In the Land of Oz

Arriving in Darwin to lost luggage and stifling temperatures, Howard Jacobson is not quite sure why he's in Australia, but he's determined to make the most of it. Undaunted, and somewhat bemused, by the challenge of travelling all the way around the sixth largest country in the world, Jacobson goes in search of small-town and outback Australia. Along the way, he recounts his brushes with locals of every ilk and ponders questions of Aboriginal land rights, national identity, and the most flummoxing matter of all- the Australian male. Wittily and incisively capturing the idiosyncrasies and idiocies of all he encounters, In the Land of Oz is a hugely affectionate portrait of life in Australia.