The Best Book in the World

Peter Stjernstrom has written The Best Book in the World–really! A stupendous feat for anyone, for sure. But this novel, translated from Swedish, introduces readers to two characters—Eddie X and Titus Jensen. Unlikely pals to begin with, they seem even more unlikely to produce a book that anyone would read. But that is what they are determined to do after they meet, get drunk, and figure out how to game the book buying and publishing world. Why not create something so stellar that can occupy a place on every single bestseller list—cooking, dieting, business, thriller, and so forth. It seems like a foolproof plan. (Why didn’t anyone else think of it?) As the best book in the world collaboration starts to take shape, fissures appear between the alcoholic middle-aged Titus and young poet Eddie. Literary fisticuffs—and not-so-literary ones—give the novel some twists and turns as the men navigate each other and the publishing world. A satirical look at the publishing world, there are some laughs (and torture) along the way.