BY THE WINNER OF THE JONATHAN SWIFT PRIZE 2017 A dynamic new collection from one of our most
original storytellers: satirical surreal and very much of the moment. In these stories T.
C. Boyle focuses his unerring eye on humanity's relationship with nature and the unintended
consequences of our efforts to control it. The prize-winning 'Are We Not Men?' reflects on the
impact of new gene-editing technologies while 'The Relive Box' parodies our obsession with
electronic games. In 'She's the Bomb' a young woman waits on her graduation day heart in
mouth for an explosive event. A burrito-seller has a killer business idea in 'The Five-Pound
Burrito' but learns that success comes at a price. An Italian couple moves south for a fresh
start in 'The Argentine Ant' but finds that paradise holds a nasty sting. And in the chilling
'The Designee' a lonely widower can't believe his luck when he receives a mysterious letter
from England. In electric prose T. C. Boyle explores myriad facets of society: greed and
excess parenthood and responsibility the digital world and the way we understand our
mortality. Roaming unrestrainedly through the present and near future he inhabits his
characters' minds with a ventriloquist's flair skewering human motivations and revealing us to
ourselves with empathy and wry humour.
