Overlook Press Oct 2001, hc $26.95

Wilson: A Consideration of the Sources
by David Mamet

When the internet -- and the collective memory of the 21st century -- crashes, the past is reassembled from the downloaded memories of Ginger, wife of ex-President Wilson. The transcripts take the reader on an intellectually breathtaking tour. In David Mamet's baroque, fragmented world, nothing is certain except the certainty of academics. In playing with the ideas of perception, understanding, accuracy, he dares to doubt them all. When truth is quicksand, the gag becomes a lifetime of stoic nobility.

After the Cola riots, the fire at the Stop 'n Shop, and the death of my kitten, what remains? Can any sense be made of the texts found in the capsule or stuffed in the airlock? Does the Joke Code still operate? Has anyone seen my copy of Bongazine? Who were the members of the Bootsie club? Does the Toll Hound dance? What was the meaning of the message written in Mrs. Wilson's urine? Can Jane of Trent unlock this paranoia? What were Chet and Donna doing in the boathouse? And just who does Ginger think she is?

"...erudite as can be, engagingly mischievous and occasionally a little chilling." -- The Sunday Times (London)