'Does it feel weird to be chained to a post?' In Building 52 at an abandoned military base miles from anywhere a NASA astronaut wakes to find he's been kidnapped. A man named Thomas says they know each other, but the astronaut doesn't remember him. Thomas insists he'll come to no harm - if he just answers a few questions. But when Thomas doesn't get the answers he's looking for he knows just what to do . . . What has driven Thomas to this desperate act? What is it he is trying to find or understand? And how will it end? 'Alert, quick-witted and dogma-averse. Eggers works hard to surprise, challenge and confound. A writer on the best kind of roll.' Daily Telegraph 'An angry and astute investigation into the state of America. Politically and polemically engaged in the tradition of Dickens and Zola.' Guardian 'One of America's most creatively restless and socially reactive novelists.' Metro 'Eggers can write about pretty much anything and make it glitter and somersault on the page . . . dazzling and highly original.' Michiko Kakutani, New York Times 'Possibly the most admired and emulated American author of his generation.' Independent