Cosmopolis
Cosmopolis by Don Delillo was a very unusual book. It told the story of a wealthy businessman who one day decided to gamble on the value of the Japanese yen and lost everything he had. As a result of losing everything that he had, Parker was able to break through the walls of his own indifference and embrace the world around them once more. This entire book took place in one day. Parker woke up on this morning, decided he needed a haircut and proceeded through his day toward that goal. The author takes us through this unusual day while trying to get across New York in a white stretch limousine. Parker meanders through his day conducting business and living life both in and outside his limousine. We learn that Parker the wealthy enough to indulge in his every whim has lost the ability to appreciate the simple things in life. As he loses more and more of his wealth he is able to slowly tune in once again to the world. But at the end of the day he has extracted himself from the corporate executive protective shell and is once again relying on himself for his own existence. This is a truly well-written example of how a story does not have to span the use months or years. That with enough detail an author can depict an entire day and have it fill up a 200 page novel.