"Why are you so unhappy?" That's the question that Zeke Pappas, a thirty-three-year-old scholar, asks almost everybody he meets as part of an obsessive project, "The Inventory of American Unhappiness." The answers he receives—a mix of true sadness and absurd complaint—create a collage of woe. Zeke, meanwhile, remains delightfully oblivious to the increasingly harsh realities that threaten his daily routine, opting instead to focus his energy on finding the perfect mate so that he can gain custody of his orphaned nieces. Following steps outlined in a women's magazine, the ever-optimistic Zeke identifies some "prospects": a newly divorced neighbor, a coffeehouse barista, his administrative assistant, and Sofia Coppola ("Why not aim high?").
A clairvoyant when it comes to the Starbucks orders of strangers, a quixotic renegade when it comes to the federal bureaucracy, and a devoted believer in the afternoon cocktail and the evening binge, Zeke has an irreverent voice that is a marvel of lacerating wit and heart-on-sleeve emotion, underscored by a creeping paranoia and made more urgent by the hope that if he can only find a wife, he might have a second chance at life.
- Available now
- Just added
- No Wait eBooks
- Most popular
- Popular Nonfiction eBooks
- Spanish Titles
- New Kids Additions
- New Teen Additions
- Wisconsin Born and Read
- Great reads without the wait!
- See all ebooks collections
- Available now
- Just added
- Popular Audio Under 1 Hour
- Popular Audio Between 1 and 3 Hours
- Popular Audio Between 3 and 5 Hours
- Popular Audio Between 5 and 10 Hours
- Always Be Listening
- Most popular
- New for Kids
- New for Teens
- New Audiobooks
- Award-Worthy Audiobooks
- L.A. Theatre Works
- See all audiobooks collections
- Food & Cooking
- Home & Garden
- Health & Fitness
- Fashion
- News & Politics
- Hobbies & Crafts
- Celebrity
- Tech & Gaming
- Cars & Motorcycles
- Family & Parenting
- Sports
- Travel & Outdoor
- Photography
- See all magazines collections