Cruise Control

An intensely personal investigation of loss told with intelligence and restraint, Victoria Jenkins' second novel, Cruise Control, is an exploration of space and self, real and unreal, and a noir celebration of language and observation.

Geographically and psychologically adrift following a divorce, Louise begins an odyssey that takes her from Seattle to Los Angeles, across Texas and into Mexico. Her big car, the expansive empty West, and a film director who is very precise and specific about what he wants, people her landscape. Louise herself is very unsure about what seh desires, and characters, events and circumstances all contribute to her unmooring.

While Louise herself may seem adrift, her wry wit and specificity of language make loneliness sexy, cinematic, and ultimately, deeply involving.