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October 17, 2005. U.S. author David Gilbert read from his first novel 'The Normals' at Amerika Haus in cooperation with Eichborn Publishing. Billy Shine, a glum, rudderless 28-year-old Harvard grad, has defaulted on his student loan, and the brutish collection agency that has taken over his debt is not playing around. To escape, Billy quits his temp job and heightails it out of Manhattan to be a guinea pig in an experimental drug trial. Billy grapples with his place in life and tries to come to terms with his parents' kamikaze love for each other. Fast-paced and winningly insouciant if sometimes self-consciously showy, this is a fine debut that uses humor to tackle some very serious issues, including questions of medical ethics, the search for grace and the meaning of love. The author will also be present at the Bookfair and visit the booth of the US Consulate General on Wednesday, October 19 at noon.
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