Welcome to Litsy!

A modern-day Faust embarks on a wild romp through the peculiar and preposterous American landscape When the Devil shows up in Wakefield�s living room to announce that his time is up, the bookish �de-motivational� speaker tries to strike a deal. The Devil agrees to prolong Wakefield�s life�for now�on the condition that within the next year he finds a more authentic existence. For Wakefield, who is estranged from his family, nearly friendless, and excellent at his job of lowering expectations in a positivity-crazed world, living �authentically� is a tall order. But he will try: an extra 12 months might be worth it. Wakefield�s bargain sets in motion a cross-country quest to find his life�s purpose. Along the way, he encounters an array of all-American weirdness from plastic surgeons and sadomasochistic strippers to phony New Age yoga gurus and billion-dollar tech start-ups. Codrescu�s astute observations and quick wit illuminate the comedy found in our national culture of narcissism and self-improvement.