Hystopia
Author | David Means |
---|---|
Language | English |
Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication place | United States |
Published in English | April 19, 2016 |
Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
ISBN | 9780865479135 |
Hystopia is a 2016 novel by David Means. Literary critic Christian Lorentzen described the novel as "a counterfactual narrative by a Vietnam veteran, named Eugene Allen about his experience in a therapeutic, psychedelics-based trauma recovery program initiated, in the novel's alternate history, by John F. Kennedy."[1] In July 2016, it was longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
Summary
[edit]Hystopia begins with a framing device to the narrative, presented as a manuscript, also titled 'Hystopia, left by Edward Allen, a Vietnam War veteran who has committed suicide. In this world, a hallucinogenic drug called Tripazoid can trigger a process called "unfolding", which can either help or (more reliably) worsen the PTSD of the Vietnam veterans who take it.
Awards
[edit]- 2016 Man Booker Prize, longlistee.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Best Books of 2016 (So Far)". Vulture. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
- ^ Alice (July 27, 2016). "Man Booker Prize announces 2016 longlist". Man Booker. Retrieved July 27, 2016.