Mayor of the Universe: A Novel

by Lorna Landvik

Overview

A mild-mannered actuary, Fletcher Weschel lives at the crossroads of Bland and Humdrum—or so he thinks until a cosmic contest catapults him into the fantasy world he made up as a boy. Suddenly his childhood bedroom is aswarm with aliens, all bent on discovering the human who best personifies their mission—in this case, the deeply serious pursuit of fun.

Ejected from the boring comfort of his office chair, Fletcher finds himself astride the bare back of a horse, in front of a safe (that he happens to be cracking), and then . . . in the cabin of a weight-loss camp for kids? Apparently adventures come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s up to Fletcher to make the most of these, conducted by his alien guide, Tandala, who takes on the corporeal form of a big-boned Jamaican and tends to get distracted by Earth’s many surprising pleasures (garlic! libraries! love!).

But even fantasies can have consequences, and as Fletcher struggles through them, he is cheered and assisted by Wanda Plum, a plucky second-grade teacher who helps him realize what his ultimate role really is on this highly mysterious, infinitely marvelous pale-blue dot in a vast universe. Though its cast includes aliens, this charmed and charming book is quintessential Lorna Landvik—less about outer space than about the crowded, complex inner space of the human heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780816694556
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Publication date:	09/15/2014
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	201,778
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Lorna Landvik is the best-selling author of many novels including Patty Jane’s House of Curl, Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons, Oh My Stars, and most recently, Best to Laugh (Minnesota, 2014). She has performed stand-up and improvisational comedy around the country and is also a public speaker, playwright, and actor, most recently seen in an all-improvised, one-woman show Party in the Rec Room.

Editorial Reviews

"This is a book about what it means to be human, as well as a perfect metaphor for the writing life—for what is the task of any writer but to create other realities for readers to revel in and explore? Lorna Landvik’s story is quirky and imaginative, and Fletcher’s move through these mysteries of time and space is a trip well worth taking." —Judith Guest, author of The Tarnished Eye and Ordinary People


"Smart and sweet, poignant and boisterous, devious and delightful—in short, everything we have come to expect from Lorna Landvik is fully realized in Mayor of the Universe. I might just have to read this one again." —Pete Hautman, author of Godless


"What a great gift Lorna Landvik offers readers in Mayor of the Universe. This wry and wonderfully lyrical look at the human condition is such a beautiful invitation to us to see the goodness to be found in simply enjoying life. I don't think any reader can help but come away encouraged and even a little in awe of the wisdom Landvik offers. Believe me, it's absolutely impossible not to be won over by this winsome tale." —William Kent Krueger, author of Ordinary Grace 

From the Publisher

2014-09-17
A bland actuary whose life is passing him by is nominated for an intergalactic contest, forcing him to revisit the childhood imagination that helped him survive loneliness and neglect. Fletcher Weschel is boring. Abandoned by his father and raised by an ineffectual mother who alternately nags him to find more friends and clings to him when other men disappoint her, Fletcher has never managed to find a social groove. Pushing 40, he's settled into a dull career and numbing drudgery: "The shell Fletcher had been in since boyhood was now a virtual sarcophagus." As a child, he fought despair by creating a wide and colorful set of characters in his imagination, but as he sank into his insipid existence, he lost that vibrant internal life, until the night a band of aliens shows up in his bedroom, claiming he needs to represent them in a mysterious contest. Oddly enough, due to his formerly active imagination—"We're great fans of your vivid fantasy life"—Fletcher is asked to embody their group's mission: to be goof-offs and pursue fun. But as Fletcher and his alien guide, Tandala, who takes the human form of a large Jamaican woman called Tandy, "zamoosh" through his various imaginary characters' fleshed-out lives, they're confronted with a variety of experiences that wind up encompassing the best and worst expressions of human nature. Known for her funny-yet-poignant novels, Landvik takes an unexpected Dr. Who meets Quantum Leap turn, but through the interactions among Fletcher, Tandy and all the people they meet along the way—including a spunky second-grade teacher who bookends the various episodes—readers are treated to a remarkably lovely and sometimes-profound reflection of what it means to be human. Beautiful writing and a keen eye for detail bolster a moving story that manages to be powerful and thought-provoking while remaining quirky, silly and fun.

Kirkus Reviews