Matt Marshall Book order

In a world on the brink of climate collapse, a woman takes a radical stance against abortion bans by performing vigilante vasectomies on powerful men. Meanwhile, a religious farmer leads a group of warriors, and scientists grapple with a disturbing nanobot infection. A sniper creates chaos from above, while a noir detective navigates a surreal landscape filled with crime and controversy, all influenced by hallucinogens. This narrative intertwines themes of desperation, rebellion, and the fight for autonomy in a chaotic society.

Set against the backdrop of a chaotic 2014, the novel explores the intertwining lives of a struggling man and a desperate woman as they navigate personal and global crises. With themes of societal unrest and personal desperation, the story reflects on significant events such as climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and social injustices. Their chance encounter in Cleveland serves as a poignant moment amidst the turmoil, highlighting the human connections that emerge in times of crisis.

The Starlight Line corrals and plays with pieces of literary creation, memory and quotidian mythmaking, tracking a crisscrossing of desperate lives (from a cast of barroom regulars to the likes of Jack Kerouac, Leon Trotsky and Erich Fromm) in search of Kerouac’s Mexican muse, Esperanza Villanueva. A surrealist exploration of identity, resurrected tales and the seductive nature of storytelling itself.