Microcrisis

Mike Lew's absurdist satirical romp is a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy for the financially dispossessed, taking measure of the recent economic fallout by reflecting it in a fun-house mirror. But the jet-propelled plot does not keep several scenes from dragging; Lew’s writing is fresh and zesty, but he seems torn between using his gifts for ridicule or edification.—Pamela Newton