The book collects 20 pieces of Christian Kracht's travel writing originally published in a Welt am Sonntag column from 1992 to 1999.

[1] Henrike Thomsen of Der Spiegel called Kracht "a master of suggestion", who shows both amazement and respect for the contradictions he observes, and whose desire to be cool makes him describe also the most odd situations in a detached manner.

[2] Enno Stahl of Deutschlandfunk compared the book to Kracht's debut novel Faserland, where the narrator describes his observations with faux naivety, calling both books reminiscent of Walter Serner's dandy literature, where everything is a pose but manages to say things about the author.

[3] Christina Jung of Literaturkritik.de [de] wrote that the book avoids what is expected from the genre, such as personal impressions, tips for visitors or condemnations of Western imperialism.

She called Kracht funny and knowledgeable, while showcasing a "non-committal, snobbish and shallow" attitude that is typical for his generation of German-language writers.