Book excerpt: An old man recounts the raucous adventure of his life through war, obsession and the 20th century in this “rapturous and melancholy new novel” (The New York Times). An old American who lives in Brazil is writing his memoirs. Call him Oscar Progresso—or whatever else you like. He sits in a mountain garden in Niterói, overlooking the ocean. As he reminisces and writes, placing the pages carefully in his antproof case, an epic adventure unfolds. We learn that he was a World War II ace who was shot down twice, an investment banker who met with popes and presidents, and a man who was never not in love. But that doesn’t begin to cover our narrator’s immense and fascinating journey through the 20th century. He was also the thief of the century, a murderer, and a protector of the innocent. All his life he waged a valiant, losing, one-man battle against the world’s most insidious enslaver: coffee. The acclaimed author of Winter’s Tale and A soldier of the Great War, Mark Helprin now offers “a tour de force that combines adventure, romance and an overview of the 20th century into a bittersweet narrative” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).