Wade Rouse, confirmed urbanite, struggling author and unashamed label whore, received a sign from Jesus (or a vagrant who uncannily resembled him) that St. Louis — where he'd spent his adult life fitting in by feverishly shopping, exercising, tanning and working at a job he despised — was driving him insane. Convinced that his urban life was vapid and exhausting, Rouse dragged his unflaggingly patient and understanding boyfriend to the middle of nowhere (just outside Saugatuck, Michigan) to find the meaning of life. And, conveniently, the hook for his new book, At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream: Misadventures in Search of the Simple Life (out today).
Adhering to the tenets of Thoreau’s “Walden” (which Rouse uses as a manual), our hero sets up a hilarious ten-part city vs. country smackdown to confront/embrace/survive various wonders of nature. Though he is repeatedly attacked by his new home — a vicious raccoon, hideous (but practical! [but HIDEOUS!]) rubber footwear — he learns to treasure the rural (snowstorms, isolation) without completely losing the urban (our dear friend cynicism). His scorecard proves to be a nailbiter, and while we're thrilled Rouse found so much to love about the simple life, we love that we can stay in the city and simply take his word for it.
At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream is available today from Harmony Books.
