Made in U.S.A.

Made in the U.S.A. is a novel that is like a night drive through neon streets, full of unexpected turns, dark humor and a deep sad smile over human loneliness. Our hero, Nikola Politeo, is not a hero from the movies – he is a tired man of 42, a former lawyer who has retreated to his small room, haunted by illnesses he has not yet felt. A translator by profession, a dreamer by nature, he lives in a world where American films are the only window to a better life. But one day, in a cafe full of smoke and whispers, he meets Wolf – an unusual American of Croatian origin, with a passport that promises freedom, but also scars of disappointment. Wolf is not what he seems: he is not a wealthy businessman, he is not the exotic foreigner from the novel. He is just a man who has caught the "American dream" – and discovered that it is just another false facade.

Their story begins as a detective story: Wolf searches for Julijana Klis, a love from his youth who disappeared ten years ago, leaving behind only fragments of memories and secrets. Politeo, against his will, becomes entangled in this web – they drive through Croatia, encountering eccentric characters like cunning con artists and forgotten dreamers, uncovering layers of lies. But this is not just a crime story: Tribuson takes us deeper, into the core of Politeo’s mind, where the fear of aging, nostalgia for lost young days and the irony of life in Yugoslavia, where everyone dreams of America, and no one sees that their streets are equally full of illusions, all come together.

Through fast-paced dialogues, witty absurd situations and subtle psychological portraits, the novel unfolds like a film you watch in the dark – you can’t take your eyes off it. Wolf and Politeo become mirrors of each other: one has achieved a dream and lost his soul, the other is still dreaming it and getting lost in it. The climax comes unexpectedly, with a twist that is not only the solution to the mystery, but also a reminder that reality is always gray, and dreams – just a reflection of our weaknesses.