The parade
Eggers, Dave
Genre:
A spare
powerful
timeless parable of two men
Western contractors sent to work far from home
tasked with paving a road to the capital in a dangerous and largely lawless country. Four and Nine are partners
working for the same company
sent without passports to a nation recovering from ten years of civil war. Together
operating under pseudonyms and anonymous to potential kidnappers
they are given a new machine
the RS-90
and tasked with building a highway that connects the country's far-flung villages with the capital. Four
nicknamed the Clock
is one of the company's most experienced operators
never falling short of his assigned schedule. He drives the RS-90
stopping only to sleep and eat the food provided by the company. But Nine is an agent of chaos: speeding ahead on his vehicle
chatting and joking with locals
eating at nearby bars and roadside food stands
he threatens the schedule
breaks protocol
and endangers the work that they must complete in time for a planned government parade. His every action draws Four's ire
but when illness
corruption
and theft compromise their high-stakes mission
Four and Nine discover danger far greater than anything they could pose to each other.
Target Readership: