Marc-Uwe Kling’s Qualityland is about Peter Jobless (everyone in Qualityland gets their last name from their father’s occupation at the time of their birth) and his efforts to return a product he didn’t order. Since TheShop—the world’s most popular (and ubiquitous) online retailer—has the best (sorry, bestest) algorithm, it can’t possibly be wrong. This confusion sets up a showdown between our omnipresent dystopian overlords and the little guy who clings to his quaint notion of independent thinking. It’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets 1984, and we couldn’t stop laughing and wincing in equal measure. It’s sharp, sharp satire, and all the more biting because it’s a world that is just around the corner. Highly recommended.
–A Good Book, Sumner, WA
Save the little guys by shopping with A Good Book (here’s the link to buy Qualityland and support their shop) and other independent bookstores.