The Simulacra

Here is the story of The Simulacra by Philip K Dick, in a nutshell:

SPOILER AlERT: After World War III the United States merged with Germany and became the USEA. Under the MacPhearson Act, psychoanalysis is outlawed, in favor of psychic drugs. Dr. Egon Superb is the only psychiatrist allowed to remain in practice, for the purpose of treating a particular government official. A recording team travels to northern California to record the music of Richard Kongrosian, a famous pianist who plays telekinetically. Kongrosian, however, has checked himself into a mental hospital, believing that he is invisible and has horrendous body odor caused by a commercial. He is under Dr. Superb's care. Most of the characters in the book see Dr. Superb at one time or another. Vince Strikerock is a resident of the Abraham Lincoln apartment building. Vince's ex-wife Julia has moved in with his brother Chic Strikerock, who lives on the top floor. Ian Duncan, who also lives at the Abraham Lincoln, persuades his old friend Al Miller to perform in a talent contest at the Abraham Lincoln in hopes of being invited to perform at the White House for beloved First Lady Nicole Thibadeaux. Al Miller runs a Loony Luke's jalopy lot. He uses a papoola, a supposedly extinct Martian creature with telepathic capability, to encourage prospective buyers to purchase a jalopy, a vehicle capable of a one-way voyage to Mars. Al agrees to perform with Ian on condition of bringing the papoola along to influence the audience to assure their winning the talent contest. Ian and Al are amateur classical juggists. They win the talent contest and go to the White House and perform for First Lady Nicole. Ian is completely infatuated with Nicole, as is most of the country. She's been the First Lady for about 70 years. Al's boss, Loony Luke tells Ian that the real Nicole is dead and that she is being portrayed by an actress, about the fourth in a series. Ian can't believe it, but it's true. The papoola bites Nicole. Ian and Al get kicked out of the White House. Later Ian can't remember even having been able to play the jug.

Meanwhile... Chic Strikerock's boss, Maury Frauenzimmer, has to fire Chic due to a lack of business. Chic decides to emigrate to mars. Richard Kongrosian walks out of the mental hospital. Since he is invisible nobody sees him. He also decides to emigrate to Mars and finds his way to Al Miller at Loony Luke's jalopy lot. So Al is trying to sell both of them jalopies. Al and Chic don't notice that Kongrosian is invisible. Kongrosian offers to cover Chic's expenses on Mars and to buy a larger jalopy so they can emigrate together. I won't go into the scene with National Police Commissioner Wilder Pembroke at Loony Lukes jalopy lot with Al, Chic, Kongrosian and Ian, among others. The USEA doesn't have a president, but has der Alte, a German consort of the First Lady and who, unknown to the general population, is a simulacrum (an android). The current der Alte, Rudi Kalbfleisch, is old and needs to be replaced. The der Alte has always been built by Karp und Sohnen Werke, but Nicole decides to give the contract for the next der Alte, to be named Dieter Hogben, to Maury Frauenzimmer. Maury is frantic trying to get Chic back.

Meanwhile... the recording crew find themselves in the middle of a street demonstration of the Sons of Job, led by Bertold Goltz, a Jewish neo-nazi. They also discover that the little mountain town they are in is home to a large group of chuppers, Neanderthal-like people, including the Kongrosian's two children. They decide to try to record the chuppers' rhythmic chanting songs. Vince Strikerock works for Karp und Sohnen Werkes. His boss orders him to get his brother to hire him at Frauenzimmer. In a kind of wikileaks move, Vince and/or the Karps reveal that the der Alte is a simulacrum. The citizenry reacts negatively. Wilder Pembroke brings Hermann Goering in from back in time to help with the situation but he is too indecisive. It turns out that Bertold Goltz also is the chairman of the council that really runs things. The council meets with Nicole to discuss the situation. Pembroke barges in and shoots Goltz and has his NP men execute the rest of the council; thus begins a coup attempt. Tactical nuclear weapons are used against the factories of Karp und Sohnen Werkes and A.G. Chemie, the psycho-pharmasutical cartel behind the MacPhearson Act. Kongrosian uses his telekinetic power to transport Nicole to his home in the mountains for her own safety. There she encounters his wife Beth, the recording crew, and the chuppers. The chuppers all seem rather pleased with the civil war, as if their time has come. THE END

I know I've left out a lot of stuff--the nutshell was getting overstuffed--but you get the general idea. It's for your own good. You shouldn't stumble unaware into this convoluted, ludicrously outlandish, crazy book, but then, it is Philip K. Dick. It doesn't seem to have been written as a comedy, but if they ever made a movie of it, it would have to be done in a Monty Python's Flying Circus sort of way.