Thursday, April 07, 2005

Book 19: Human Capital, by Stephen Amidon

Just simply reading a description of this book doesn't make it sound particularly appealing, but it turns out to be a fantastic read. The story weaves back and forth, focusing on four central characters. The first is Drew Hagel, a washed-up realty owner whose business, which he inherited from his father, is quickly failing in the wake of more aggressive, inventive entrepreneurs. Somehow, he manages to finagle his way into a hedge fund run by Quint Manning, one of the most powerful men in town. When the fund takes an unexpected negative turn, Drew finds himself in freefall and on the verge of losing the home he was hoping to provide for his wife and child.

Drew's daughter, Shannon, has secrets of her own. Though many people, including her own father, believe that she is still romantically involved with Quint's son Jamie, she is actually seeing a patient who is under the care of her psychologist stepmother. Drew is looking for nothing more than to send Shannon to a great college, but their goals ultimately aren't the same and the high school senior's secret life and her real life will collide in a very significant fashion.

Carrie Manning, Quint's wife, is becoming slowly bored with their riches and is seeking out new ways to entertain herself. Seemingly self-absorbed, her complex relationship with her husband and son makes her perhaps the most interesting and underrated character in the book.

Finally, there is David, the uncle of Ian, the troubled boy who Shannon is dating. Ian's mother passed away some years ago, leaving him in David's care, and David is looking for nothing more than to take Ian away and use his inheritance to purchase a bar in North Carolina. He'll go to great lengths to protect that future, too.

It all sounds like an over-wrought soap opera, but the characterizations are so well thought out that you become deeply involved and invested in each one of these people. It's melodrama on the level of a Douglas Sirk film, but like his movies, fully-fleshed and introspective.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment



<$I18NLinks to This Post$>:

Create a Link

<< Home


 
     


 
 

Need to contact us? E-mail a Box Office Prophet.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
© 2024 Box Office Prophets, a division of One Of Us, Inc.