"A carnivalesque romp through middle age, addressing the menace of mortality while lampooning comic stereotypes . . . Pulses with life" (The Globe and Mail, Toronto). In this sharp-witted tale of desperation and decadence, a middle-aged man tries to escape the anxieties of failure and grueling reality of everyday existence with a wide range of distractions—from an opulent home renovation to torrents of pornography to alcohol and pills and fast cars. He's been told again and again that asceticism and a bit of restraint might serve him better, spiritually speaking. But temptation seems to follow him everywhere—and soon the house of cards he's been building may completely collapse. "Unconventional . . . That the book works so well is testament both to Christie's wonderfully alert writing and the way she maintains a perfectly balanced moral tone throughout." —National Post