Autonauts of the Cosmoroute

"Autonauts of the Cosmoroute", by Julio Cortazar and Carol Dunlop, was the first book I read for the book club I just joined. Written in 1982, it's an account of a month-long trip a couple took from Paris to Marseille without leaving the highway or its adjacent rest stops. They go at a rate of two rest stops a day, cheating occasionally when construction crews show up. These areas are documented with photos, drawings, chronological and meteorological data with the precision of a field team from National Geographic. They sleep in motels or their VW van; and pass the day with exploring the wooded areas around the rest stops, reading, writing, eating, and vansex. The latter is described with surprising fervor by the 70ish year old Cortazar, or perhaps not so surprisingly since Dunlop is only about 36. Their disdain for the other drivers who wolf down sandwiches, sometimes standing up, and rush on their way with no regard for the peaceful surroundings can seem smug; but allusions to their struggles with depression hint that the slow pace, structure, and absence from their usual responsibilities are not only a quirky exercise but a therapeutic one. Dunlop's death just a few months after their trip from causes beyond the reach of Wikipedia adds further poignancy to a story that could have seemed self indulgent. But for the most part , it's a lighthearted and unconventional take on the travel narrative; and while I was reading it there were definitely a few afternoons when reading and eating madeleines in the shade of a van in the south of France for a few weeks seemed preferable to making spreadsheets in an over-airconditioned office.