Read a chapter sample from Basket of Deplorables
Almost true stories for a post-truth world.
A Manhattan party on election night. Liberal media types gather with big grins and high-end canapés to watch the Trump-Clinton results come in, expecting a smooth victory for Hillary. As the outcome shifts and they descend into panic, the host stands abruptly before her guests, confessing a shocking crime of years before.
What follows is a series of witty, cutting, addictive tales of Trump times, portraying Democrats and Republicans in a divided America, from powerful to powerless, angry to thwarted, from a Starbucks barista who dreams of making it onstage, to a couple whose online date goes bitterly awry, to a charmingly wicked US businessman living undercover in rural Italy.
Basket of Deplorables is a timely take on the craziness of today: almost-true fiction for a post-truth world.
‘When a Tom Rachman novel lands in the bookstores I stop living and breathing to devour it. It’s hard to think of anyone who has a better grasp on the world we live in (and I mean, like, the entire planet) and can write about it with such entertainment and panache.’
‘This acutely funny novel shows the great powers in our lives are often those closest to home.’
‘I’m still reeling from this powerful and provocative novel…[it] offers a gruelling assessment of humanity, mercifully tempered by some angels in disguise.’
‘This book is hilariously funny and blackly despairing, often at the same time.’
‘A darkly funny and timely collection, though hopefully not too topical…Basket of Deplorables should appeal to those readers who don’t mind their fiction infused with a dash of politics, not to mention fans of shows like Veep and Black Mirror.’