The Parade

An unnamed country is leaving the darkness of a decade at war, and to commemorate the armistice the government commissions a new road connecting two halves of the state. Two men, foreign contractors for the same company, are sent to finish the highway. While one is flighty and adventurous, wanting to experience the nightlife and people, the other wants only to do the work and go home as quickly as he can.
But both men must eventually face the absurdities of their position, and the dire consequences of their presence. In this timeless novel, Dave Eggers questions whether we can ever understand another nation's war, and asks what role we could or should have in forging anyone's peace.