WILD BILL RIDES AGAIN

In Antonini’s novel, a discontented Pennsylvania banker flees the authorities after running away with a bagful of stolen money.

Bill Moreland’s 50th birthday is an eye-opener. The bank president finally acknowledges that he’s unhappy with his job of nearly three decades (“‘I sleep in a box. I drive a box. It brings me to this bigger box where I stare into that box.’ He motioned to the computer on his cluttered desk”) as his wife and their two kids wallow in self-indulgence. He escapes this unsatisfying life by swiping a cool million dollars, staging a robbery, and heading south. He ultimately winds up in New Orleans, where he meets affable bartender Kat McCarthy. Around this time, as a bit of regret sinks in, Bill begins donating bundles of cash to charities he comes across. Hot on his trail is FBI Agent Julius Stack, who’s certain Bill took the loot and is surprised that the ex-banker is so hard to catch. Bill and Kat fall into a string of misadventures as they struggle to stay ahead of the feds. The media’s ensuing “runaway banker” story quickly catches the public’s attention and, unexpectedly, some of its support as well. The plot incrementally piles troubles onto Bill, giving rise to a darkly humorous story. The pace rarely slows down as the on-the-lam Bill passes through several U.S. states and gains traveling companions along the way. The cast ranges from sympathetic allies to untrustworthy strangers to Bill’s thoughtless family back home. Of course, Bill isn’t so spotless, either: He’s selfish, as most of his decisions don’t take anyone else’s feelings or circumstances into account (even his donations mean little, since it’s not his money and giving it away alleviates his own guilt). Still, Antonini constructs an off-kilter, unremittingly compelling journey with a satisfying ending.

One man’s midlife crisis becomes an unruly but positively diverting road trip.