William Sutcliffe

Are You Experienced? William Sutcliffe First edition

A bestseller in England, this hilarious novel is a trans-Atlantic, nineties version of On the Road.

Dave Greenford has heard the old cliche about how when you arrive in India, it's like stepping into an oven. But, somehow, this doesn't prepare him for the realization that when he arrives in India, it is like stepping into an oven.

He is there because his friend Liz--who he hopes will turn out to be more than just a friend--has the summer off. And what better way to spend her time than searching for her tantric center?

For Dave, however, the spiritual side of India is hidden by the daily frustrations of travel itself. A fourteen-hour bumpy bus ride, food-poisoning (and the ever-constant threat of malaria), child beggars, and a bossy and uninterested Liz can turn even the greatest of Asian adventures into the Vacation from Hell. Despite "[the] general belief that a long and unpleasant holiday was of crucial importance to one's development as a human being," Dave wants to go back home to England. How he finally gets there is what makes Are You Experienced? so much fun.

"A wonderfully acute, heartfelt--even 'wicked'--piece of new fiction . . . both very modern and timeless." --The Independent

"A marvelously funny satire. Bull's eye!" --The Daily Telegraph