The Coup

A daring political satire set in the fictional West African nation of Kush, this novel is narrated by Colonel Ellellou, a U.S.-educated military ruler who seizes power in a coup and attempts to steer his impoverished, drought-stricken country between superpower pressures and internal unrest. Through Ellellou’s wry, self-justifying voice, the book explores postcolonial identity, Cold War politics, religion, race, and the uneasy ties between America and the developing world. By the Pulitzer Prize–winning American novelist best known for the Rabbit series, it showcases his gift for psychological nuance and moral ambiguity while venturing into bold geopolitical terrain. Readers interested in literary fiction that blends satire with serious political inquiry will find it both provocative and darkly comic.