The New Republic
A Novel
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3.8 • 27 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Acclaimed author Lionel Shriver—author of the National Book Award finalist So Much for That, The Post-Birthday World, and the vivid psychological novel We Need to Talk About Kevin, now a major motion picture—probes the mystery of charisma in a razor-sharp new novel that teases out the intimate relationship between terrorism and cults of personality, explores what makes certain people so magnetic, and reveals the deep frustrations of feeling overshadowed by a life-of-the-party who may not even be present.
“Shriver is a master of the misanthrope. . . . [A] viciously smart writer.” —Time
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A separatist organization based in a fictionalized Portuguese peninsula could have been fertile territory for Shriver (We Need to Talk About Kevin) to send up terrorism, but this lightly ironic novel, written in the mid-'90s and offered now that we have enough distance from 9/11, is done in by a woolly plot and an out-of-date atmosphere. Edgar Kellogg, who has always played second fiddle to more charismatic men, quits his corporate law job to pursue journalism, finding temporary employment as a stringer at the National Record. Kellogg's first mission: to locate the former stringer, missing in "Barba," a god-forsaken region of Portugal and home turf to the radical Os Soldados Ousados de Barba (SOB). As Kellogg quickly learns, the former stringer belonged to that category of charismatic men: a beloved, larger-than-life character who had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. But soon the puzzling circumstances of the stringer's disappearance hinting at connections to the SOB offer Kellogg the chance to assume his predecessor's social mantle. Though Shriver's characters are sharply drawn, they lack sympathy, and several plot contrivances are too jarring to overlook. Terrorism is merely a backdrop to a fairly banal exploration of popularity.
Customer Reviews
Witty and Entertaining
Very well read story about a man's struggle to overcome his past and become a force in his social circles. Ed Kellogg, the protagonist, is deftly portrayed by the reader as a torn man, understanding the nature of right and wrong but pulled into immoral behavior to have a laugh at the world and to try to win status and the the heart of an unattainable woman. Narrative and dialog both very good, with some very witty and insightful moments. I give it four stars instead of five because the story begins to flag a bit at about the 75% mark, before regaining momentum for the finish. Still a good story, and the ending works.