picaresque

But the story’s many twists and hair’s-breadth escapes — its devolution into a Holocaust picaresque — lack the foundation of historical truth that undergirded the writer’s debut effort.

“The book is also a comedy, and there is a picaresque quality to it that Justin made a brilliant adaptation of, because it’s a romantic movie, but it’s also very funny.”

He sees himself as a picaresque hero in the novel that exists in his mind — and forces the rest of us to deal with it.

The sprawling, picaresque story uses 18th-century literary conventions to chronicle the adventures of Ebenezer Cooke, who takes possession of a tobacco farm in Maryland.

“Number Go Up” is a globe-trotting nonfiction picaresque that’s as much fun as you can have reading about financial malfeasance and blockchain scams.