In Ben Fountain’s Rasputin Swims the Potomac: A Novel, reporter Clarence is looking for a great story, while former country music star Faith works at the White House. When a mysterious pandemic sweeps the nation, the president enlists mystical pro wrestler Rasputin to ensure reelection. But as Rasputin’s appeal grows, Clarence and Faith are compelled to play increasingly large parts in a spandex-clad destiny. In The Wrong Body: A Golem of Brooklyn Novel, Adam Mansbach weaves cutting humor, Jewish history, and a giant clay monster grappling with the occupation of Palestine, Zionism, and what it means to save a people. It’s an exploration of the deepest questions of identity, violence, and morality. Courtney Maum’s Alan Opts Out: A Novel offers a comedic take on ambition, consumerism, and the sticker price of privilege. It’s the tale of an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career, has an epiphany, and decides to stop making people buy stuff they don’t actually need in the service of profits and, instead, live off the land. Moderating is bestselling author and humorist Dave Barry.
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