The Candidate

A surreal comedy of outrageous proportions, The Candidate is a novel about a naive and likeable con man (named simply "The Candidate") who bluffs his way through academia on his way to an inevitable assault on the US Presidency. It is like Peter Carey's Bliss in its blend of fantastical comedy with literary fiction, or Woody Allen's Zelig with the logic of South Park in the way it lampoons our pathological thirst for success and fear of failure. The novel reaches a climax at the presidential debate in which the Candidate is dressed as an aboriginal tribal chief to secure the minority vote in a battle against Bill Clinton - going for an unprecedented third term - and a Republican Candidate whose entire campaign platform is based on the legalization of drinking and driving. With a huge cast of bizarre and hilarious characters including the drag racing soul icon Reverend Rev., the corrupt hypnotist Dr. Swirl, and two eccentric multi-billionaires - one a cocaine dealing business partner of the CIA - The Candidate is guaranteed to entertain - a must read survival manual for the upcoming 2016 US election and beyond!