 21/06/2016

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This brilliantly witty and insightful novel, set in near-future America, follows four generations of a once-prosperous family as they navigate the aftershocks of a devastated U.S. economy brought on by a national debt crisis one that will seem all too frighteningly realistic.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. The government prints money to cover its bills. What little real currency remains for savers is rapidly eaten away by runaway inflation.The Mandibles have been counting on a sizable inheritance, once their ninety-seven-year-old patriarch dies. When their birthright turns to ash, what began as mere disappointment spirals into the challenge of sheer survival. Avery is petulant that she can t buy olive oil, while her sister Florence is forced to take now-homeless family members into her cramped household. Their aunt Nollie, an expat author, returns from abroad at seventy-three to a country that s unrecognizable. Nollie s 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.In The Mandibles, Lionel Shriver brings the full power of her creative imagination to bear on a topic that seeps into every corner of our lives: money. Using her ability to nail the zeitgeist, her droll humor, and her psychological insight, Shriver has created an unforgettable and engrossing fictional world."
ISBN:
9780062560377
9780062560377
Category:
Contemporary fiction
Publication Date:
21-06-2016
Publisher:
Harper
Country of origin:
United States
Pages:
416
Dimensions (mm):
229x152x26mm
Weight:
0.31kg
Lionel Shriver

Lionel Shriver's novels include the National Book Award finalist So Much for That, the New York Times bestseller The Post-Birthday World, and the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin.

Her journalism has appeared in the Guardian and the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and many other publications. She lives in London and Brooklyn, New York.

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