The Roads Around Perdido

Set largely in the American Southwest, ten related stories, when read in order, add up to a cumulative whole which lends dimension to each of its parts. Although the introductory story begins with a spirit of youthful adventure, it ends in an awareness of human mortality, an undertone which never entirely disappears throughout. Contemporary political, social and economic discord is also apparent, and comes to a climax in the penultimate story, “Report on the Hadleyburg Renaissance,” which is almost left out by the wavering protagonist who pens it, and who appears, in one place or another, in each of the stories. Includes Readers Guide.