Amnesia Moon

"An author to be reckoned with...both original and persuasive." Newsweek

In Amnesia Moon, we meet a young man named Chaos, who's living in a movie theater in post-apocalyptic Wyoming, drinking heavily and eating food out of cans.

Chaos soon discovers that his post-nuclear reality may be a false one. So he takes to the road with a girl named Melinda in order to find the answers. As they travel through America they find that while each town has been affected differently by the mysterious source of the apocalypse, no one can fill in their incomplete memories. Gradually, figures from Chaos's past, including some who appear only under the influence of intravenously administered drugs, make Chaos remember some of his forgotten life as a man named Moon.

 

"At its heart, this novel remains a simple story...but Lethem uses it successfully as a springboard for both a commentary on American culture and a convincing portrait of his main character." Publishers Weekly

"The author of Gun, with Occasional Music embues his second novel with a breathtaking vision of a world in flux. Lethem's prose is as flexible and memorable as the evocative story he tells." Library Journal

"An intriguing and accomplished novel: funny, inventive, and ultimately cheering." The Washington Post

"An author to be reckoned with....[W]ith Amnesia Moon, Lethem slips out of the shadow of his predecessors to deliver a droll, downbeat vision that is both original and persuasive." Newsweek

"A hip, updated conflation of Harlan Ellison's A Boy and His Dog and Jim Thompson's The Alcoholics. Jonathan Lethem escorts us down an impossibly post-terminal Route 66, kicking and screaming and loving every minute of it." Barry Gifford, author of Wild at Heart

"In Amnesia Moon you find yourself in a slippery, crazy, and frightening dream, and you do not want to wake up." MC 900 Foot Jesus

"In a remarkable display of versatility, Lethem tempers a liberal dose of quirky surrealism with interesting, believable characterizations and a compelling, imaginative story line." Booklist

In Jonathan Lethem's wryly funny novel, we meet a young man named Chaos, who's living in a movie theater in post-apocalyptic Wyoming, drinking alcohol, and eating food out of cans.

It's an unusual and at times unbearable existence, but Chaos soon discovers that his post-nuclear reality may have no connection to the truth. So he takes to the road with a girl named Melinda in order to find answers. As the pair travels through the United States they find that, while each town has been affected differently by the mysterious source of the apocalypse, none of the people they meet can fill in their incomplete memories or answer their questions. Gradually, figures from Chaos's past, including some who appear only under the influence of intravenously administered drugs, make Chaos remember some of his forgotten life as a man named Moon.

In Jonathan Lethem's wryly funny second novel, we meet a young man named Chaos, who's living in a movie theater in post-apocalyptic Wyoming, drinking alcohol, and eating food out of cans.

It's an unusual and at times unbearable existence, but Chaos soon discovers that his post-nuclear reality may have no connection to the truth. So he takes to the road with a girl named Melinda in order to find answers. As the pair travels through the United States they find that, while each town has been affected differently by the mysterious source of the apocalypse, none of the people they meet can fill in their incomplete memories or answer their questions. Gradually, figures from Chaos's past, including some who appear only under the influence of intravenously administered drugs, make Chaos remember some of his forgotten life as a man named Moon.

Jonathan Lethem is the author of six novels, including Motherless Brooklyn, The Fortress of Solitude, and Gun, with Occasional Music. He lives in Brooklyn.

Read an exclusive essay by Jonathan Lethem