Union Atlantic is Mr. Haslett's first novel, following his short story collection You Are Not a Stranger Here, which was a finalist for both a Pulitzer and a National Book Award.  I think it's likely to be the best novel I'll read this year -- filled with characters and a plot that spoke to me about who we are as Americans today, and how we found ourselves in a culture of money, fear and isolation.  In Union Atlantic, a banker is motivated by greed and the desire to keep the astronomical debt his company carries afloat for just one more day -- regardless of the consequences; teenagers do drugs, dream of a future away from their hometown, and struggle to sculpt an identity; and a retiree stages a final hurrah of protest, rekindling the spirit of activism from her youth.  Defining the American psyche unlike any other book I've read recently, Union Atlantic seems like a Great Gatsby for the new millenium.  Highly recommended.