The Failure: A Novel

A tale of a slacker, an MIT professor, and a heist: “A writer of considerable talent whose techniques, tropes, and wordplay recall Thomas Pynchon” (Booklist).
 
Set in Los Angeles, this novel tells the story of a sibling rivalry, a get-rich-quick scheme, and two guys who conceive and badly execute a plan to rob a Korean check-cashing store in order to finance the prototype for an impossibly ridiculous Internet application.
 
“I defy anyone to come up with an equation to explain how this book’s first impression as a ridiculously clever, funny crime story can gradually disclose a metanovel built from far more encyclopedic scratch only to reveal upon its conclusion a central, overriding thought so heartfelt literally it trembles your lower lip. This is one stunning piece of work.” —Dennis Cooper, author of The Marbled Swarm