PHILO FORTUNE'S AWESOME JOURNEY TO HIS COMFORT ZONE
by Julian Thompson
Philo Fortune wants to get a bead on his country in a road novel that combines laugh-out-loud humor with a more serious look at modern-day America. Armed with a clipboard and a ballpoint pen, Philo sets off in his parents' 1972 VW to travel the countryside. He plans to stop along the way to ask prosperous-looking strangers for their views on financial success. Trips rarely go exactly as planned: Enter Thea, a beautiful girl with a different philosophy—she doesn't think much of Philo's entrepreneurial spirit. Introduce Genie, a very large dog formerly employed by the CIA. Mix in some down-home drug smugglers and the plot thickens. Thompson carries off a far- fetched plot with snappy language and finely drawn characters. Philo may abandon his original hard-boiled plan but ends up getting a bead on himself and his loving family, which turns out to be far more satisfying that securing his future. A well-written, contemporary novel, funny and thought- provoking. (Fiction. 12+)