The Twenty-Seventh City, Paperback

The debut novel of New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Franzen, The Twenty-Seventh City is "a startling, scathing first novel about American ambition, power, politics, money, corruption and apathy" (People).

St. Louis, Missouri, is a quietly dying river city until it hires a new police chief: a charismatic young woman from Bombay, India, named S. Jammu. No sooner has Jammu been installed, though, than the city's leading citizens become embroiled in an all-pervasive political conspiracy. A classic of contemporary fiction, The Twenty-Seventh City shows us an ordinary metropolis turned inside out, the American Dream unraveling into terror and dark comedy.

"Unsettling and visionary...A book of memorable characters, surprising situations, and provocative ideas."--The Washington Post

"An imaginative and riveting examination of our flawed society...A rare blend of entertainment and profound social commentary."--Chicago Sun-Times

About author(s):Jonathan Franzen is the author of novels such as The Corrections (2001), Freedom (2010), and Crossroads (2021), and works of nonfiction, including Farther Away(2012) and The End of the End of the Earth (2018), all published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He lives in Santa Cruz, California.