This extraordinary work that was met with both  critical and popular acclaim in hardcover reads like  a frightening, resonant nineties version of Jack  Kerouac's On The Road. Author  Stephen Wright transports readers from the  claustrophobia of the suburbs to the freedom of the open  road and the pursuit of the American dream--or  nightmare--in this remarkable novel that reveals the  darkest side of our civilized society. It begins  with the story of Wylie Jones, a nice man who walks  out of a backyard barbecue and embarks on a  postmodern adventure of disturbing proportions. Stealing  his neighbor's Ford Galaxy 500, he traverses a  country filled with unexpected turmoil--where  crackheads lurk in the suburbs, a lesbian couple run a  Las Vegas wedding chapel, and a fabulous L.A. dinner  party is blown to bits. By turns scathing and  hilarious, outrageous and on-target Going  Native is the story of one man's odyssey  into the heart of darkness at the center of  contemporary American life.