Hystopia

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Hystopia
AuthorDavid Means
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
Published in English
April 19, 2016
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
ISBN9780865479135

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]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Best Books of 2016 (So Far)". Vulture. 2016-06-29. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
  2. ^ Alice (July 27, 2016). "Man Booker Prize announces 2016 longlist". Man Booker. Retrieved July 27, 2016.