American StudiesMark Merlis exceptional first novel. Dark humour, biting wit and dazzling prose infuse this story of desire and betrayal, history and healing. Reeve thinks his life is over. His career is at a dead end, his face is a mess, and his landlord is evicting him from his aprartment because he made too much noise when a hustler beat him up. As he lies in his hospital bed, figuring our what to do next. he finds himself brooding about the parallel ruin of his