Chronic_City_Lethem
2011 Nominated

Chronic City

artwork-image

ABOUT
THE BOOK

Chase Insteadman, a handsome, inoffensive fixture on Manhattan’s social scene, lives of residuals earned as a child star on a much beloved sitcom, Chase owes his current social cachet to an ongoing tragedy much covered in the tabloids: trapped on the International Space Station by a layer of low-orbit mines, Chase’s teenage sweetheart and fiancée Janice Trumbull sends him rapturous and heartbreaking love letters. Like Janice, Chase is adrift, she is in earth’s stratosphere, he in a vague routine punctuated by Upper Eastside dinner parties.

Into Chase’s cloistered city enters Perkus Tooth, a wall-eyed-free-range pop –critic, whose countercultural savvy and voracious paranoia draw Chase into another Manhattan, where questions of what is real, what is fake and who is complicit take on a life shattering urgency.

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR Jonathan
Lethem

Jonathan Lethem is the author of nine novels. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Lethem has published his stories and essays in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times, among others. He lives in California.

Jonathan Lethem is the author of nine novels. A recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, Lethem has published his stories and essays in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times, among others. He lives in California.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find any translators matching your search. Please try using different keywords or check back later as we regularly update our collection.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Country
United States
Original Language
English
Publisher
Faber & Faber

RELATED FEATURES

News May 21 2026

2026 Dublin Literary Award Winner Revealed

Discover this year's winner!
Video May 16 2026

Brigitte Giraud – Live Fast Q&A

Q&A Session with 2026 Dublin Literary Award shortlisted author Brigitte Giraud, author of Live Fast, exploring the inspirations behind her novel.
Video May 12 2026

Laurent Binet – Perspective(s) Q&A

Check out our Q&A with Laurent Binet, author of shortlisted title Perspective(s), as he discusses the inspirations behind his work and reflects on the role libraries have played in shaping his journey
Video May 8 2026

Ali Smith – Gliff Q&A

Shortlisted author Ali Smith discusses the creative inspirations behind Gliff and reflects on the significance of libraries throughout her reading and writing life in our latest Q&A.

STAY CONNECTED

Stay in touch and sign up to our newsletter to receive all the latest news and updates on the Dublin Literary Award.