This is quintessential Thomas King. Aliens have landed on the moon, but lots of people just plug away at their boring little lives. Richard lives rent and utility free in his sister's condo, but he spends his time complaining about the things he doesn't have, avoiding getting a job, and trying to figure out how to snag a rich girlfriend. His sister, in the meantime, is running a “retirement community” Autumn Leaves and trying to figure out how to get her Amazon account unlocked when there's no number to call. Until she is visited by a customer service representative who informs her that she hasn't been buying enough. Now she is on probation and will get locked out again if she doesn't “meet expectations.”
Other characters include a resident of Autumn Leaves who makes an escape back to her house while on an organized shopping trip. Her son, who is experiencing difficulties with his new car's unreliable battery. If you don't drive it every day, it automatically drains. The car salesman is hating the game of golf and being hated by both his wife and his mistress. There are lots of characters, but they all eventually connect in some fashion.
The characters are King's stock in trade. Richard, when not trying to sell himself to a rich woman, is trying to render himself invisible. He speaks as little as possible. He is analogous to Jeremiah in Sufferance, who doesn't speak for the whole book, despite being the main character. Jeremiah, however, has made a job for himself, creating grave markers at a residential school, while Richard actively avoids doing anything useful.
King also loves to lampoon capitalism. The Amazon situation is a case in point. Darby decides to solve her problem by ordering every month and then returning it all, ad infinitum. Brilliant! Likewise, Autumn Leaves is a miserable place to live because the amenities are constantly being eroded to provide more profits for shareholders.
All the time, people blame all kinds of things on the aliens. Who aren't even on Earth. Who haven't even been visible. Because no one is keen on taking responsibility for the bad times or choices in their lives. This book is not for those who need a tight plot or a neat outcome. King is just writing a commentary on modern life and isn't concerned with those details. I liked it a lot, but I adore Thomas King's writing.
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