'A unique and breathtaking talent.' Scarlett Thomas

"Gonzalo Garcia is so talented: a new deep and hilarious literary voice." Dorthe Nors



Tomás' girlfriend has left him. She has, in fact, fled to Antarctica, leaving him alone in Santiago, where life is rapidly passing him by.

Tomás is a game designer – but he can't see his ideas through.

Tomás also works in a university – where he spends most of his time hiding under a desk.

Tomás' flat is falling apart. The band he used to play in is doing annoyingly well. He drinks coffee though a straw straight from the pot because he doesn't own a cup...

This smart, funny debut novel from Gonzalo G. Garcia gives a new voice to a disenchanted generation. With its Chilean setting, willingness to play with form and uniquely messed-up central character, it's unlike anything else. But it's also universal. Tomás may be someone who ends up sleeping in a tent in his own living room. But his loss and longing, not to mention his jokes, will touch everyone.



Gonzalo C. Garcia was born in Chile and spent his first years in the small town of San Fernando in Chile's Colchagua Valley region, before alternating between Switzerland and Santiago in his teens. In Santiago he joined bands and other Chilean student artists who were disillusioned by the lack of art they could relate to. In Switzerland, he did A-levels. Eventually he to the University of Kent – where he studied for a PHD under Scarlett Thomas. He currently teaches creative writing at the University of Warwick.