Steeped in political satire, Mike C. Erickson’s debut novel offers a hilarious look into the issue of transparency.
Erickson’s first-person narrative, set in 2010, opens with a chaotic prologue of campaign staffers urging the ever-optimistic Dick not to go through with his autobiography, before Dick delves into his life story. Erickson has created a character who is contrary to that of the near-pristine Forrest Gump, from the epic movie that bears the same name. Aside of Dick’s unfortunate name, the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree as his radical ideas reflect that of his consistently elusive yet iconic father. As a result, Dick finds himself in various precarious circumstances, especially with his antagonists. And—again contrary to the unexpected yet heroic feats of Forrest—it’s not Dick who gets himself out of sticky situations but Dick’s father, who has an uncanny ability of showing up out of nowhere. It also helps to have a friend like Sacatchy, a computer wizard of sorts. Free on Kindle.
