Written in the wake of the 2008-2009 financial meltdown,
A Simple Machine, Like the Lever
, in which Nicholas Allander details his attempts to get his life on track, at first seems a document of its particular cultural and economic moment. And yet Schneider's real subject-the ways in which the simple goal of living an ethical, self-directed life leads not only to conflict with society, but also with the self-is an issue every generation negotiates as it comes of age. Our everyday reality now features climate disasters, convulsive financial markets, and divisive politics that force increasing segments of the population into precarious economic territory. This subtle, charming novel about the attempt to maintain one's humanity in the face of constant affronts to it is as timely as it was when first released.
Nicholas Allander, thirty-one, carless, and careerless, is trying to pay off debt, impress his girlfriend, keep his job, cast off his introversion, and accept the world's imperfections without abandoning his heart. He considers growing his beard, taking up alcoholism, abandoning scrounging, and owning an automobile. All the while he clings to his bicycle, a simple machine whose purpose and workings he grasps. Like Nick,
is short, toned, observant, generous, purposeful, and brimming with bicycle wisdom. It may also be a voice from the (recent) past still offering a glimpse into our own impending future.