Undiscovering the US: UnAmerica

A white-haired, Alzheimer’s-suffering God approaches a marginal employee and allocates him the task of undiscovering America. The US, you see, has become the opposite of what was intended.

In his fourth book, Momus (Nicholas Currie) straps this intriguing concept to the mast and plots a satirical course as the hero assembles a crew of 12 for a seafaring mission that is a reversal of the St Brendan Voyage. Kraftwerk and ZZ Top turn up as pawns to explore consumer excess and labour exploitation. But nothing is ever didactic with the colourful Momus.

This work is not anti-US polemic – as a conceptual artist and literate singer-songwriter, Momus has acknowledged creative debt to American culture. His novel is entertaining, with informative asides, conceptual tricks and collateral insights.

Brief chapters function as surrealcomedic items. By the time the ship sails off into a seemingly infinite Eurasia, there is a clear geocultural overview and critique.