Hystopia
2016 novel by David Means
9780865479135 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
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
- 2016 Man Booker Prize, longlistee.[2]
References
- v
- t
- e
