Amazon.com Book Description (ISBN 1565118618, Audio CD)

Andrei Codrescu satirizes and celebrates the changing shape of America in this hilariously absurd, brilliantly observed novel. When the Devil comes to take him, Wakefield—a motivational speaker and architecture buff—isn't ready. He plies the Dark One with scotch and strikes a bargain: He, Wakefield, will take a year to search for an alternative life. Our tragicomic hero shares a name (and other traits) with the main character of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story, "Wakefield." he criss-crosses the country, meeting New Age gurus, billionaire techno-geeks, global pioneers, gambling addicts, models, venture capitalists, art collectors, rainforest protesters, SandM strippers, and more. As his own "inner architecture" shifts, he attempts to restore his world through a shocking act that baffles even his jaded Satanic Majesty. Just as Hawthorne created a portrait of the late 19th-century America, Codrescu captures the country in the late 20th. Part architectural thriller, part metaphysical mystery, part travel adventure, Wakefield reveals the compelling perplexities of the modern age.