A Hologram for the King

A Hologram for the King (2012) by Dave Eggers. In 2010, businessman Alan Clay arrives in Saudi Arabia to help set up a presentation for King Abdullah -- a holographic teleconference system which Clay hopes will win an IT contract for his company, Reliant, and a six-figure bonus for him. While waiting for the king to show up, Clay gets involved in various adventures and relationships with Saudis, all the while trying to compose a letter to his daughter. This book, from the author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, is only fitfully interesting. Although it presents a pretty good portrait of the challenges of conducting business in a global environment, it doesn't quite succeed in making you care about Clay and his situation. A good, but not great, read. Grade: B