Like The Wizard of Oz mets Pulp Fiction, this debut novel from San Francisco writer Alex Green is a hilarious post-modern road trip through the shallow surfaces of a media obsessed America. After his girlfriend pushes him through a fortune-teller’s window, fading TV star Kieran Falcon realises his life needs to take a decisive turn. Aided by an assorted cast of eccentrics, mavericks and outright maniacs, Kieran sets off on an epic quest for true love and immortality. Characterised by the type of snappy, witty writing that makes American literature so great, The Heart Goes Boom is one of the most enthralling and original novels you’ll read this year.