The Nix

A giant first novel, hilarious and bitingly political, that combines social and political history of the last 50 years with the poignant story of a damaged woman and her son. Would-be writer Samuel Andresen-Anderson is teaching English at a small college when he learns that his mother, Fay, whom he has not seen since he was 11, has been arrested for throwing gravel at a conservative demagog. Wanting to avoid a lawsuit for not producing a book he had been contracted to write, Samuel reconnects with Fay hoping to use her story to satisfy his publisher. He learns about her month at college in Chicago in 1968, when she joined the hippie movement, met Allen Ginsberg, and then returned to Iowa and her high school boyfriend, whom she married, then later left. Although Hill attempts too much—as if no part of the human experience should be neglected—he writes brilliantly, extending his satire from video gaming to college political correctness, along with capturing Fay and Samuel's fractured relationship. Narrator Ari Fliakos's excellent narration hits just the right touch of irony, especially when portraying one of Samuel's obnoxious students.