Dubravka Ugresic is Croatia's finest living writer. Escaping from a dreadful situation in Zagreb, she finds herself living in Middletown, Conneticut. There she compiles a witty, sardonic dictionary of everyday American life shot through with absurdity and her awareness of the barbaric realities of Sarajevo and Dubrovnik. Diary, autobiography, travel book and fiction: this is a strange and lovely book. Like Waugh or Nabokov, the author registers American life in a deadly deadpan voice. Jogging. Shrinks. Personal Organizers. Growth. Have a Nice Day. Couch Potato. The Body Beautiful.