This stunning and delightfully crafted novel is at once a laugh-til-you-hiccup view of the midwest and a near-mythical romp through the vagaries of academics. There is not a topic it doesn't satirize with a wink, from farm life to conspiracies to impeccable secretaries to navel-gazing novelists to maddening money-lovers to college relationships. It is definitely unlike anything else I've ever read.