Men in space

Set in a Central Europe rapidly fragmenting after the fall of communism, Men in Space follows a cast of dissolute Bohemians, political refugees, football referees, deaf police agents, assassins and stranded astronauts as they chase a stolen icon from Sofia to Prague and beyond. The icon's melancholy orbit is reflected in the characters' ellipses through all kinds of space--physical, political, emotional and metaphysical--producing a vision of humanity adrift in history and a world in a state of disintegration."McCarthy's prose is precise and unpretentious." (Independent)"A writer with ideas and talent." (Guardian)