> Do you remember the name of the novel or the author,
> by any chance?
I'd know the author's name if I heard it--starts with a G, I think, and living in France the last I heard. It was lighter than _Moscow Circles_, if that gives you any calibration.
My friend wanted to translate the title as "Great Day at the Races" but I don't think they used that, as they never asked the author whether or not he had the Marx Brothers movie in mind when he titled it. Ardis published it in the U.S., which led to tragedy, of a sort: The book got a rave review somewhere significant (it was either NYRB or NYTBR, I believe), but by the time the paperback rights could be settled, the interest in publication had diminished--i.e., the hype had died down. Damn shame, as one seldom gets collateral constructive damage from the hype machine.
And speaking of calibration, Bruce Schneier says: "The NSA wants to remind everyone to call their mothers this Sunday. They need to calibrate their system."