Golk: A Novel (Phoenix Fiction)

In midcentury America, a man named Golk launches an audacious television program called *You're On Camera*. To "golk" someone means to trick them on camera into revealing their true nature, with the best results coming from combative personalities. Golk assembles a team of helpers, including Herbert Hondorp, a scholarly man turned on-camera decoy, and Jeanine Hendricks, a twenty-three-year-old debutante with a cynical outlook. As the show gains popularity among New Yorkers, Golk envisions something larger and more transformative. He must convince Herbert and Hendricks to support his expanded vision, even as they face pressure from the network and the allure of celebrity status. The novel presents a surreal and darkly comic view of television's potential impact on American culture and entertainment.