The Dismal Science: A Novel
Malcolm Gladwell would be so proud.  Senior World Bank economist Vincenzo D’Orsi reaches a tipping point of epic proportions when a seemingly innocuous conversation with his executive director escalates into the kind of argument in which idle threats are issued  and then must be acted upon.  Choosing not to step back from the brink, D’Orsi follows through on his ultimatum and leaves his position after a lengthy, if not overly illustrious, career.  The domino effect of his actions is swift and all-encompassing. He alienates his daughter,  turns on his best friend, sells his house, and walks off into an abyss that began forming in the aftermath of his wife’s sudden death.  Without a family, home, or career, D’Orsi is free to discover who he is and how he got there, though the answers are not always pleasing.  Mountford’s wry look at middle-aged identity and transition is a sardonic yet sobering portrait of what happens when a man living a life  too narrowly becomes confounded when confronted with too many choices. --Carol Haggas