The Last Taxi Driver
The Last Taxi Driver by Lee Durkee, published by National Geographic Books on March 3, 2020, is a first edition work comprising 280 pages. This novel follows Lou, a lapsed novelist and struggling Buddhist, as he navigates a chaotic shift driving for a declining taxi company in a north Mississippi college town. Faced with the encroachment of Uber, personal upheaval, and a return of his nemesis, Lou’s journey becomes a blend of dark comedy and poignant reflection on a changing America.
Readers will encounter a vivid portrayal of Lou’s life as he interacts with a cast of eccentric passengers, each contributing to his increasingly surreal experiences. The narrative explores themes of identity and resilience against the backdrop of a shifting cultural landscape. With elements of fiction, literary exploration, and psychological insight, The Last Taxi Driver presents a unique lens on the complexities of modern existence, making it a noteworthy addition to contemporary literature.
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A Kirkus Best Book of 2020
“A wild, funny, poetic fever dream that will change the way you think about America.” —George Saunders
Hailed by George Saunders as “a true original—a wise and wildly talented writer,” Lee Durkee takes readers on a high-stakes cab ride through an unforgettable shift. Meet Lou—a lapsed novelist, struggling Buddhist, and UFO fan—who drives for a ramshackle taxi company that operates on the outskirts of a north Mississippi college town. With Uber moving into town and his way of life vanishing, his girlfriend moving out, and his archenemy dispatcher suddenly returning to town on the lam, Lou must finish his bedlam shift by aiding and abetting the host of criminal misfits haunting the back seat of his disintegrating Town Car. Lou is forced to decide how much he can take as a driver, and whether keeping his job is worth madness and heartbreak.
Shedding nuts and bolts, The Last Taxi Driver careens through highways and back roads, from Mississippi to Memphis, as Lou becomes increasingly somnambulant and his fares increasingly eccentric. Equal parts Bukowski and Portis, Durkee’s darkly comic novel is a feverish, hilarious, and gritty look at a forgotten America and a man at life’s crossroads.
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