The Adventures of My Cousin Smooth

Solomon Smooth arrives in Washington with the earnest conviction that he can advise President Pierce on the glories of Young America, and what follows is a delightfully excruciating cascade of social and political humiliation. A Cape Cod naif equipped with more confidence than sense, Smooth stumbles through the capital's drawing rooms and political chambers, mistaking every snicker for friendship and every closed door for a challenge to overcome. Templeton's satire operates on two levels simultaneously: we laugh at Smooth's magnificent obliviousness, but we also see the pompous officials and social climbers around him with clear eyes. The National Hotel becomes a stage for misadventures that expose the absurd theatricality of mid-century American politics. This is a novel that understands how little has changed in the essential ridiculousness of power and those who seek it. For readers who enjoy Mark Twain's early work or the skewering wit of Anthony Trollope, this obscure gem offers a sharp, surprisingly fresh window into an America convinced of its own brilliance while remaining blind to its own absurdities.