X out of Wonderland — David Allan Cates

X Out of Wonderland is a farce, modeled after Candide, that takes on the Global Free Market and just about every other aspect of contemporary life.
X, the novel's decent and brave protagonist, maintains his optimistic pursuit of love and The Good Life even as a string of catastrophes brutalize him through a series of misadventures that take him around the world. While pointing up the absurdities of our own times, X Out of Wonderland also shows clearly the universal predicament of all humans in all cultures in all times: the need to find meaning and dignity in our lives despite the certainty of death and suffering. The story makes clear that despite our folly, we've got a few things going for us: faith, hope, love, and the capacity to endure.