An unnamed Sri Lankan inmate has barricaded himself inside a prison computer lab in Dutchess County, New York. A riot rages outside, incited by a poem published in The Holding Pen, the house literary journal. This, our narrator's final Editor's Letter, is his confession. As he awaits imminent and violent interruption, he is determined to share his life story, and maybe answer a few questions: How did he end up here? Should he have remained a quiet Park Avenue doorman? And why does everyone think the riots are his fault? Can't they see he's really a good guy, doing it for the right reasons?

"Dazzling.... Supremely mischievous and sublimely written, this is a stellar work."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)